《Reincarnated In The World Of The Last Game I Played》


 Chapter 1 - Reincarnation

    A gamer is one who visits multiple worlds through a monitor. Fantasy worlds with dragons and fairies, worlds at war with spaceships and lightsabers and even worlds that are being oppressed by gods and it is the gamer''s role to save them.


    Arthur was once one of those players. But over the years, with the responsibilities of adult life and relationships, he''s long since abandoned his beloved games.


    He had traded those worlds for a relatively successful life as an accountant, a bride he loved with all his heart and friends.


    At the end of a Friday workday, Arthur, in a hurry, threw his things into his briefcase anyway, said goodbye to his colleagues who had been working overtime, and ran to the parking lot.


    Today was his anniversary with his fianc¨¦e Luana and he had made a reservation at her favorite restaurant to celebrate.


    Arriving in the car, Arthur was panting and as he opened the door he felt a twinge in his chest that made his vision momentarily darken.


    "W-what was that?" Arthur wondered with his hand on his chest and holding on to the car.


    "Arthur? Is everything alright?" A concerned young voice asked from behind Arthur.


    Arthur composed himself and turned to see the newest accountant in the office. Helena was a competent, beautiful, polite and kind girl who had joined the company just over two months ago and she had taken a special liking to Arthur who did not treat her like an intern.


    "Y-yes. I think I''m fine."


    "I saw you suddenly almost pass out. Is everything really okay?"


    "Yes, yes. I''ll be fine." Arthur said to calm Helena down. "Tomorrow I''m going to the doctor to see if something''s wrong. So good night Helena. I have to go now."


    Helena saw Arthur get into the car and drive away as if she wanted to say something, but she didn''t. Arthur was driving along a busy road and because of the schedule, he was stuck in a traffic jam.


    Still feeling uncomfortable in his chest, Arthur turned on the car''s mp3 to be able to relax, but nothing changed. The pressure in his chest felt like someone was sitting on him, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt and felt somehow more relieved.


    That''s when it happened, Arthur felt as if he could feel his heartbeat throughout his body. He was sweating a lot and his ears buzzed like he had millions of bees inside his head and then he heard a voice.


    {Go back... Need... World...}


    "There is?"


    {You are... Now... Fight...}


    People in neighboring cars, watching Arthur struggle and talk to himself while covering his ears, started filming and laughing without knowing what was going on. In fairness to them, not even Arthur knew.


    When the voice stopped speaking, the pressure in his chest was gone, along with everything else. Arthur felt as if he had run a marathon and opened the windows for fresh air, receiving only smoke and noise.


    Three hours later, Arthur arrived home exhausted, all he wanted was to take a hot shower, hug his fianc¨¦e and sleep, but something wasn''t right.


    The house was all dark and there was another car in the garage that he recognized as being Rodrigo''s, his best friend.


    "What is he doing here? No! Please, anything but that." Arthur begged, but already knowing what was going on inside the house.


    Arthur once again felt his heart beating strangely and the pressure in his chest increased as he tried to park the car.


    With difficulty he slipped through the front door and turned on the lights in the entrance hall and his desperately beating heart filled with hatred.


    The black dress that Arthur gave Luana as a birthday present and that she loved when she received it, was lying on the floor and in front of a trail of clothes that he had seen as a friend of his.


    The clothes guided him to the living room, and the last piece of clothing he found was his fianc¨¦e''s panties, she was completely naked over Rodrigo on the couch.


    Arthur, feeling his whole body ache, his chest pressed and his ears ringing, clenched his teeth together feeling that he was going to cry.


    He had sacrificed so much for her and she pays him that way. He had turned down a job offer in Germany for her, he had walked away from his mother because of her, he had given her ten years of his life...


    "Luana..." Arthur muttered, swallowing the sob that tried to come out. "Luana!" Arthur said and the traitors only moved a little. Arthur, unable to take it any longer, let his anger out. "LUANA! WHAT THE FUCKING IS THIS?"


    Hearing Arthur''s scream, Luana jumped off Rodrigo, falling to the ground with her ass in the air. Arthur could see everything and everything was even harder to swallow.


    Rodrigo, who had also woken up, pulled the rug, covering his face. "A-Arthur, that''s not what you''re thinking."


    "Ha..." Arthur chuckled as he heard a snap in his mind. "Haha..."


    "Arthur, I can explain!" Luana said, crawling towards her fianc¨¦. "Th-this only happened once, I swear!"


    "Hahaha... HahaHAHAHAHAHA!"


    The pain that throbbed through Arthur''s body had intensified, the pressure in his chest was stronger, preventing him from breathing properly, and the hums were louder, not allowing him to hear anything they were talking about, and then the inevitable happened.


    Arthur fell with his eyes open but no longer saw, heard or felt anything but hate and sadness. Arthur was in an infinite, dark space, he couldn''t even move.


    "Aaah... Died? Really? Because of that garbage?" Arthur, who was now just a soul, could not believe it. "At least I think I was a good person and I''m not going to hell..."


    Time passed, but Arthur didn''t know how much, but it had been years, maybe decades, floating in that darkness before he heard a familiar voice.


    {Do you want to go back to the world you once abandoned?} The voice asked, clearer and more powerful.


    "Who are you?" Arthur asked upon hearing the female voice.


    {I am #$%@& and you fought for me once.}


    "Who?"


    {Remember Athena. There is still someone waiting for your return.}


    "Where? All I know is this hate burn me and this sadness that drowns me."


    For some reason Arthur accepted being called Athena, he even felt comfortable.


    {I will ask again. Do you want to go back?}


    "...Yea."


    {Welcome back, Athena.}


    ***


    The morning was cool in a shack in the middle of the gray forest. Birdsong invaded the bedroom window where three people slept in the same bed.


    A woman with long almost white blond hair, with large breasts and two girls, one with reddish-black hair and the other with greenish-blond hair.


    Suddenly, as if waking up from a nightmare, the woman stood up. She looked around with sweat running down her collarbone and her emerald green eyes wide as a shock.


    "Is this serious?"

 Chapter 2 - A New Beginning

    Still unable to believe what was happening, Athena got up, not caring about the girls lying on the corner of the bed.


    Her chest was heavy, her ass bigger and her waist thinner. Athena looked for something that reflected her face and soon found a mirror.


    Athena thought for a moment, she was still afraid to see the truth when she heard a voice behind her.


    "Hrmm... Athena, what''s wrong?" The little girl with reddish black hair asked as she rubbed her eyes.


    Athena remembered that child, but she still couldn''t believe it. "F-Foti¨˘?"


    "Hm? What is it?" Foti¨˘ asked tilting her head and her hair slipped from her little pointed ears. "Are you alright, Athena?"


    Finally taking courage, Athena saw her reflection in the mirror. The face she saw was nothing but perfect and Athena remembered that face too.


    Months before Arthur met Luana, he was addicted to a game that allowed him to do anything from becoming the greatest villain to being the savior king of a kingdom.


    Tired of being a villain with his wizard Hades, Arthur spent a whole month arranging things to then create Athena and Foti¨˘. The character Athena was based on the most beautiful woman Arthur had ever seen and the nymph Foti¨˘ was created with the definition of cute in mind.


    However, Arthur only played with Athena once, the next day he met Luana and never played any games again.


    Athena looked at Foti¨˘ with fascination, Foti¨˘ had big eyes and red as rubies and her cheeks were round and red as apples, a beautiful little creature.


    "Athena, what''s wrong? Are you sick?" Foti¨˘ asked, worried.


    Athena''s heart beat like a samba school drum set and euphoria rose in her chest. Athena took Foti¨˘ in her lap and began to spin and jump.


    "Foti¨˘! I miss you! How are you? How old are you? You are so cute in person!"


    "Waaaaaah!!! A-Anemus wakes up, Athena broke!" Foti¨˘ screamed.


    "Hahahahaha!" Athena laughed.


    "Shut up, you two!" Anemus fumed. "What''s got into you guys so early?"


    Athena stopped spinning, jumping and laughing when she heard Anemus'' thin voice. Anemus, like Foti¨˘, was a nymph, but she had been raised with the definition of beauty and like Athena, the girl had a unique beauty.


    "Anemus?"


    "What?"


    "ANEMUS!!!!" Athena jumped onto the bed with Foti¨˘ and hugged Anemus.


    "Gyaaaa! What are you doing? What got into you today?"


    "I said, Athena broke!" Foti¨˘ reaffirmed.


    Anemus was irritated with Athena hugging her and in the palm of her small hand came a small tornado that threw Athena against the bedroom wall, knocking her out.


    ***


    "So what happened to you?" Anemus asked with a stern look from a grandmother.


    Athena was tied to the bed like it was a mattress and Anemus was sitting on it with her arms crossed. "W-couldn''t you untie me first?"


    "No!"


    "Foti¨˘ doesn''t want a broken Athena on the loose either." Foti¨˘ said, curled up beside the bed.


    ''Should I tell them the truth? No, they''ll think I''m crazy and keep me tied up... So just half the truth?'' Athena pondered for a while. "Aah... Right, do you guys believe in the afterlife?"


    "I-I said Anemus, Athena broke! W-what are we going to do with a broken Athena?" Foti¨˘ despaired running across the room.


    "N-no! That''s not it! Let me explain!"


    "Then speak at once!" Anemus ordered.


    "So, I dreamed that..." Athena told them about her dream of living like Arthur and that she had created the wizard Hades and Anemus and then the paladin Athena and Foti¨˘ and that she died and woke up. "Isn''t that crazy?"


    Anemus looked at Athena with a mocking expression on his face while Foti¨˘ was still walking back and forth looking for something to fix Athena.


    "Rightˇ­Could you let go of me?"


    "Hm... Okay. Foti¨˘ calm down and help me untie your master." Anemus said.


    "Anemus, am I not your master?" Athena asked and Anemus and Foti¨˘ looked at each other.


    "Foti¨˘ leaves now! Leave her tied!"


    Anemus and Foti¨˘ ran to the corner of the room, away from Athena. They were scared and worried about Athena who had a regretful expression on her face.


    "What are we going to do Anemus? Athena really is broken..." Foti¨˘ said, covering her mouth with her hands so as not to be overheard, but she wasn''t whispering.


    ''I can hear you, my little Foti¨˘.''


    "I don''t know. I''ve never seen it before, not even when I was with Hades. And look, that maniac had some pretty weird spells." Anemus replied.


    ''The weight of being a sinner...''


    "B-but that was over three hundred years ago! They might have invented new magic."


    ''What? Three hundred years?''


    "Yes, it''s possible..." Anemus said and started to think.


    "W-wait!" Athena said. "How old are you Anemus?"


    Anemus looked at Athena in disbelief. ''It''s not possible that what Athena said before was true, but what if it was? Hadesˇ­'' Anemus missed her master, and the possibility that he was also Athena made her heart race.


    Anemus approached Athena carefully and shyly sat down beside the woman. Athena looked at Anemus and smiled a beautiful, charismatic smile, it wasn''t a smile that Athena was used to making like Arthur, but it was a genuine smile. Seeing Anemus and Foti¨˘ in person cleared any rancor she felt until she woke up as Athena.


    "Athena, Athena, Foti¨˘ is hungry!" Foti¨˘ said while jumping on top of Athena, as if she had forgotten everything that had just happened.


    "Foti¨˘, wait a minute. It looks like Anemus wants to say something." Athena replied staring at Anemus intently.


    "Hades..."


    "Hm?"


    "Hades used to caress me even though he was bizarre, to me he was affectionate. How did he caress me?" Anemus asked with eyes full of anticipation and longing.


    ''Caress? Aaah! The bond-enhancing system... What was it like?'' Athena thought and thought and then remembered. "He ran his hand over your face and then up into your hair."


    At that moment Anemus'' eyes filled with tears. The master she thought had abandoned her, the master who left her behind and died somewhere, the master she''d hoped to return for the past three hundred years had been there all along. Anemus bent over Athena''s breasts and wept.


    Foti¨˘, seeing Anemus cry, also cried and Athena seeing the two cry and imagining what Anemus was thinking and everything else she spent waiting for a master who would not return, the loneliness of these thoughts rose in Athena''s chest and she also cried.


    At the table, the two girls and Athena ate fruit and breads with hot milk, all three had swollen eyes and Anemus sniffed at one time or another and didn''t move away from Athena by an inch.


    "That makes it hard to eat, Anemus..."


    "..."


    "I''m not going anywhere else."


    "..."


    "Hey... How about we go into town today?"


    "Foti¨˘ doesn''t want to! Athena said she would take Foti¨˘ hunting today." Foti¨˘ said bravely.


    "How, dear?"

 Chapter 3 - Soul Information

    "By the goddess! How can you not form a single spell?" Anemus complained, folding her arms as he faced Athena''s failure for the third time.


    "W-well, I don''t really know how to use magic... I''ve never done that."


    "How not? You were once a powerful dark mage!" The outrage was almost tangible in Anemus'' voice.


    "I didn''t really use magic, Hades was using it through the system." Athena said.


    ***


    (Three hours earlier.)


    "How is it, dear?"


    "Athena promised to take Foti¨˘ hunting!" Foti¨˘ repeated with enthusiasm.


    Athena looked at Anemus with a complicated expression.


    "You promised it last month too and you didn''t keep it." Anemus said.


    "Foti¨˘, my sweetie, can we do this another time?"


    As soon as Athena said this, Foti¨˘''s face went from happy and full of enthusiasm to genuine sadness.


    "B-but Athena promised..." Foti¨˘ said as she began to tear up.


    "N-don''t cry..." Athena stood up and hugged Foti¨˘. "L-let''s do it like this. I''ll train a little and then I''ll go hunting."


    ***


    "I can''t believe this..." Anemus said in disbelief. "Does that mean you don''t really know anything about this world?"


    "No. I know about wars between nations and monsters... Ah! I also know there are two gods at war." Athena said, proud of her knowledge.


    Anemus looked at Athena as if all the respect she had recently acquired for her master melted into nothingness. "F-first let''s see your status..." She said without any enthusiasm.


    Upon hearing Anemus'' suggestion, Athena''s eyes sparkled and with the excitement of a novice, she said without hesitation. "Status!"


    Anemus looked at the woman with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out like a rooster, with an expression of surprise and embarrassment.


    "??" Athena folded her arms, accentuating her breasts and cocked her head to the side in confusion and then looked at Anemus. "Anemus... it''s not working."


    "II''m afraid to ask, butˇ­what didn''t work?"


    "The status."


    "What have?"


    "Wasn''t a window supposed to appear to me with my information outlined in it?"


    "Huh?"


    "Huh?"


    Athena and Anemus stared at each other for a few seconds, one not understanding what the other was saying.


    Anemus spread her golden wings, which had not been there before, and pulled Athena by the ear back into the bedroom. In the bedroom, behind the head of the bed, an altar was set up with sealed scrolls and a large mirror.


    "What is it?"


    "It''s a mirror of the soul." Anemus responded with exhaustion in her voice and then explained. "Here, take a scroll and look in the mirror while concentrating mana on the scroll."


    Athena took the parchment and trying to do as Anemus said, looked into the mirror that reflected a young woman.


    She looked about twenty at most and she was beautiful. Her face was small and perfect, with her big green eyes, pink lips, sharp nose and her almost white blond hair reaching to her ass. Athena saw herself as her dream woman and was beginning to want to kiss.


    "What are you doing?" Anemus asked with a disgusted expression to Athena that was about to kiss the mirror.


    "N-no, nothingˇ­" Athena replied, embarrassed.


    "Just do it soon."


    Athena looked into the mirror again and seconds later. "Anemus."


    "What?"


    "How do you use mana?"


    Anemus couldn''t believe what she had just heard. It was not possible that the master she had been waiting for had become a potato. She refused to accept it, so she refused to teach Athena about mana, got into bed, and went back to sleep.


    "Anemus, sorry! I''ll try harder, help me!"


    "No! Hades would have figured it out for himself!"


    "Foti¨˘ help me convince Anemus?" Athena asked the little girl to watch everything without saying anything.


    "No... Athena won''t keep her promise." Foti¨˘ said sulkily.


    "But I can''t take you hunting if I don''t know how to use mana and spells..." Athena said, feigning sadness.


    Foti¨˘ innocently looked at Athena''s face and ran to her master. "Athena, Athena, don''t cry? Foti¨˘ will help Athena! Athena don''t cry?"


    Athena''s heart ached for deceiving Foti¨˘, but it was a necessary evil. So Athena and Foti¨˘ called and shook Anemus.


    "Aaaaaaah!!! Enough, you two, enough! Okay, I''ll teach!" Anemus said in resignation.


    Athena and Foti¨˘ embraced in celebration and the two sat on the floor in front of Anemus on the bed.


    "First, but it''s an energy that every living being has, with the exception of common monsters. This energy comes from the being''s soul and that''s why some are born with a lot and others with a little."


    "What about magic?" Athena asked with her eyes shining.


    "C-calm down, I''ll get there now. A human''s mana can develop in two ways as that person lives. For example, if a man grows by increasing intelligence and information, he will be able to use magic because his mana will become magical power. Some species like elves, nymphs, fairies and etc... will be born with natural magical power and therefore tend to become wizards."


    Athena listened attentively, not missing a word, while Foti¨˘ began to yawn with sleep.


    "Wait! But Hades was a high-human."


    Anemus looked at Athena with some loneliness. "Yes, he was... High-humans have a good affinity for magic too." Anemus said, the longing was audible in her voice. "But anyway, if he grows up doing work that requires physical effort, the mana will become martial energy and instead of magic, the person will be able to use skills."


    "Right, but I still don''t understand how I use mana." Athena said with a complicated expression.


    "Calm down, I''ll get to that part. Now how does magic power create magic???"


    "Ah! I know that much. Through magical power, the mana creates a phenomenon that needs a formula. The formula can be compound anywhere, even in your mind." Athena said excitedly.


    This was information that was given as roleplay when choosing the wizard class in the game and she had read almost everything that was provided by the game.


    Anemus looked at Athena with raised eyebrows. "I''m impressed."


    "Hehe.."


    "So what about skills?"


    "That I don''t know... I haven''t chosen a class as Athena yet."


    "Skills can be acquired in two ways. One is like spells, you can buy the learning scroll or train with a master and inherit his abilities. Another is to create your own skills which is a longer and more arduous path. Now back to basics, using mana. Even if your mana becomes magic power or martial energy, you can still use mana in its natural form."


    Anemus jumped off the bed, landing on her tiptoes in front of Athena and taking the woman''s hand.


    "Close your eyes and feel the pulse of blood in your hand. Now imagine a river of mist running through your veins instead of blood. A bluish-white river flowing like smoke from a chimney and your hands are those chimneys."


    Eyes closed, Athena concentrated on her hands and felt her pulse. Blood flowing from her fingers and back to her hands and then arms.


    After getting a good picture of the blood, Athena replaced it with thick smoke and white as snow. While she imagined this, the image in Athena''s mind was changing and the smoke became thin, fluid and azure blue and along with this image a warm and pleasant sensation appeared in her body.


    Anemus watched Athena closely when she saw a haze like a sky blue vel cover Athena''s entire body and then the vel diminish and stay only in her hands.


    "That!" Anemus celebrated and Athena opened her eyes.


    The energy escaping from her hands was as Anemus had said, smoke coming out of the chimney. A smile of excitement spread across Athena''s beautiful face and she hugged Anemus.


    "I did it, Anemus!"


    "Of course! I taught you!" Anemus said, returning the hug. "Now go check your status."


    Athena broke away from Anemus, picked up Foti¨˘ who was sleeping on her thighs and placed her on the bed and then saw her status.


    Athena''s mana bathed the parchment and the mirror reflected the information from Athena''s soul. Leaving her and Anemus openmouthed.


    "Anemus..."


    "..."


    "...Is this right?"


    "...."

 Chapter 4 - Mana, Magic And Skill

    Anemus was speechless, in all her life, she had never seen anyone achieve divinity, not to mention that Athena had also surpassed the lifespan of a High-Human, which was a mere one hundred and fifty years.


    Athena was also speechless, not because she was impressed, but because she didn''t understand anything she saw. The status was completely different from the game''s info panel.


    "Where are the attributes? Where are the strength and intelligence?" Athena said, staring at herself in the mirror.


    "What can my mistress be talking about?" Anemus asked.


    "Why are you talking like that?" Athena asked, feeling awkward with the way Anemus spoke.


    "You are the first person who became a goddess I know."


    Athena looked into the mirror again and saw two features that caught her eye.


    "Anemus, how do I see the skill description?"


    "Just open the parchment, ma''am."


    "Stop talking like that, this is so weird!" Athena complained as she opened the scroll.


    =================================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High-Human


    Class ? Hermit


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 341 years old


    ?Spells?


    ?Skills?


    ?Features?


    Martial Energy ? You haven''t exercised in hundreds of years and that''s why your martial energy is decaying. Skill usage limited to twice a day.


    Magic Power ? As a saint, you have an almost divine magic power and as long as you have mana you can cast any spell.


    Immortal ? Time no longer matters to an immortal, but an immortal can still die.


    Small Deity ? You became a holy hermit from having spent hundreds of years in isolation. You are the closest being to becoming a god.


    =================================


    Athena read the parchment and felt relieved she hadn''t become an existence she couldn''t bear. Being immortal wasn''t a problem for her, but a goddess was too much.


    "Anemus, read on, I''m not a goddess." Athena said as she handed the parchment to Anemus.


    Anemus read the parchment carefully and as if she let all the tension out of her mouth, she let the air escape through her mouth.


    "Hmph! To think you became a saint by doing nothing." Anemus said, feeling cheated.


    "Ehehe! I''m amazing!" Athena responded proudly.


    "But with the amount of mana you have... Even though she''s a saint, she''s not the strongest. And look..." Anemus pointed to the description of the martial energy that was the lowest of Athena''s characteristics. "You need to exercise."


    "You''re right, but why do I have so much magical power and martial energy?"


    "I think you already had martial energy and gained magical power when you became a saint."


    Athena sat up in bed and stroked Foti¨˘''s sleeping face and turned her eyes to Anemus with an expression of impasse on her face.


    "Anemus, if exercise is enough to increase my martial energy, what do I need to do to increase my mana?"


    Anemus sat beside Athena with a complicated expression. "I don''t know if you''ll like the answer..."


    "Even if I don''t like it, I need to know."


    Anemus sighed and looked into Athena''s green eyes. "Remember I said that mana is something of the soul?"


    "Hm..."


    "To increase the amount of mana, a person needs to kill. Killing monsters and animals is enough, but inefficient and so the so-called power-seeking mages kill their peers." Anemus said remembering Hades.


    After hearing Anemus'' explanation, Athena''s mind was flooded with thoughts.


    ''That didn''t exist in the game... It would be so much simpler if that were the case, but you can associate it with the xp gain. I heard a rumor that if someone killed a human NPC, the amount of experience gained would be absurdly high...''


    Seeing Athena so thoughtful, Anemus felt uneasy.


    "Y-you''re not planning on going back to being a psychopath just to increase your mana, are you?" Anemus asked, dismayed.


    "N-no! I got tired of being hunted in every town I go to, but..."


    "But...?"


    "Criminals also meet the requirements." Athena responded with an almost evil smile on her lips and a glint in her eyes that made Anemus shiver.


    "You really are him..."


    Athena cocked her head to the side. "Did you still have questions?"


    "Obviously! Would you blindly believe what you said?"


    "I don''t know..." Athena looked at the thatched roof of the hut. "Depending on what information the person provided me, maybe." Athena said and looked at Anemus with excitement. "Leaving that aside, teach me some magic!"


    "Impossible... No wait! I can teach you a skill."


    "Which?"


    "Dimensional bag."


    "And what does that do?"


    "Really? It''s in the name of the skill! It kills things!" Anemus said sarcastically.


    "Huh? Really?" Athena asked expectantly.


    "Of course not!" Anemus jumped out of bed, annoyed, and faced Athena. "Pay attention! {Dimensional bag}"


    As soon as Anemus said the name of the spell with her hand outstretched, the space between her and Athena rippled like a puddle of water that had been hit by a drop.


    Anemus stuck the small arm in the air, causing Athena''s eyes to open in surprise as she saw Anemus'' arm disappear and then Anemus pulled a sinister looking staff from there and then Athena understood that the skill in question was inventory.


    "Ah! I was with you! I was already wondering if I left it in the bank."


    "Using demon bones to make a staff was a disgusting idea." Anemus disapproved.


    "But this staff is very good for large-scale spells. And it was very difficult to get the spine and skull bones."


    Anemus held the staff in disgust and wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible. "Will you want the things you left with me back?"


    "Hm... No, you can keep them for now. But then, how do I use this skill?"


    "Just a minute." Anemus threw the staff back into the bag and from there took out a purple parchment. "I will transcribe the skill for you to learn."


    After a few minutes, Anemus handed the parchment to Athena and explained how to use it.


    Athena read the parchment concentrating mana in her eyes and the parchment was consumed in a bluish flame.


    "That''s it?" Athena asked a little disappointed.


    "Now activate the skill. When you want to close the warehouse, just stop mana consumption."


    "Alright, I''ll try." Athena reached forward with a handful of mana. "{Inventory}"


    "Wh... Hey!" Anemus complained at the word Athena said, but was soon taken by surprise.


    Instead of the ''dimensional bag'' effect, a red wooden door appeared in the middle of the room, between Athena and Anemus.


    "Ooooh!" The two said at the same time.


    "But how?!" Anemus asked, incredulous as she walked around the door.


    "I don''t know, but it worked. However it seems less efficient than the ''dimensional warehouse''..." Athena said as she opened the door.


    Inside the door was a room with five closed chests and some empty shelves. Athena opened all the chests and found thousands of gold coins.


    "Oh! I don''t think I''ll have to work. If the inventory has all that, the bank must have even more."


    "You''ve had all of this with you all this time and us eating fruit and stale bread?" Anemus complained.


    "You can''t blame me if Athena was petty." Athena said, and suddenly found herself wondering if there really was someone in this body or was it something like an artificial intelligence. "What was Athena like yesterday?"


    "Hm... It was almost like a doll. She didn''t talk much and spent most of her time sleeping. That''s why she hasn''t taken Foti¨˘ hunting once in three hundred years." Anemus said as she tossed gold coins into her inventory.


    "That''s a relief, somehow... You can take an entire chest if you want."


    With Athena''s permission granted, Anemus conjured levitation on the chest and launched it into the inventory with a delighted smile on her face.

 Chapter 5 - Money And Gratitude

    After all the explanation and lessons that Anemus gave Athena on how to use mana, activation of skills and spells and how to increase mana, Athena decided to visit the city.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to come with us?" Athena asked Anemus.


    Anemus curled up on the bed, wrapped in an almost transparent sheet. "No."


    "You took that much money for what then?"


    "..."


    Despite what it looked like, Anemus was still anxious and worried that Athena wasn''t Hades and that this was all just a dream and maybe Athena would disappear when she woke up, so she wanted to keep her distance if only for the day.


    Athena approached Anemus and whispered in her ear. "I''ll be back in a few hours." She kissed her cheek and walked away, leaving the hut silent.


    ***


    "Athena, Athena!" Foti¨˘ said as she bounced along the path in front of Athena.


    "Hm? What''s wrong, Fotia?"


    "Where are Athena and Foti¨˘ going?"


    "We''re going to town. I need a few things so I can take you hunting." Athena said with a fond smile.


    "Yay! Athena will take Foti¨˘ hunting!"


    "Say, Fotia. Why do you want to stay strong?"


    "Because Foti¨˘ is a nymph and she doesn''t want to be abandoned by Athena like Anemus was abandoned by her master." Foti¨˘ said, her head down as she held her dress in her little hands.


    As if she''d been punched in the stomach, Athena was without a moment. She didn''t expect Foti¨˘ to think about it and then realized how Anemus actually felt.


    Athena crouched in front of Foti¨˘ and took her small hands. "I will never abandon you." Athena said, looking into Foti¨˘''s crimson eyes. ''Not again.''


    "Athena promises?" Foti¨˘ asked with pleading eyes.


    Athena smiled. "Promise!" and suddenly a stream of light stretched between Athena and Foti¨˘. "W-what is it?"


    Foti¨˘ laughed happily as Athena stirred in confusion, not understanding what was happening.


    Foti¨˘ had unknowingly used a unique magic of the nymphs that allowed her to link her soul with Athena''s, that way, no matter what happened and where they were, she would still be together.


    ***


    After nearly an hour walking through the forest, Athena and Foti¨˘ finally arrived at the city gates. A city that Athena remembered not staying even a week ago when this was still a game.


    The city had gigantic walls surrounding it and to reach the entrance it was necessary to cross a marble bridge that was guarded by two guards dressed in black armor and armed with halberds.


    "Hold on!" Said one of the guards.


    "...! What''s it?" Athena replied.


    "I''ve never seen you around here. Where did you come from and for what??"


    Athena had a sleeping Foti¨˘ in her arms and wore a white dress that in the game was an initial outfit for the high-human race.


    "I live in the forest of... What was the name of that forest again?" Athena wondered aloud and started ignoring the guards.


    "If you-"


    "Sh!" Athena said, interrupting the guard. "Was it from the mushrooms? No... Grove from the pumpkin farms? Also not..."


    The guards watched Athena and began to ponder whether the woman in front of them was crazy or not.


    "I give up!" Athena said. "What is the name of the forest east of here?"


    The guards looked at each other and then pointed their halberds at Athena.


    "Huh? Wh... What are you guys doing?" Athena said, exasperated.


    "The only people who live in that forest are the holy hermit and her nymphs and they never left that place."


    Athena made an expression of surprise. ''Oooh... They went to scout my house... Why?'' Athena wondered, but then pushed the thought away. "I-I am that person!"


    The guards exchanged glances again and began to laugh.


    "W-what?"


    "S-sorry... Pffff! The holy hermit has been alive for over three hundred years." The green eyed guard said.


    "You don''t look more than three hundred years old." The other, thin and bearded, commented.


    "Doesn''t even look twenty."


    "So how do you explain Foti¨˘?" Athena said as she directed their attention to the pointy-eared girl in her lap.


    "It''s not common, but there are other people with nymph companions who pass through here." The green eyed guard said.


    "It''s actually not common, but it''s not uncommon either." The skinny one added.


    ''Serious? Nobody in the game chose nymphs as companions because it was difficult to increase the affinity with them... Could it be that there are more people who have reincarnated in this world?'' Athena thought and thought and then got rid of the worry. "Well, not that it matters. Are you going to let me in or not?"


    "Go ahead, don''t forget to pay the fee at the gates." the skinny guard said.


    Athena walked towards the gate, she had never stopped to see the scenery from above the bridge when she was playing, but now it was inevitable not to see.


    The war between the gods left many disasters and destruction in the world, floating islands were one of them.


    Without the islands the races that fought for the goddess of creation would have perished in the fight against the army of the goddess of destruction.


    When she realized she was losing the war, the goddess of creation used her last strength to hurl the islands to the skies and seal the goddess of destruction.


    Athena approached the parapet of the bridge and from there she saw, through the clouds, the world that the goddess of creation had no choice but to abandon.


    The dark red earth was covered in miasma and mist and you could see ruins of what were once cities and also giant monsters walking across the surface.


    A shiver crept up the back of Athena''s head at the sight of it. "If I''m not mistaken, Hades'' house was down there... I better forget I have a house there."


    Athena turned away from the parapet, cradled Foti¨˘ in her arms, and headed for the wide, tall gate. Athena walked through the gate and saw that the walls were thicker than she remembered.


    Halfway there, Athena saw adults and children sleeping on the floor or asking for money to enter the city and continued walking forward.


    ''I think this sort of thing is common in any world...'' Athena thought as she avoided puddles of excrement she didn''t want to know what they were.


    In front of a huge wooden and iron gate that had a gate of a reasonably common size, six guards guarded the place.


    One of the guards wore a robe and clothes of bright, elegant colors and had in his waist a sword that looked like it had never been used, the others wore armor similar to the guards Athena saw on the bridge and carried large shields.


    "Hold on!" ordered the elegant guard. "Ten silver pieces for the child and twenty-five yours."


    Athena raised an eyebrow as heard the price of the entrance fee and then looked back at the people trapped outside the gates.


    "Some problem?" the guard asked in an almost squeaky voice.


    "I see... Don''t you think this is an unreasonable price?" Athena asked in a sigh.


    "How it is?"


    Athena looked into the man''s face and almost laughed. The man only needed to be green, shorter, have pointy-eared and frog-eyed to be a goblin.


    "No. I''ll pay." Athena said holding back a laugh. "{Inventory}"


    "Hey! What are you...????"


    The red wooden door appeared between Athena and the guards, and when the guards came around the door, Athena opened it and entered.


    "Foti¨˘, my angel, wake up." Athena said as she shook the girl.


    "Athena... Are we here?" Foti¨˘ asked with drool running from the corner of her mouth.


    "Yes. I need to do something that will need both hands."


    "What?"


    The guards looked inside the door and in the room mysteriously lit by a white light, they saw the woman crouched in front of the girl and behind them four open chests.


    In that light the men could see Athena''s beauty and Fotia''s cuteness and were enchanted, but the goblin man could only see the chests.


    Athena said something to Foti¨˘ that made the girl''s ears twitch slightly and an amused smile spread across her little face.


    The girl ran to one of the chests and using the skirt of her dress as a bag, she started carrying several gold coins near the door.


    A gold coin was worth a hundred silver coins and a silver coin, a hundred copper coins, and finally a copper one was worth a hundred brass ones.


    It was common knowledge that the entrance fee to a city should be copper coins for pedestrians and then no more than five silver per cart. The corruption was obvious and Athena didn''t like it.


    Athena took a handful of gold coins and walked to the door and the guards sighed as if they were seeing the goddess herself coming toward them.


    "Here." Athena said as she handed a coin to the goblin guy. "Now, excuse me. Anytime you want, Foti¨˘." Athena said, smiling at the little girl.


    Foti¨˘ grabbed as many coins as she could with both hands and threw them away.


    "W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" The man screamed like a trumpet when he saw the coins fly no more than three meters away from Foti¨˘.


    Athena laughed and then flung the coins she had in her hand away. "The money is mine and I''m giving it to your victims."


    "Y-are you crazy? If you don''t want it, give it to me!" The man said as if it were something common.


    "Pffft! Why would I do that?" Athena said seeing all the people picking up coins from the floor with a smile.


    "Do you have any idea how long it would take these poor people to raise so much money?? Huh??? Quick! Take the money!" The man ordered.


    Athena turned her eyes to the guards with contempt. "You should be ashamed." and she kicked the rest of the coins off the floor. "Let''s go, Foti¨˘."


    "Athena, is it over? Is it over?" Foti¨˘ asked when being caught by Athena.


    Athena smiled fondly. "Yea." Athena closed her inventory and looked at one of the guards who still held his post. "We can?"


    The deep-eyed man with the unshaven black beard looked at Athena with gratitude on his face and opened the gate.


    "Thanks." With a voice affected by a choked cry the man said to Athena''s back.


    Athena smiled at the light of the city. "Your welcome."

 Chapter 6 - Reiden City

    A line of slightly richer adults and children formed at the city gate thanks to Athena''s actions and this did not make the leader of the guards happy.


    The man in question was called Urk and was the only son of the chief of the guard. He was known around town as a gambling addict and for always taking advantage of taking money from the less fortunate.


    "How many did you get?" Urk asked the four guards who faithfully followed him.


    "Two." Said the biggest one.


    "I got three." Said the fattest.


    "I tried to get a coin and a boy bit me." Said the one with the long red nose.


    "I got five. Hehehe...Today I''m definitely going to be able to fuck Lana all night long." Said the ugliest of the four guards.


    "Shit! If only we could get those chests..." Urk complained.


    "But how to get the chests? We don''t even know what magic she used..."


    "She said ''inventory'', I''ve never heard anyone use this spell or skill before."


    Urk sighed as if he was tired and smiled greedily. "We don''t need to know. If we catch that nymph, the woman is sure to give us what we want."


    "But what if she''s strong?"


    "You idiot! If she were strong, would she be walking around unarmed? Now think, if we can catch her nymph, we might even have a ''turn'' with her." Urk said as he wiped his mouth off an imaginary drool and the men smiled and mimicked Urk.


    The guard who collected the fees listened to the conversation with disgust from his coworkers.


    ''I need to tell that girl...''


    ***


    In the city, Athena was taken by surprise by the grandeur of the place. As soon as she exited the tunnel from the walls, she came across a large square that she had carved out into a statue as tall as the walls.


    The statue was of the goddess of creation and had the appearance of a beautiful woman with long hair with a vellum that covered part of her face and seemed to float.


    "Whoaaah!" Athena and Foti¨˘ said at the same time.


    "This place is awesome." Athena said as she placed Foti¨˘ on the ground.


    "Athena, Athena, Foti¨˘ is hungry." Foti¨˘ complained rubbing her stomach.


    "Then let''s eat!" Athena said excitedly.


    Along with Foti¨˘, Athena entered the first Tavern she saw. A well-lit place with luxurious European medieval decor.


    Athena sat at a table near the entrance and soon a waitress approached.


    "What will they want?" the waitress asked.


    The girl with the red braids and the freckled face was so pretty she made Athena''s heart skip a beat.


    "A complete meal for her and you for me." Athena said smiling seductively.


    "P-please decide while I go get her food." The waitress said and walked away quickly, even her ears red.


    "Heh... She''s so cute."


    Foti¨˘ looked at Athena as she sucked the tip of her thumb. "Foti¨˘ is cuter!" She said.


    " Jealous, Fotia?" Athena provoked. "Too bad for you, I''m not interested in little kids."


    "Foti¨˘ is only a child because she is not strong." Foti¨˘ complained, her cheeks puffed out.


    "Hm... It''s true, Foti¨˘ is over three hundred years old too and Anemus is even more than that... Why the hell are you still kids?"


    "Anemus hasn''t gone through the growth ritual yet and Foti¨˘ isn''t strong enough to go through the ritual."


    ''Ritual of growth? If I''m not mistaken, in the game there was a quest to make Anemus an adult... I''ll ask when we get back.''


    While Athena thought, the waitress served Foti¨˘''s food and took two steps away from Athena.


    "Lady, have you chosen what you want?"


    Athena snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the girl standing beside her as she kept her distance.


    Athena smiled harmlessly. "Sorry if I scared you. I''ll want oneˇ­"


    Athena looked at the menu board and saw several options with names well familiar to her. All the options had something to do with the monsters nearby, making Athena''s stomach turn inside her.


    "Urgh... I don''t want anything..." Athena said and handed the girl a gold coin. "You can keep the change."


    "M-lady, that''s too much!"


    "No problem... No, wait! I''ll give you that coin if you stop calling me ''lady''. What do you think?"


    The girl stirred as she thought and then hid behind the wooden tray she carried.


    "Should I call you what then?"


    Athena smiled brightly and held out her hand to the girl. "Athena! My name is Athena!"


    The girl took the hand offered to her. "M-Mila... I''m Mila."


    The girls shook hands, Mila relaxed and then was caught off guard by a kiss from Athena.


    "Um, um! Mila''s lips are sweet." Athena said. "Foti¨˘, do you want to try it?"


    Mila was as red as the beetroot puree on Foti¨˘''s plate and was completely transfixed by surprise.


    "No! And Foti¨˘ doesn''t want to talk to Athena anymore!" Foti¨˘ proclaimed and Mila woke up.


    "Huh? I- Ah! S-sorry, II d-have to go." Mila said and went bewildered by the tavern which, thanks to the schedule, was empty.


    ***


    After Foti¨˘''s lunch, Athena and she went to the bank or at least tried to get there.


    When it was Hades, Athena didn''t spend so much time in the city and even in the game the city of Reinten was already very big.


    Athena has been on the bench twice, the first time when she created Hades and the last time when she deleted it and both times it took her over half an hour to find the blessed place.


    However, Athena was confident this time. Now it wasn''t a game where she couldn''t ask an NPC for information and there were lots of people on the streets.


    "Excuse me, could you let me know which direction the bank is in?" Athena asked a little lady with gray hair and a face as wrinkled as a bulldog.


    The old woman gave Athena a toothless smile and pointed to the north of the city without really saying anything.


    "Ah thank you." Athena thanked her, returning the smile, and with Foti¨˘ in her arms, she followed an alleyway that led north.


    Athena walked from right to left, up and down, but there was no sign of the bank.


    The truth was, Athena hated Reiden and wanted very much to never again have to set foot in the city, because the place for her was a maze, but she didn''t give up.


    Looking around to get her bearings, Athena saw people pouring brown water through the windows onto the street and clotheslines stretched from window to window.


    The muddy and smelly streets had as pedestrians and perhaps even residents, leper dogs and filthy drunks.


    In one alley or another, it was possible to see prostitutes doing their jobs and bad-nourished children, making Athena wonder what was going on in that town.


    Athena hugged Foti¨˘ tightly and began to stride apprehensively. The situation of the children clearly cut her heart, but the public safety of the city was not her responsibility.


    After more than an hour looking for the bank, Athena found it at the far north end of town, in an entirely different area from the one she had just been to.


    The place that was in the upper part of Reiden, smelled of flowers everywhere, in the middle of the square there was a fountain where smiling children ran around, the buildings and houses were well designed and exuded elegance.


    ''It looks like two different worlds...'' Athena thought.


    The bank was a magnanimous building, at its entrance were lined up six carved marble columns in the shape of several people huddled together and holding the roof of the building''s entrance.


    Inside the place, Athena felt almost lonely for the size of the space. With every step Athena took, she felt like someone was following her because of the echo that spread through every place that had a maximum of ten people with the exception of employees.


    "Good afternoon, welcome to Erdenleint Bank. My name is Iris, how can I be of assistance?" the attendant said, almost automatically.


    "I came to withdraw." Athena replied.


    "Your ID."


    "Identification?"


    "Yes. We can only allow you to withdraw if we know who you are." Iris said with a friendly smile.


    "Ah! Sure! {Dimensional Bag}" Athena stuck her arm in the air and pulled out the scroll with her information. "Is this okay?"


    Iris took the purple parchment and read the information. The woman''s blue eyes widened and she stood up, making the noise of her chair echo scandalously around the room.


    "Please wait a moment." Iris said and walked almost running out of Athena''s sight.


    Seconds later she returned accompanied by a tall, thin hem with black hair licked glossy back.


    "Please follow me. I''m the bank manager and my name is Charle." The man introduced himself indicating the path Athena should follow.


    Charle guided Athena to a private room where in the corner was a mirror of the soul.


    Charle cleared his throat so it wouldn''t make as much noise and then bowed.


    "I apologize for my audacity if I am speaking to whoever you suggest to be, but I would like to confirm." The man said, signaling the mirror.


    "It''s okay. It would be weird if you didn''t. Where can I lay my girl down?"


    "Thank you for understanding. You can put her on the couch."


    "I must warn you that she drools!" Athena said in a goofy smile.


    "Huhuhuhu... No problem, I also have a daughter her age."


    After leaving Foti¨˘ on the couch, Athena approached the mirror and after taking a scroll, she looked deeply into her own eyes and recorded the information on the parchment with mana.


    "T-T-THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE!?" Charle yelled as he read the parchment.


    "Hehe... I lost track of time in the forest." Athena said.


    Charle''s black eyes widened in surprise and the man quickly dropped to one knee.


    "Your Holiness, I hope you forgive this poor mortal."


    "S-stop it! I''m just a customer!" Athena said trying to lift the man is to fail.


    It wasn''t that the man was too heavy, but that he was strong. Muscles of his you could feel them even through the thick suit.


    ''I''m too weakˇ­'' Athena thought and walked away from Charle. "Anyway, I need to go to my vault. If it still exists after all this time."


    "Wait a bit, I asked Iris to check it out."


    After a few minutes, Iris entered the room with good news and then guided Athena and Foti¨˘ to a large hallway with several black wooden doors and thick gold bars.


    When Iris opened Athena''s safe, the woman fainted at the sight of so much gold, silver, jewelry, and artifacts.


    "Let''s start!" Athena said as she placed Foti¨˘ on the ground.


    Foti¨˘''s eyes sparkled to see so much that she had never seen before and she ran into the vault as if she were in the fun-loving place of the world.

 Chapter 7 - A Saint

    "So it''s going to be the way we agreed?"


    "Yes, I saw her enter the bank just now. When she leaves, we kidnap the nymph and wait for the signal."


    "I just hope everything goes well. I don''t want to face the wrath of the fairies if something happens to the nymph..."


    Two men conversed near the fountain in the square while keeping their eyes on the bench.


    Athena walked through her vault, choosing what she was going to take. In the vault were mannequins dressed in armor, tunics or cloaks on the left side, and staffs, scepters, swords and shields on pedestals on the right side.


    In the middle, a row of dressers and tables with scrolls, jewelry and accessories, and at the bottom a large pile of silver and gold coins.


    Foti¨˘ ran through the two aisles, stopping in front of each mannequin and pedestal, grimacing at a large shield with the twisted face of a sculpted woman, then climbing and rolling in the pile of money.


    "Foti¨˘, don''t touch anything, there''s a lot here that is cursed." Athena said, but her eyes were fixed on a pile of sealed gray parchments.


    These had been the scrolls that like Hades, Athena used to copy her spells that were classified as rare or unique in the game.


    ''Can I learn? But if I learn dark and demonic magic will I still be able to follow the path of justice? Hmˇ­'' Athena looked thoughtful and then shrugged and threw the scrolls into her inventory.


    "Athena, Athena!" Foti¨˘ shouted from the top of the mountain of gold.


    "Speak, cute thing!"


    When Athena looked at Foti¨˘, the girl had in her hands a necklace with a red stone just like her eyes.


    "Foti¨˘ wants this!"


    ''Is that...'', "Foti¨˘ didn''t I tell you not to touch anything?"


    "But Foti¨˘ knows that this is not cursed!"


    "Do you know what he does?" Athena asked and Foti¨˘ shook her head in denial. "It steals mana from nature and thus increases the user''s. It can be for you."


    "Yay!"


    Athena smiled at the girl''s joy. "But now you''re going to have to find something for Anemus too."


    "OK!" Foti¨˘ replied and slipped off the mountain of coins.


    While Foti¨˘ began her hunt for a gift for Anemus, Athena returned to the vault door to wake up Iris who had fainted when she saw the contents of the vault.


    "Miss, wake up Miss Iris..." Athena called to Iris as she patted her pale face. "....."


    After some affectionate attempts, Athena got angry and gave Iris two strong slaps on the face, waking the receptionist with her cheeks red and marked with fingers.


    "W-where am I...?" Iris asked, still bewildered.


    "You finally woke up. Can you teach me how to use this?"


    Athena held a silver parchment, sealed with a golden cord. This was a class learning scroll, which allowed the player to switch classes.


    Iris looked at the parchment with a confused expression, she took a small monocle from the pocket of her black coat embroidered with gold thread, and placed it in front of her eye.


    As soon as she did, all the information about the parchment invaded Iris''s brain, making her dizzy again.


    "H-how do you have so much stuff I''ve never seen?" Iris asked with a terrible expression.


    Athena thought for a moment before answering and looked at her safe door, dusty and cobwebbed like an object in an abandoned house that hadn''t been opened in years.


    "How long ago did people call the eastern forest the ''Forest of the Holy Hermit''?"


    "About three hundred years ago."


    "So I spent a lot of time collecting these things before I got too lazy to come here." Athena lied without any hesitation, that was the easy way out. "So how do I use this?"


    "Are you really the holy hermit?" Iris asked and Athena just smiled. "Yeah... D-after removing the seal, you''ll need to infuse mana into the parchment while reading the contents."


    ''Hm... It was so simple in the game, just open it and that''s it.'' Athena thought as she snapped the golden rope.


    After unrolling the parchment, Athena saw a text written in gold, an unknown alphabet, but which she somehow understood.


    "The Paladin''s Scroll." Athena read the title on the parchment with satisfaction. "Let''s see... First I have to impregnate this thing with mana..."


    Concentrating on the object in her hands, Athena circulated the mana around the parchment as if it were an extension of her body and was impressed with herself.


    Not knowing how long she could keep the mana circulating this way, Athena began to read the text.


    With each word read, Athena felt something warm invading her body and shivers throughout her body and she felt something change in her body.


    "And in that way, fight and defend the weaker." Athena read the last sentence and her body was lighter. "Hm... I think I''ll need to see in the soul mirror if I want to know what has actually changed."


    The parchment had obviously worked, but Athena was unsatisfied. In the game, when changing classes, an incredible golden light would have bathed her and her body would have levitated, but none of that happened.


    "What is it? Didn''t work?" Iris asked with concern.


    A little sullen, Athena tossed the parchment over her shoulder. "It''s not that, it worked perfectly... Don''t you think for something like that?"


    They stayed in the vault for a while longer until Athena chose and put armor, sword and shield in her inventory and also wore rings and earrings, as well as taking some silver coins.


    Back at the reception, Athena put the necklace around Foti¨˘''s neck while Iris was still taking notes of what was taken from the safe.


    "Is it just that?"


    "Yes, thank you. Now we have to go. See you later, Iris."


    "Bye Iris!" Foti¨˘ said goodbye with the cutest smile Iris had ever seen.


    Iris saw Athena and Foti¨˘ walk away when a woman with silvery black hair appeared beside her.


    "Is that the holy hermit?"


    The receptionist bowed to the woman that she had a holy book in her hands and dressed like a slang cleric. "Yes, your highness."


    "What kind of person is she?"


    "II wouldn''t know how to rate a saint. Forgive me!"


    The woman smiled with interest as she watched Athena go, but she wasn''t looking at Athena but at the thin layer of azure mana that covered her body.


    "Maybe things get a little more interesting in the world now that she''s gone out..."


    "Your Highness?"


    "Fuhuhuhu... It''s nothing."


    When leaving the bench, Athena took a deep breath as she felt the fatigue of being inside a place like an office leave her body.


    "Athena, Foti¨˘ is hungry..."


    "But already?!"


    "Foti¨˘ wants to eat that!" Foti¨˘ pointed to a stall with caramelized apples.


    "Aaah... Okay, as Foti¨˘ was a very well-behaved girl, I''ll buy it for you. Wait here." Athena said as she tickled the girl.


    Across the square, near the fountain, the men waiting for Athena acted as soon as she saw her walk away from Foti¨˘.


    "Fast!" The man with the big red nose said, rushing the fattest one.


    Athena was putting another three apples into her inventory through the dimensional bag when she heard Foti¨˘ yell her name.


    "Hey! W-w... Let her go!" Athena screamed.


    The men looked at Athena, smiled and ran. Without thinking twice, Athena ran after the men as she listened to Foti¨˘''s screams, even what was holding her to cover the girl''s mouth.


    Athena followed the men as fast as she could, past stalls and bumping into people to the south side of town.


    She could soon see the result of the class change, her physique was allowing her to run for too long.


    The south side of the city, though still a noble part, was a dark place and so dirty as like the suburb from earlier. However, it was more empty and quieter.


    "Where did they go?" Athena asked out of the blue and didn''t expect an answer, but...


    "Athena, Athena!"


    "Fotia?" Athena heard Foti¨˘''s voice, but she couldn''t tell the direction. "FOTI¨˘, WHERE ARE YOU?"


    Athena could hear only the wind and the sound of the bustling city behind her.


    "Athena, Foti¨˘ is scared!" Foti¨˘ said, but her voice was muffled, as if she were underwater.


    "FOTI¨˘, I''LL SAVE YOU!" Athena screamed.


    Her eyes watered, but those tears were not hers, suddenly Athena was invaded by a feeling of terror and realized that these feelings were Foti¨˘''s and not hers.


    Foti¨˘''s fear and Athena''s feelings mixed, distorting Athena''s expression into pure anger. Thinking only about finding Foti¨˘, Athena ran down the street in the district that seemed to be as frequented as a cemetery.


    Her voice echoed through the empty and disrepair buildings and houses as if she were in a haunted meadow.


    "Shh! Hey! Want to know where she is?" A fat man on the porch of a wooden house asked.


    The woman looked at the man and immediately reached into the inventory and pulled out the sword she had taken from the bench earlier. The long sword glowed even in that dark environment.


    Athena hooked the belt of the black scabbard around her waist and wrenched the sword from its rest, revealing a silver blade that gave off a faint red light.


    Even though she had never picked up a sword, somehow Athena felt comfortable with one in her hand, it was as if she had grown up brandishing a sword.


    ''Interesting...'' Athena thought and smiled, making the man shiver as he looked into her green eyes.


    The man jumped up from the old rocking chair, feeling cold sweat trickle down his forehead.


    "C-calm down... Heh... If you do anything to me you''ll never see the little nymph again."


    However, Athena did not hear the man, but neither did he move. She swung the sword back and forth, feeling the weight of the sword as it sliced ??through the air, producing a thin hiss.


    "Hey! Fat guy." Athena said in a calm voice. "Want to help me with a test?"


    "There is?"


    Athena reached into her inventory again through the ''dimensional pouch'' and pulled out three gray parchments. She broke the seal with her sword guard and held the parchment in front of her eyes.


    "W-woman! What are you doing?" The man asked as he saw Athena''s eyes glow with mana and then the scroll disappear in a bluish flame.


    "Wait, I have two others." Athena said as she broke the seal on another scroll.


    The man drew his sword and advanced on Athena. He felt that it would be dangerous to let the woman act as he wished, and even though he felt great trepidation, he forced himself to walk towards Athena.


    Athena looked at the man and sighed as another scroll burned in midair.


    "You''re too hasty..." Athena pointed her sword at the man. "{Slowness}"


    A thin bluish layer ran through the blade that glowed red and their colors mingled, creating a tenebrous purple and then, like a flash, from the tip of the sword a wave of light flew towards the man.


    Athena walked calmly towards the fat man and faced him with a smile. The smile she used to wear when she was still Hades.


    The man moved so slowly that he would easily pass for a statue if he were placed in an exhibition.


    However, even though his body was like that, his mind was in sheer terror.


    "Nowˇ­ How can you help me rescue my little girl?"

 Chapter 8 - Distorted - Part 1

    In an abandoned mansion, far from where Athena was, Urk was laughing like a child in a candy store because he had Foti¨˘ in his hands, half of his goal was complete.


    "Boss, don''t you think Mijir is taking a while?" asked Lahar, the knight with the big red nose as if he always had a cold.


    "As long as he does his job, he can take as long as he wants." Urk responded by admiring Foti¨˘''s necklace.


    Foti¨˘ was crying, but because she was gagged, her voice was not audible.


    "Isn''t it better to go look for him? Something might have happened..." Rui, the tallest knight, said.


    "Oooaah! S-stop this omen!"


    It had been an hour since Athena had bewitched Mijir, and since then she had bewitched him another six times when it was just over a minute for the spell to wear off.


    Athena was sitting on the floor beside the bewitched man and was learning one spell and learning one spell after another.


    When she was on her fiftieth parchment, Athena heard Fotia''s frightened voice again. However, this time Athena was focused and realized it was some kind of telepathy.


    Athena took a deep breath and thinking of some way to talk to the girl, she closed her eyes, thinking and thinking, until suddenly she felt a connection between them.


    ""Foti¨˘, can you tell me where they took you?"


    ""Athena? Where are you? Foti¨˘ is afraid... Athena, come get me?""


    ""Calm down Foti¨˘, I''ll go get you, but first I need to know where you are."


    ""Foti¨˘ doesn''t know... Athena, the men didn''t take the necklace Athena gave to Foti¨˘."


    ""It''s okay, I''ll get him back. Wait a little longer, I''m coming!""


    ""Athena, n..."" Before Foti¨˘ finished speaking, the telepathic link was cut, but this was due to Athena''s concentration being broken due to a noise.


    Athena opened her eyes and saw a club descending on her.


    While Athena was talking to Foti¨˘, the effect of the magic invoked on Mijir passed.


    The man, taking advantage of the fact that Athena had her eyes closed and no longer wanting to be bewitched, put all his strength into her sneak attack, however, he was denounced by dry leaves on the ground.


    Athena rolled away from Mijir, painting her white dress with dirt.


    "Well I need you moving anyway." Athena said as she drew her sword. "But that doesn''t mean I need you in one piece."


    Mijir''s eyes widened in fear. Despite being a knight, he was just a guard dog who had never fought anyone with the intent to kill or die.


    Until a month ago he was just a farm boy, who only became a knight to help pay for his younger sister''s tuition, but that wasn''t something Athena would know.


    "W-wait! Please wait!" Mijir begged while defending Athena''s first attack.


    Athena smiled at the man''s hesitation and attacked harder. She felt the same excitement as in the game time, when she slaughtered villages and heard the cry for pity from NPCs and weaker players.


    *Author''s Note: Athena was a psychopath in the game, but I think she''s becoming one in her new life... I hope not.*


    Thanks to his training, Mijir was able to defend most of Athena''s attacks, but it seemed that as Athena brandished the sword, more skillful she became. And with it the wounds on his body appeared.


    "I d-don''t want to die! Wait!" Mijir begged.


    Athena stopped and smiled amiably. "And I don''t want to kill you." and then she cut the air from top to bottom with her sword towards the knight.


    Mijir jumped back, making space between them and saw where he was, a thin red line in the air.


    Athena''s eyes gleamed hypnotically and then from the knight''s body, the left arm dangled.


    "What?" Mijir didn''t understand what happened until he saw on the ground a fat arm covered by an avocado green cloth and holding a wooden mace.


    As soon as he understood what had happened, Mijir felt the hot blood drain from his stump of arm to the ground, he bent his knees in pain and hugged his arm, screaming and crying.


    Athena had a bored expression on her face and took a deep breath, blowing her bangs. "Sorry, I didn''t think it would work... Because of that, now I''m pretty tired. If only you hadn''t kidnapped Foti¨˘..."


    "I... M-my arm..."


    Athena sighed and then kicked the man who didn''t move. The iron odor of blood and the man''s crying began to irritate her.


    "Where did you take her?"


    "M-my arm...!" Mijir said, with less force, over a pool of blood.


    With the eyes of a dead fish, Athena looked at that scene, the scene of a man dying. This scene would stay in her mind forever.


    "The first human I actually killed..." Athena said and raised her sword for a final blow.


    With bleary eyes, Mijir could understand what was about to happen. "My... Sister..." Mijir said and closed his eyes forever.


    In a single blow, Athena pierced Mijir''s skull and in the same instant an energy came out of the man''s body and invaded Athena''s body.


    At that moment, Athena felt a whirlwind inside her and then a lull as if she had achieved something. It was a unique yet familiar feeling of warmth and relaxation after a day''s work.


    Athena hated that feeling. It reminded her of when she was Arthur and the days she spent with Luana and then betrayal she suffered.


    Athena kicked Mijir''s lifeless body and complained. "Damn..."


    At the corner, Lahar watched Mijir''s last moments as he shivered and seriously considered running away and leaving it all behind.


    But he knew that Athena had seen her face and feared she would seek him out, and thinking about it, he threw the sword from his waist to the ground and began walking towards Athena with his arms outstretched.


    When Athena saw Lahar, she twisted her head wondering what the man was doing.


    "I am not your enemy." Lahar said with a smirk.


    "He looked like my enemy when he kidnapped Foti¨˘."


    "Th-that wasn''t my idea."


    Athena tightened her grip on the sword and closed her eyes briefly, trying to control her anger, and Lahar shivered.


    "I don''t want to know about that. Where''s Fotia?" Athena said as she swallowed her anger.


    "I''ll take you there... hehehe..."


    "Why are you laughing?"


    Lahar was laughing nervously, he was afraid to turn his back and get stabbed and regretted having got rid of his sword.


    "Th-that reminds me, you didn''t say who you are at the gate. May I ask who you were?"


    "....I''m someone you should have stayed away from." Athena said and the conversation ended there.


    Lahar guided Athena to the abandoned mansion, past dead gardens and cluttered alleys.


    Occasionally voices could be heard from inside the houses they passed, and Lahar advised Athena not to look.


    "They are poltergeist or re-emerged from the ''tragedy of the south'' era."


    "Southern tragedy?"


    "Forty years ago, a string of deaths happened one after another and no one ever knew what caused it." Lahar explained, and they fell silent again.


    And in silence they stayed until they reached Urk''s hideout.


    "We have arrived." Lahar said.


    The mansion had twenty windows, ten on the ground floor and ten on the first floor, and there was light coming from inside the mansion, through the last three windows on the right side of the ground floor.


    "You stay here."


    "Huh? Wh-"


    "{Sleep}" Before Lahar could say or do anything, Athena bewitched him and he fell onto the lawn in a deep sleep.. "Be grateful that I won''t kill youˇ­yet."

 Chapter 9 - Distorted - Part 2

    Since changing classes, Athena had been experiencing small changes and the changes were confirmed when she, in a test, tried to imitate a paladin skill and succeeded.


    The skill used was a high level skill in the game and it should have expended a lot of resources like stamina and mana, but it only expended some martial energy which was soon restored by converting mana to martial energy.


    And in a matter of mana, every ten seconds after spending, the mana was already restored. She didn''t know if everyone was like that, but she didn''t care either.


    All Athena could think about was Foti¨˘ and the magic formulas that kept hovering in her mind after she had learned it.


    ***


    Inside the mansion, Urk was beginning to become agitated with anxiety and fear. It had been over twenty minutes since Lahar had left to find out what had happened to Mijir, and he had not returned.


    "Aargh! First Mijir and now Lahar... What the hell is taking them so long?!"


    "S-are they dead?"


    "Oooooaaaaah!!!! This is the second time today, Rui!! Stop with the bad omen!!!" Urk complained and hit the man, making him cringe.


    "Sorry boss."


    "No need to apologize. You will die here." Athena said.


    Urk and Rui started looking for the woman and then the tip of a sword appeared in Rui''s chest.


    "Aaargh!" Rui complained in pain as blood flowed from his mouth. "Y-you bitch!"


    Even with the sword buried in his back, Rui turned to face Athena and ended up snatching the sword from her hand.


    Athena jumped back and reached into her dimensional bag, pulling out a white shield with details of golden olive branches climbing its edges, a design of a star in the middle and blades at the tip.


    Rui drew his short sword and advanced on Athena in an attack that, despite being a light weapon, was heavy for Athena.


    Athena defended with her shield and fell to the ground on impact. Rui took this chance to try to step on Athena''s head, but then he heard Urk''s voice.


    "Don''t kill her!"


    Rui turned to Urk with an irate expression. "But she tried to kill me!"


    "It''s her tapir, but if you kill her it''ll be all for nothing!"


    "But boss- uuurrrgh!" Rui was about to say something, but then Athena tore the tendons in the man''s feet, making him fall to his knees.


    "You will be the first." Athena said.


    Athena prepared to rip Rui''s neck, however, Rui had combat experience and strength. The man grabbed Athena''s head and flung her to the first floor, sending her across the rotting wooden floor.


    "Shit!" Urk complained. "Wait, I''ll heal you!"


    Urk walked around the man and with an effort, drew his sword, making Rui moan in pain and spit more blood.


    "By the great creator and all your benevolence I pray that you spare this poor man from his suffering. {Minor Healing}" Urk conjured and golden light emanated from his hands, closing Rui''s wounds. "You still won''t be able to walk, but you''ll stop feeling pain and bleeding."


    "Thanks boss."


    "Was this whole blah blah blah just to cast ''minor cure''?" Athena said, looking at the men from the hole in the ceiling. "Pathetic... Where''s Foti¨˘?"


    "Foti¨˘? What is Foti¨˘? Aaaaah! Are you talking about the little nymph? Don''t worry, she''s fine."


    "Where is she?" Athena asked more fiercely.


    Keeping his cool, Urk looked into Athena''s angry eyes. "If you give us all the trunks in your dimensional bag, I will return the little girl."


    "Tsk! Always money... Humans always do atrocities for money no matter the world, it''s always money..."


    Hearing Athena, Urk made a confused expression, but as soon as he saw Athena open the red wooden door he had seen earlier, his confusion turned to happiness and greed.


    Athena dragged the trunks out of the inventory and left them open at the edge of the hole.


    "Where is she?"


    Eyes gleaming and a huge grin on his face, Urk pointed to the left. "She''s in the next room."


    Athena smiled angelically and skipped downstairs, leaving the trunks behind. "Very good."


    "H-hey! Wait! What about the chests?"


    "It''s not my problem anymore." Athena picked up her sword from the floor, sheathed it, and disappeared into the hallway.


    In the next room, Athena carefully opened the door, which looked like it might break, and called out to Foti¨˘.


    As soon as she saw Athena, Foti¨˘''s swollen eyes sparkled. Foti¨˘ was tied up, lying on an old mattress and gagged.


    "Forgive me, Foti¨˘. I will never let that happen again." Athena said as she untied Foti¨˘.


    Foti¨˘ hugged Athena with all her strength and buried her face between her master''s breasts. "Athena sorry? Foti¨˘ is weak... sorry?"


    Athena hugged Foti¨˘ back, feeling guilty that this had happened and relieved that Foti¨˘ was fine and they stayed like that for some time while the noise of wood creaking came from upstairs.


    "Athena, the evil men have Foti¨˘''s necklace."


    Athena smiled affectionately as she stood up with the girl in her lap. "It''s okay. I''ll get it."


    In the other room, Rui saw Urk trying to move one of the chests, but without success. The chests were heavy and Urk was actually a cleric and not a knight.


    "B-boss, wouldn''t it be better to you heal me so I can carry the trunks?"


    "I don''t have magic to heal deep wounds like yours... Did you forget I was kicked from the temple of light?"


    "Ah... True, I forgot."


    "You guys are still here, that''s good..." Athena said as she appeared at the door. "Which one of you has her necklace? Give it back."


    At that moment Urk saw an opportunity. He smiled as he removed the necklace from his pocket and swung like a pendulum. "I''ll give you back if you take the chests down."


    "This is Foti¨˘''s necklace, give it back!" Foti¨˘ said.


    "I don''t think you understand. I''m not negotiating. Foti¨˘, from now on keep your eyes closed and breathe through your mouth. {Hell''s Fire}"


    Athena conjured a blaze of sinister green and purple fire that permeated her palm. The place was soon filled with sulfur and even with her eyes closed, Foti¨˘ began to tear up.


    "W-what magic is this?" Urk''s voice was squeaky and his eyes were like rivers of so many tears that flowed.


    "This? It''s no big deal... It''s a demonic magic that I used to use a lot for its efficiency in consuming everything. But there''s one thing it doesn''t consume." Athena said looking at the necklace with a smile as sinister as the flame in her hand.


    "Th-this is unholy magic! Worshiper of the goddess of destruction! B-but if you do, you will die too!"


    "Good point. {Dark Shield}" A shield of black waves covered Athena and Foti¨˘ and terror covered the faces of Urk and Rui. "Die." Athena said and threw the fire towards the man kneeling in front of her.


    Rui didn''t have time to scream and his death would be painless if hellfire didn''t burn his soul too.


    As the fire consumed the man''s body, Athena realized that what had happened earlier was not repeated.


    ''I have to leave the soul intact...''


    Urk saw Rui being devoured by the flames at extreme speed and let the necklace fall amidst the flames that soon spread throughout the ground floor, and in the midst of those sinister flames, a beautiful woman with a child in her lap, looked at him, making the scenario even more sinister.


    "I think the ''Hellfire'' is too much for that..." Athena said and canceled the spell.


    Hellfire had a big disadvantage, this was a spell that while it was activated, it consumed the mage''s mana, and despite being Hades'' favorite spell, it was the one he used the least in combat.


    As soon as the flames went out, Urk ran down the stairs while shouting inconceivable words, leaving everything behind, even Foti¨˘''s necklace.


    Athena picked up the necklace from the floor and smiled at Foti¨˘, who still kept her eyes closed and covered her nose with both hands.


    "Let''s go home?" Athena asked and then looked up. "First I have to get that back..."


    ***


    Outside, Lahar was still sound asleep when Athena returned. She could kill him and she wanted to kill him, but she didn''t.


    "Hey! Wake up!"


    Lahar stirred and grunted a little and continued to sleep, then Athena drew her sword and pierced the man''s left hand.


    Lahar jumped in pain and woke up screaming as he held his injured hand, but that was only until he saw Athena and crawled away.


    "W-what?"


    Athena smiled silently, making Lahar more apprehensive. Athena returned the sword to its scabbard and then opened her inventory.


    "Take off your shirt." Athena ordered when putting Foti¨˘ on the ground.


    "W-why?"


    "Just take it off."


    Lahar did as ordered and Athena tied the collar and arms of his shirt, making a bag. The man, curious about what was going on, looked inside the door and saw Athena throwing coins and more coins into the bag.


    "Half is yours for bringing me here, I know you don''t deserve it, but that''s what I decided." Athena said as she threw the gray bag in front of Lahar.


    Lahar''s eyes gleamed with his new fortune. "And the other half?" asked the man hugging the bag of coins.


    "It''s for the sister of the fat man I accidentally killed."


    "Unintentionally?"


    "Yes, it was for an test, and since he helped me out on the test, I''m paying for his work."


    Athena smiled beautifully as she spoke, but to Lahar it was an almost demonic smile. Feeling shivers all over her body, Lahar nodded and Athena left satisfied.


    ***


    In the city''s commercial district, Athena and Foti¨˘ hurriedly chose clothes outside the store. They had been out for a long time and Anemus might have been worried or something might have happened.


    "Ma''am, did you choose everything you wanted?" Asked the muscular, bearded man who wore a turban.


    "Do you have more comfortable boots?"


    "I do, but they''re expensive."


    "Money isn''t an issue. I want four adult boots and two for seven-year-olds girls." Athena told the cop a handful of gold coins from the dimensional bag.


    The man counted the purchase along with the boots and took three gold coins from Athena, returning eight silver coins and four copper coins.


    "Check back often!" The man said with a huge smile to Athena and Foti¨˘''s back.


    "Look Athena! It''s a kitten!" Foti¨˘ said, pointing to a white winged lion with three horns next to a blue wyvern and a unicorn.


    "Ah... Yes, I don''t have a mount."


    Athena took Foti¨˘ in her arms and went towards the animals, but before she reached them, they were surrounded by soldiers.


    "IT''S SHE, DAD! THE WORSHIPER OF THE GODDESS OF DESTRUCTION!" Urk yelled pointing at Athena from behind a fat old man covered in jewels.


    "Tsk! You again? I should have killed you."

 Chapter 10 - Distorted - Part 3 - Final

    The business district, which was a busy and noisy place, was silent. Crowds formed around soldiers, corpses, a crying child, and a bloodied and exhausted woman.


    "Hmph... To think she managed to kill three soldiers and a knight and still be alive." Said Yurk, the captain of the guard and father of Urk.


    "I said, Daddy. This woman is a servant of the goddess of destruction."


    "Shut up! To think you put me through this shameˇ­ I should have gotten rid of your mother when she was pregnant. And for love, someone shut up that damn child!"


    Urk cringed at his father''s words and the soldiers looked at Foti¨˘, who was still crying.


    Athena and Foti¨˘ were cornered against the city wall. Athena fought bravely as she also protected Foti¨˘ at her back.


    One of the soldiers closest to Foti¨˘, upon hearing the order, sheathed his sword and bent down to try to calm the girl down.


    "Ssssh! You need to calm down..." The soldier said and then saw the tip of a sword pointed at him.


    Athena was tired, the soldiers were strong, and among them were even stronger knights. She used way too much mana and martial energy and only managed to defeat four people. but she would die before letting anything happen to Foti¨˘ again.


    "Stay... away... from her!" Athena said.


    The soldier felt goosebumps all over his body. How was it possible that in that situation, that woman kept such a cold and menacing look? To that soldier, Athena''s eyes were the most frightening and yet beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he felt his heart beat strangely as he walked away.


    "Foti¨˘... it''s... alright." Athena said without looking back. "Stop crying."


    "B-but Athena is hurt... Hik! And, and Foti¨˘ hasn''t been able to fight a-Hik! yet..."


    Her hair was mostly red, as was her torn dress, which revealed part of her breast and legs. And yet Athena smiled.


    "We don''tˇ­needˇ­fight anymore." She said and sheathed her sword.


    Seeing this, Yurk was infuriated that he thought Athena was making fun of them. "Get her now and torture and hang her!"


    "This will not happen." said Charle, and beside him, a woman as beautiful as Athena, with long silvery black hair and purple eyes.


    ***


    A few minutes earlier at the Erdenleint Bank, Charle had been sitting across from a clergyman as they sipped tea.


    This woman was one of the most important people in the kingdom of Basilica, a nation in decay after losing the war to the Elsna empire.


    "That woman... How strong do you think she is?"


    Charle looked at the silver-black haired woman with suspicion and discomfort.


    "Not much, but if you''ve seen her, your holiness already knows that. So I don''t think that''s the answer you want to hear." Charle was silent for a moment. "It won''t be long before she will be a considerable force to your nation."


    The woman looked at Charle with a menacing look. "Wouldn''t she be ''our nation'', Mr. Charle?"


    "Oh please, Erdenleint Bank is a multinational entity, and I, as part of that bank, have no nationality." Charle replied as politely as possible.


    "I forgot that bankers are always like this. Leaving that aside... Why do you think she decided to leave the forest?"


    Charle shook his head in denial. "How would I, a simple banker know?"


    "''A simple banker'' you say... Could a simple banker stand up to Beleon?" The woman said as she crossed her legs, letting her thighs show through the side opening of her tunic.


    Charle chuckled, feeling nostalgic. "Why... That was over twenty years ago. Today I''m just an old banker."


    "That woman... what''s her name?"


    "Athena."


    The woman raised her eyebrows. "Just ''Athena''?"


    "That''s what the mirror of the soul said. Why?"


    "Don''t you think that''s weird? She''s a saint! Why doesn''t she have a family name or affiliation?"


    "She is over three hundred years old." Charle said thoughtfully.


    "AND?"


    "It''s from the same time immortals started to disappear for good. No record talks about immortals having family members, usually they grouped into guilds and adopted the organization''s name, thus earning an affiliation name... But it''s if it is the last of these immortals?"


    The woman was about to say something when the door to the room opened. Iris entered the place hurriedly and distressed.


    "Mr. Charle, Your Highness, trouble in the business district!"


    The two looked at the receptionist confused.


    "And what does this have to do with us?" the woman asked.


    Iris cringed. "It''s s-Miss Athena! The captain of the guard has surrounded her with soldiers and she has already killed three of them!"


    The two people exchanged looks of surprise and got to their feet.


    "Saint Serien we''ll save the conversation for later, I can''t let the richest woman in our bank die!" Charle said he left the room in a hurry.


    "Richest woman? No, wait! I''m coming too!" Serien said and walked behind Charle.


    ***


    Now...


    After seeing Charle and Serien, everyone in the place bowed to Serien, even Yurk, Urk and the soldiers, leaving only four people standing.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Serien questioned.


    With his head down and knees bent, Yurk felt as if his life was in ruins and he had to find a way to prevent that from happening.


    "We are capturing a servant of the goddess of destruction, her highness."


    "Since when is being a servant of the goddess of destruction a crime for you to arrest her?"


    Yurk smiled as if he''d hit the jackpot. "She killed two of my son''s men and now she''s killed another four and so we have to capture her!"


    Athena was staring at Serien and Charle intently when Serien asked. "Is it true what he says?"


    Athena took a deep breath and placed her hand on Foti¨˘''s head, which was hugging her teacher''s leg. "They kidnapped my nymph and before that they charged an absurd fee to enter the city. And about those four, I just defended myself."


    Just then Urk raised his head, shouting. "TH-THAT''S A LIE! WE WERE PLAYING WITH THE GIRL AND THIS UNHOLY WOMAN KILLED MIJIR AND RUI!"


    "And where are the bodies?" Charle asked as he stroked his own beard.


    "That... They..."


    Yurk turned his head enough to look at his son, Urk was sweating as if his skin was crying for him and Yurk realized that all was lost and decided what to do.


    "Your Highness, I, Yurk D''erneand, did not know what my son had done. Please at least spare my life!"


    Urk''s eyes widened as he saw his father abandon him. In desperation Urk looked everywhere for some salvation and in the midst of the crowd he found it.


    Lahar, his friend and subordinate whom he thought was dead, was there his salvation. At least that''s what he thought.


    "Huh? I''ve never seen this woman use dark magic!" Lahar said is surreptitiously winked at Athena. "And I spent months having to put up with Urk''s corruption. As his father is the captain of the guard, I always had to do what he wanted."


    "Hey... W-what are you...-"


    "You know this woman is a saint, right?" Serien said, interrupting Urk. "And as such, she wields almost the same authority as the marshal. Do you have any idea who you attacked?"


    "H-like the goddess of creation, Lhian, the lady of benevolence and forgiveness. Please be merciful to me?!" Yurk begged.


    Not just for Athena, but for everyone there, such a scene was repulsive and the crowd began to whisper, making the man''s face burn with shame.


    ''I will survive and take revenge.'' That''s what Yurk thought.


    "As Princess of the Basilica Kingdom and High Priestess of the Temple of Light, I, Serien Aust Basilica, condemn the Chief of Guard Yurk D''erneand and his son Urk D''erneand to immediate execution!"


    Just as the princess said, the guards who were just following Yurk''s orders rose and drew their swords to carry out Serien''s order, but Athena stopped them.


    "Wait!" At that moment the eyes of Urk and his father filled with hope and then terror as Athena unsheathed her sword. "I want to do that..."


    Serien raised his eyebrows in surprise and Charle chuckled as Lahar gulped at the thought that the same could happen to him.


    Seeing Athena approaching him, Yurk began to crawl back, trying to get away from his destiny. Athena walked toward the men with a beautiful, terrible smile on her bloodstained face.


    Urk drew his sword and charged, his face full of fear, tears, sweat, and phlegm, towards Athena. A futile act of desperation, Urk was not a guard, knight or swordsman, he was a banished cleric who never used a sword in his life, his sword was only for decoration and also ''persuasion''.


    Urk used all his mediocre strength and attacked Athena with the sword in a mindless frontal attack. Athena blocked the man''s sword with her shield and swept past him, severing his head in a single blow.


    Serien and Charle had the most genuine surprise written on their faces when they saw the scene.


    "Didn''t you say she wasn''t strong?"


    "Iˇ­" Charle was about to reply when he felt something warm on his feet. He looked down and saw Yurk sitting on his feet and getting wet as he tried to say something. "Why, you!"


    "Please do not do that." Athena asked when Charle was about to kick Yurk. "You''ll kill him if you kick him. He''s mine."


    Charle looked at Athena and sighed. "Then I shall expect a new pair of shoes as a gift from your holiness."


    "Hm! That''s fine with me." Athena responded with a kind smile and grabbed Yurk by the hair. "Can you stop resisting? {Paralysis}"


    "What magic is this?" Serien asked abruptly.


    "Hm?"


    "This magic you just used. Where did you learn it?"


    Athena tilted her head thoughtfully. "It''s been a long time, I don''t remember." And she lied.


    Athena dragged the paralyzed Yurk with difficulty to Urk''s body and there she undid the magic.


    "WAIT! I DON''T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE I GIVE YOU EVERYTHING, I DO EVERYTHING! DON''T KILL ME, I WANT TO LIVE!" Yurk begged.


    Athena was still smiling, things had turned out very well for her. It was like when she was trapped in a battle against strong opponents in the game and suddenly allies from the Dark Guilds arrived and turned the tables.


    "Yeah you''re right, I don''t need to kill you." Athena said and Yurk''s face lit up. "Foti¨˘, my angel, come here. I''ll teach you the first lesson about hunting."


    Foti¨˘''s expression was complicated until she heard Athena''s voice. Upon hearing about the hunting lesson, Foti¨˘''s face brightened and everyone around her closed up.


    "First you hold the sword tightly so you don''t accidentally drop it and then you can stick it anywhere until it stops screaming and moving, got it?"


    "Foti¨˘ understands. It''s just a matter of Foti¨˘ sticking hard, isn''t it Athena?" Foti¨˘ said with animation.


    "Yes. But now we need a hunt..." Athena said.


    Making as if she was actually looking for prey, Athena looked around and then looked at Yurk who thought he was free, making the man shiver.


    Yurk was once a good man, once a good husband and even a good father, but money was always too little and he began to extort whoever gave it, and it ended up as it was now.


    Yurk had become a cruel, greedy man who had committed several crimes without letting anyone know. Extortion, murder, **** and others. He was rotten.


    However, no one knew about it, only its victims, so no one cared. Ignorance is a blessing in any world, and this ignorance made Athena the villain.


    "Ah! I found your first prey, Foti¨˘!"


    "Where?"


    "Close the eyes." Athena said Foti¨˘ did it.


    Athena approached Yurk, crouched beside him, then whispered. "Thank your son for me, for the shortcut he created for me. {Transform}" Athena rose to her feet and Yurk shrank into a pig in clothes.


    The crowd was beginning to ask what Athena was doing by getting a child''s hands dirty and the same could be said of Serien and Charle who had their eyes so wide open in horror at the scene that was starting.


    "Hey! What are you..." Serien tried to say and then Athena put a finger in front of her lips.


    "Foti¨˘, you can open your eyes. Here''s your first hunt!" Athena said and then the pig started screaming and moving.


    Athena held Yurk tightly so he wouldn''t escape and Foti¨˘ happily hit the animal several times, splashing blood everywhere. Some people laughed in excitement at the scene, while others threw up at the sight of a child killing a man and Serien turned her face away as she tried not to think about that the pig was a human.


    "I think if you live too long, it ends up being distorted that wayˇ­" Charle commented.


    The scene was short-lived, but it was still too long for those watching.. And when he finished, Athena was even more blood-stained than before, as was Foti¨˘.

 Chapter 11 - A New Journey

    "Thanks for the shower." Athena said, while drying Foti¨˘''s hair, not looking at Serien.


    After the commotion in the business district, Athena was invited to Serien''s home under the pretext of healing her wounds, bathing and dressing in clean clothes. But actually Serien had another reason.


    "You''re welcome..."


    "You said you were the princess of the Kingdom of Basilica... As from an empire, Basilica became a kingdom?"


    "Didn''t you know about the hundred years'' war?"


    "I don''t know anything that has happened in the last three hundred and twenty years." Athena said and thought. ''Not that I can say that I remember the other twenty-one years too...''


    "For the last hundred years, Basilica and Elsna have been at war. As the war progressed, Elsna began to gain more and more military strength and a small kingdom conquered our territories and became an empire." Serien explained briefly.


    "Well, not that I care about human warsˇ­" Athena said and looked into Serien''s purple eyes. "I see you have more questions..."


    Serien got up from her divan, went to a closet and from the top drawer she pulled out a clear crystal, then returned and placed it on the coffee table between Athena and herself.


    "What is it?"


    "This is a magic crystal that detects lies."


    Athena made a complicated expression. ''That would have been useful at game time...''


    "Some problem?"


    "No... It''s just that I''ve never seen one of those." Athena said and the crystal glowed blue.


    "Hm... Can we start?"


    "Yes... Let''s be brief."


    Serien sipped her tea and took a deep breath. "Who are you?"


    Athena tilted her head in confusion. "That''s a pretty ambiguous question, isn''t it?"


    "Pardon?"


    "I can be whoever I want. Just like anyone else, today I can be a vigilante and tomorrow a terrible villain..."


    Serien''s face cleared at Athena''s response.


    "Huhuhu... In fact, it all depends on the person''s choice... So allow me to rephrase the question. What''s your name?"


    "Today I''m called ''Athena''?"


    crystal: blue


    "Just ''Athena''?"


    "Yes."


    crystal: blue


    "You do not have family?"


    "Have." Athena looked at Foti¨˘ and smiled.


    crystal: blue


    "Are you a servant of the goddess of destruction?" Serien asked and gulped.


    "...Not."


    crystal: blue


    Serien breathed a sigh of relief at the color of the crystal. However, something bothered Athena. Athena faced the princess and seriously she tested.


    "But I already did."


    Serien widened her eyes at the sound of Athena and then began to laugh.


    Crystal: Red


    "You almost caught me with that joke."


    Athena laughed along with Serien.


    ''I understood...''


    The questions and answers didn''t analyze the soul or maybe didn''t count the time she was Hades in the game.


    Athena and Serien continued talking, asking and answering and having confirmations for over an hour and then, as the sun in the window began to glow red, Athena rose.


    "I have to go. There''s someone waiting for me."


    Hearing this, Serien also rose. "Wait!"


    Athena took a deep breath and turned with a smile. "Is there anything else you want to know?"


    Serien looked into Athena''s eyes with some trepidation. "You..."


    "...?"


    "Do you consider yourself a Basilicana?"


    Athena smiled. "See you never again, princess."


    Athena closed the door on her way out, leaving Serien in the room with the crystal glowing red.


    "See you soon, Athena." Serien smiled looking at the window.


    Outside the gates of the princess''s mansion, Charle waited beside a three-horned winged lion, with a saddle on it.


    "I took the liberty of buying it for you."


    "How did you know I would buy a grimera?" Athena asked while stroking the animal''s fur.


    "I didn''t know. However, all the strong women I know choose grimeras."


    Athena laughed. "What if I told you I''m not a woman?"


    Charle''s eyebrows arched at what he heard.


    "So you''re doing an amazing job at the cover." Charle said, looking at Athena''s breasts.


    It was still difficult for Athena to see herself as a woman, even though she had already accepted her body.


    "Take your eyes off, old man. I like the same fruit as you." Athena said as she opened her inventory. "Go and get payment for the grimera and new shoes."


    "Huh... You have some interesting magic here, huh?"


    Inside the inventory, Charle saw a mannequin dressed in armor and shield, three small chests of jewelry and accessories on a shelf, which also contained scrolls of various colors.


    On the other side of the place were shelves with food, robes and shoes for adults and children, and four chests with gold and silver coins in the middle.


    "I don''t know where you''re going now, but don''t die without leaving an heir registered in your vault, please." Charles said.


    "Why?"


    "Well, since forgotten times our bank has had an enchantment that the belongings of customers who leave no heirs disappear."


    "And what''s the problem with that?" Athena asked, confused.


    "Almost four hundred years ago, when the immortals disappeared, our bank nearly went out of business. Their coffers were empty one after the other and so we confirmed that they died, but thanks to their safe, we were able to revive."


    "Like?" Athena asked even more confused.


    "Why, you didn''t expect us to store your belongings for free, did you?" Charle replied in a playful tone.


    Charle exited Athena''s inventory and the door closed. "Makes sense. Is that all?"


    "Yes."


    "Well then, Mr. Banker. Hasta la vista." Athena said and mounted the lion.


    "A-asta lha...? Huh?"


    Athena laughed happily at Charle''s confusion, held Foti¨˘ tightly and also took flight.


    ***


    When Anemus woke up, the house was dark and silent as it had never been in three hundred years and the anguish of loneliness was starting to shake the girl when she heard a roar and laughter from Foti¨˘ and ran out of the hut.


    "ATHENA!"


    Athena had just climbed off the grimera and turned when she heard Anemus call. The girl ran to Athena with her eyes filled with tears and longing as if they hadn''t seen them in a long time.


    "I said I''d come back for you." Athena said as she hugged her. "Let''s go in, we have to talk."


    Later, after showering together and having dinner. Athena and Anemus began to talk lying on the bed together with a sleeping Foti¨˘.


    "...And that''s why we''re leaving this forest." Athena said when she finished telling what had happened that day.


    "Why do you think this country will want you to take sides in the war? But wouldn''t it be simpler to say you don''t want anything to do with this country?" Anemus asked, still hugging Athena.


    "I think they would be insistent until I join them or they might even kidnap one of youˇ­I don''t want that."


    "Hm..."


    "You don''t want to leave this shack, do you?"


    Anemus curled into Athena''s chest, silently.


    "I''m with you. You don''t need to guard this place anymore."


    "... But I''m afraid."


    "Fear?"


    "Afraid you aren''t you and that one day I might find him and he doesn''t want me."


    Athena stroked the tip of Anemus'' ear and stroked his hair. "You don''t need that fear. I destroyed myself with Hades and was reborn as Athena. I am your one and only master."


    That night they talked for long hours, hours worth three hundred years of loneliness and longing, and when the sun rose majestically again, Anemus and Athena were closer than they had ever been.


    "So... Goodbye east forest and thank you so much for sheltering us all these centuries." Athena said wistfully.


    "What are you talking about? This forest was the cursed swamp of the dark kobolds." Anemus said from above the grimera.


    "Huh? Is this where I left you for three hundred years? How did this place turn into a forest?"


    "Well, you couldn''t get close to town when you built the shack, so the place obviously no one would come would be the swamp."


    "What about the kobolds?"


    "After some time of struggle, they gave up for some reason. So I revitalized this place. Ah! I was forgetting, take it." Anemus threw a purple parchment to Athena.


    "Have you opened it?"


    "Yes and by the goddess... You''re really hopeless."


    "What''s up? I didn''t look in the mirror, I just infused mana into the parchment, what''s it written?" Athena asked as she mounted the grimera and took flight.


    "Open so you''ll know. But first, where are we going?"


    "Athena, Athena, Foti¨˘ can use magic!" Foti¨˘ said excitedly.


    "What?" Athena and Anemus asked in chorus.


    "Look! {Shield of Flames}"


    From Foti¨˘''s hands flared red and fierce fire, making the grimera startle and Athena drop the parchment.


    "N-no!" Athena said as the parchment flew away. "Whatever... Anemus, what was it written? Ah! We''re going to see the old druid, is he alive?"


    "Eurgh! I don''t want to go to the desert."


    "Huh? Sigma turned into a desert?"


    With a shield of fire around them, the grimera flew Athena and her nymphs away with an annoyed expression on its face.


    ***


    A lone knight was riding across the plains of Reiden when a scroll covered it''s face. The horse, seeing what had happened, whinnied as if laughing at his master.


    "Because you laugh at me, you''re going to run out of apples for a week." Said the knight as took the parchment from it''s face. "High-Human?"


    =================================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High-Human


    Class ? Tormentor


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 341 years old


    ?Spells?


    Transform; Gangrene; Prison of Darkness; Mockery; Hellfire; Slowness; Paralysis; Invocation; Whip of Darkness; Shield of Darkness; Judgment; ...


    ?Skills?


    Hew


    Inventory


    Dimensional Bag


    ?Features?


    Incarnation of Evil ? As a saint who has touched the darkness of demonic power, you are closer to the abyss and on your way to becoming the next demon lord. As such, your magical power and martial energy have been digested back into your mana that will maintain your body and mind.


    ###### ? ##################


    Immortal ? Time no longer matters to an immortal, but an immortal can still die.


    =================================

 Chapter 12 - To Sigma - Part 1 - Tormented Village

    Two after the start of their journey, Athena and dog rested under the shade of a tree outside a remote village just north of Reiden, bordering the forest of the elves.


    "This place is so peaceful..." Athena said as she stroked Fotia and Anemus'' hair that slept on her thighs.


    The village was surrounded by wheat fields to the south, forest to the north and plains to the east and west where shepherds could be seen with their flocks and cattle grazing.


    "Ruur...!" Complained the grimera as he looked at the cows and oxen in the distance.


    "What? Do you want to eat one of them?"


    "Ruuuur!"


    Wondering how a winged lion could understand her, Athena laid the girls down on the grass, stood up, and strapped her sword to her waist.


    "Stay here and don''t let anyone near them."


    "Rugfh!"


    Athena walked to the village that was aware of her presence. It wasn''t every day that someone passed by those surroundings, much less someone as beautiful as Athena.


    "I want to know who owns the cattle." Athena told the guards who were posted at the entrance to the village.


    The long, shaggy-haired man and another fat, dirty man looked at Athena with lust, leaving their erections apparent.


    Athena wore a deep red dress that reached to her knees, low-cut generously, marking her breasts and making the location of her nipples apparent.


    "Uh... Yeah... Just talk to the village chief, sweetie." She said the tousled haired one in a lame smile as she scratched her crotch.


    Athena looked at the men with contempt and coldness as she rested her hand on the pommel of the sword hanging at her waist, making the men clear the way.


    "Aaaagrh! So hot! I just wanted one night with her!", "That pink mouth was made for sucking! It sure is a natural sucker!"


    That''s what Athena heard as she walked away from the men, making her feel disgusted and want to cut them right there, but she endured it.


    The village up close was nothing like it looked from afar. The pungent smell of excrement, house falling apart and dirty people all over the place.


    Athena approached a malnourished woman sitting in the damp earth in front of a house without a door. "Where is the village chief?"


    The woman had a blank look and her clothes torn, even when flies came out or got into her mouth, she didn''t react.


    Athena looked around for help and a few people averted their eyes while a few men laughed or licked their lips.


    ''OK, I understand. I should have just let him eat the cattle if it was going to end up in trouble anyway.''


    Athena thought this when she felt a large hand on her shoulder.


    "Hey woman, boss wants to see you." Said a stupidly tall and fat man with two protruding teeth escaping his lower lips.


    "And why does he want to see me?"


    "I don''t knowˇ­the boss just wants me to take you to him."


    Athena smiled bitterly. "You first."


    In a stone house a little farther from the village, an old man was chopping wood when Athena and what she was beginning to think was an orc arrived.


    "Good job, Naum, you can go now." Said the old man.


    "Right, boss..." The orc who was now called Nahum replied and walked away.


    The old man ate Athena with his eyes from head to toe. He scratched his beard and then pulled his pants up.


    "Could you give me the air of your grace?" The old man said, looking at the sword hanging on Athena''s waist.


    "Athena."


    "Um... Miss Athena, what brings you to our village? I happen to be the head of this village, my name is Gorsh." As he spoke, old man approached with agitated fingers.


    "I want to buy one of your animals." Athena said, pushing the old man''s hand away from her breasts.


    The old man laughed and walked away. "No need to get defensive, girl. I''m sure you''ll never want anything else but my stick in that crack of yours, once you try it!"


    "I am not interested." Athena said in a male dialect.


    Male: Tart gur qarm.


    Female: Tart galir qarm.


    "Hehehe... No need to talk like a man. It''s clear as day you''re a girl, unless..."


    "Yes, I like women as much or more than you do. But that''s beside the point. I came here to buy one of your animals, but now I''m going to take one as an apology from you." Athena said and turned to walk away when she heard a snap of fingers and sighed in exhaustion.


    Since she had arrived at this place, Athena had felt more than one presence. From inside the house four men armed with axes and clubs emerged.


    "Do you really want to do this?"


    "You''ll be soft when I''m done. Hahahahaha! Guys, don''t hurt her too much!" The old man said and the men advanced.


    "{Shield of Darkness}" Athena said with power in her voice and sinister shadows covered her outline.


    The men attacked several times while Athena stood without moving an inch from the spot, thinking about the best way to kill them.


    "What are you doing?" Gorsh asked in a squeaky voice.


    "Boss, that black thing around her won''t let us hit her..."


    "YOUR USELESS!" Gorsh yelled and stomped toward Athena.


    Athena opened her eyes, coming back from her cruel imagination, and was startled to see Gorsh''s wrinkled face. "God! You''re too ugly! Get away! Sho, sho!"


    "Why don''t you undo this thing and collaborate? Remember Naum? He went to get your kids. If you keep quiet, maybe I''ll be kind to the poor little girls who might be without their mother..."


    "They are not my daughters... No, you can say they are my daughters. Hehehe... They are so cute." Athena said proud of her work. "And thank you for providing food for my grimera. Now it''s my turn to attack. {Prison of Darkness}"


    As soon as Athena said, her green eyes briefly glowed black as the deepest abyss and shadows from everywhere in the village traveled around Athena and began to cling to the men''s bodies.


    Desperate men tried to get rid of the shadows that covered their bodies like clothes pinning them to the ground.


    "B-boss, she''s a witch!" One of the men said with wide eyes.


    "G-goddess! Goddess! Please save us!" Another said with wet pants.


    Athena smiled wickedly. "What was it like? Won''t I want something else after I try it on?"


    "W-what are you f-f-doing?" Gorsh asked when he saw Athena unsheathing her sword.


    "I''m sure you won''t want anything else after trying my ''stick'' in that hole of yours."


    Athena walked to Gorsh''s back and thrust her sword up to the guard in his anus. Gorsh screamed desperately and the pain vanished as Athena tore him in half.


    "Now, I know there are more of you down there, but what I want to know is who did that to that woman?"


    The men looked at each other but said nothing and Athena took it the way she wanted.


    "Huhuhum... Very well." Athena said as she wiped her sword on one of the men''s shirts.


    After sheathing her sword, Athena entered the house, grabbed a knife, and went back to where the men were with tears and sputum running down their dirty faces.


    Athena lowered the first one''s pants and saw a thick clump of black fur which soon took on shades of red as she cut and drew to the sound of screams of pain and fear.


    The same was repeated three more times, and then Athena descended into the village, leaving behind ugly new women.


    When Athena arrived at the village, Anemus, Foti¨˘ and the Grimera were surrounded by people in a festive mood. But that was only for the people of the village and Foti¨˘, Anemus had a demonic expression on his beautiful face.


    "Again, Athena!"


    "I swear it wasn''t my fault!"


    "It doesn''t matter whose fault it is. You said you wouldn''t be a maniacal assassin this time!"


    "I wasn''t a murderer, it''s more like righteous!" Athena said with her chest puffed out and then received a shower of ice water.


    "You were reeking of blood."


    That day the village celebrated and later after Athena and co.. departed, a wooden statue of a beautiful woman riding a winged lion was erected in the middle of the village with two girls.

 Chapter 13 - To Sigma - Part 2 - Fog Forest 1/2

    It wasn''t long after Athena and co had departed the village and flew over the Misty Forest, or the Forest of the Elves, as it was more commonly known, and Athena was trying not to vomit.


    "I... I will never drink again..."


    Last night, the village had thrown a party for Athena, Anemus and Foti¨˘ for ridding them of the village chief''s oppressive gang.


    Athena thought it was all unnecessary, but she was curious about the alcohol in this world and the girls, even the grimera, were having fun.


    "That''s why I warned you. You''ve never had a drink in these three hundred years, why would you start now?" Anemus said while hugging Foti¨˘ that she slept like there was no tomorrow.


    "L-let''s find a place to land. I need some time...Ugh!"


    "Ruuurrrrgh!" The grimera complained when he heard Athena''s gags of vomit.


    "O-there!" Anemus pointed terribly to a clearing with a crystal clear lake in the middle of the forest.


    The grimera quickly dove to the ground in a hurry and as soon as it landed, Athena jumped off the animal''s back and left a brown, green, and yellow wave from its mouth.


    "Ruurth..." The Grimera sighed.


    "Ugh!" Anemus felt nauseous. "I didn''t see anything, I didn''t see anything!" She tried to convince herself by imagining a beautiful rainbow.


    After almost vomiting her own soul, Athena sat under the shade of a tree with her face lifeless, watching Anemus, Foti¨˘ and the giant winged lion playing catch.


    "I''m going to get some sleep... Grimera, if anything happens to them, I''m going to wear a white coat starting tomorrow." Athena said as she lay down and closed her eyes.


    Minutes later, Athena tried to ignore it, but the noise around her was inevitable.


    "For love, children! You can do it..." Athena was saying when she got up and found herself surrounded by people with long ears and golden hair pointing armed bows at her. "What the fuck..."


    In addition to the elves that surrounded her, another ten surrounded the grimera, Foti¨˘ and Anemus who were protected by a barrier made of Photia''s Flame Shield and Anemus'' Wind Protection.


    "What the hell do you want?" Athena asked calmly rubbing her temples.


    "You entered our forest without permission. I ask, what do you intend to do here?" Asked an elf who wore too little to be a warrior or priestess.


    "I was just resting. Are you going to say that the elves became uncivilized after three hundred years?"


    The elves in the game were one of the players'' favorite races because the elves NPC were easy to increase affinity, and the most commonly found magic items were elves, although they were no better than dwarves.


    The elf signaled the warriors and archers to back off and approached Athena. She wore only a thick vellum that covered important parts and her silky hair fell in golden cascades to the floor. She was a beautiful woman.


    "Who and what are you." The elf asked not looking at Athena but looking at the turbulent layer of mana coming out of the woman''s body.


    Most people could feel the mana, but few could see it with the naked eye. It took years of training to be able to observe mana, and that training did not always bear fruit, so few tried for fear of wasting years for nothing.


    However, elves didn''t care about the time, while some races lived to a few hundred years, they could live thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years and so there were a large number of them who could see the mana of everything that has life in the world.


    "Don''t you think it''s rude to talk to a person without looking at them?" Athena said with displeasure.


    "Pardon?"


    "You asked what and who I am, you didn''t introduce yourself, and you kept looking at one there what when you talked to me. That''s pretty rude of you."


    "Oh!" The elf made a shocked expression. "I am Nimo, elder of the mist elves." She said.


    Athena made an expression of confusion. There wasn''t a race like ''fog elves'' in the game, and the elves in front of her were no different from the high elves.


    "I know what you''re thinking. We''re not that different from the high elves, and we really aren''t. But that aside, you haven''t introduced yourself yet."


    "I am Athena, high-human paladin." Athena said and hugged Foti¨˘ who ran to her.


    "I think not..."


    "What?"


    "I don''t think you''re a paladin, let alone a high-human."


    "She is high-human but not a paladin." Anemus said as she approached being followed by the grimera and other elves.


    Athena looked at Anemus with obvious confusion. "? I''m a paladin...?"


    "No, it''s not!" Anemus rebutted harder.


    Athena looked at the elf and pointed at herself with watery eyes. "Paladin?"


    "Eh? Ah! It''s... Sorry. Your mana is as evil as a pixie." Nimo replied disconcertedly.


    "But... I want to be nice..."


    The elves walked away not knowing what to do. Despite hours having passed, her having slept, vomited and slept again, Athena was still a little drunk and even before reincarnating, she was always a sentimental drunk.


    Athena cried a little and slept. Later, when she woke up with the memories, she wanted to bury her head in the land of shame.


    "So, you said my mana is evil. Why?"


    Nimo watched Athena''s mana closely and had no doubts. Once upon a time, Athena''s mana was once pure, perhaps the purest that ever lived, but now, above the thin azure bed, it had a dense, sinister black mana that is only found in demons and assassins.


    "Have you ever killed anyone?" Nimo asked.


    "Not willingly, they volunteered." Athena responded with the best face she''d ever had.


    "Nine men simply tripped on the tip of her sword." Anemus said in a voice full of sarcasm.


    "No. One I killed with magic and the other was Foti¨˘ who killed." Athena said pouting.


    "Eh?? A little girl killed a man?"


    "Foti¨˘ didn''t kill a man!!!" Foti¨˘ refused.


    "Yes, she killed a pig."


    "Oink, oink!" Foti¨˘ grunted and grabbed Athena''s cheeks. "Athena, Foti¨˘ is hungry."


    Athena looked up at the sky and the high sun indicated noon. Athena looked at Foti¨˘ and the others. "Let''s eat?"


    ***


    Not far from there, in the village a knight leaning on his/her horse came to a remote village far north of Reiden.


    "Good afternoon, are you alright?" A shepherd asked as he passed the horse.


    "H-hunger..." The knight said.


    "It''s just in time. I''m going to lunch, want to come?"


    "Thanks."


    ...


    ....


    "Whew! I thought this was the end of me. Thanks again." Said the knight.


    "You''re welcome. We''ve just received the kindness of a traveler like you, nothing more fair than treating a traveler like her, in the same way she treated us." Said the woman stirring the wood in the stove.


    "Heeh...? What was this person like? What race?"


    "She was very beautiful, and race... She was human, right?" Said the shepherd.


    "If you said she was an angel, I would agree." The woman said.


    "And the appearance?"


    "She had long hair like yours, she was tall for such a young girl and had green eye."


    "Can you tell me which direction she went?"


    Husband and wife looked at each other. "You know her?"


    "Huh? No, but I have to find her."


    "Why?"


    "W-whyˇ­? Well, she''s a high-human." The knight said and both people laughed.


    "It can''t be, uh... High-human? Everyone knows they''re evil like the plague." Said the pastor in disbelief.


    "Where did you get these ideas, sir?" Asked the woman just pour a mug of greasy milk for the knight and her husband.


    "I found a scroll of the soul that belongs to this person."


    "Parchment of what?" The shepherd asked and the knight disagreed, thinking he didn''t make sense to talk about it any further.


    After resting and leaving a silver coin for his/her new friends and having a direction to go, the knight left.


    Meanwhile, Athena entered the wake of the fog elves.. A very interesting place for her lust.

 Chapter 14 - To Sigma - Part 2 - Fog Forest 2/2

    "You said you were resting earlier. Are you traveling?" Nimo asked as he poured Athena a cup of yellow liquid.


    After being escorted to the mist elf village, Athena was guided to a small palace inside the trunk of a gigantic tree, but Athena paid no attention to it.


    On the way to Athena''s palace you can see the true colors of the mist elves. With the exception of warriors, all the elves in the village, from children to adults, wore little or no clothing.


    Every elf who passed by Athena, with all her beauty and youth, if only in appearance, was a new excitement.


    And now Athena drooled over Nimo, who upon arriving at the palace, simply took off what could be called a simple sheet and exposed her entire beautiful body to Athena''s lustful eyes.


    "If you look so hard, even we''ll be embarrassed." Nimo said with a slightly reddened face.


    "Ah! Sorry. We''re going to Sigma to see Druid Gion."


    "Ah~. Which one will do the ritual?"


    Anemus and Foti¨˘ were somewhere in the palace, Anemus as a kind of older sister who takes care of her little sister and Foti¨˘ as an adventurer in an unexplored place.


    "Anemus, the air nymph. She''s been ready for a long time, but I haven''tˇ­" Athena trailed off as a servant bent over to pick something up. "Please make the servants wear clothes while I''m here. It''s getting hard to control myself..."


    Nimo laughed and after a few minutes all the servants were wearing clothes.


    "After all, why do you wear so little clothing?"


    "Because of that." Nimo lifted her arm to the side and moved it. Her arm deformed until it was just smoke. A white fog like clouds. "If we wear clothes, it''s harder to do it with the whole body."


    Athena gaped at what she had just seen. In the game she didn''t have this elf variant.


    Athena''s eyes filled with anticipation.


    ''What else is out there that I don''t know? "Saint" was a title a player could earn by doing good deeds, but now in addition to being a hermit, there''s the fog elves. This world is wider and deeper than the game and I have eternity to explore.''


    Athena''s heart pounded with excitement.


    "If it''s not rude, could you use a soul scroll for me? I''ll tell you how we managed to turn to fog."


    "Hm... I prefer something else."


    "What?" Nimo asked, a little disappointed.


    "You, I want you." Athena replied with a serious look and a mischievous smile.


    Nimo''s face quickly changed color. "Eh~? For a soul scroll? And I''m over seven thousand years old. I''m a grandmother, you know?!"


    "I''m giving you my information. Which might also be my weaknesses. I think it''s a fair trade."


    ***


    Somewhere within the same forest, the knight and his/her trusty horseˇ­ Well, not so trustworthy, faced a group of goblins.


    "Do something you stupid nag!" Claimed the knight while defending an arrow with his/her shield.


    *From here I will treat goblins by number :v*


    Goblin one leapt from the tree onto the horse, but as soon as it landed in the saddle, the horse jumped, flinging the little demon into the air and knocking it back.


    The horse looked devochely at the knight and snorted vigorously.


    "You''re not doing more than your duty!" Said the knight as he/she impaled goblin two into his plump belly.


    Goblins three and four, who were over the trees, drenched the arrows with a viscous white liquid, while goblins five through fifteen surrounded the rider and his horse more and more.


    "Is this not going to end?" The knight complained and so did the horse to snort.


    The knight tucked his/her sword into the sheath of his/her shield and held it in front of his/her face. Seeing this, the horse flinched and whinnied in despair as the rider muttered something.


    The goblins, seeing the opportunity, attacked. Three and four with their slimy arrows and the others with old rusty clubs and daggers and swords.


    "...May the path of light be extinguished and let darkness reign!" exclaimed the knight, drawing the horse''s attention. "Ah! Wrong chant..." The knight said and then it happened.


    A wave of black light engulfed everything within a twenty meter field. When the light disappeared, all that was left of the goblins were their scraps of clothing and weapons.


    "Hm...? Did it work?" The knight wondered, alone in the middle of the now silent forest. "Ah~!!!! I did it again!!!!" He/She said upon noticing the missing horse.


    ***


    "How long do you need to think?" Athena asked as she sipped the yellow liquid and felt the sweet taste of the drink.


    It had no alcohol, or if it did it was very little and it was masked by the taste of the fruit that had an orange, strawberry and cherry flavor all at the same time.


    "Besides my age, there''s no other problem?" Nimo said pointing down towards Athena.


    Athena laughed, stood up and walked around the table to Nimo. "I''m old too. Well, not as old as you."


    "Speaking that way hurts a little." Nimo said pouting.


    ''So cute!'', "I''m only three hundred years old. And about being both women, what does it matter?" Athena concluded as she sat on Nimo''s lap and wrapped her arms around the elf''s neck and smiled. "What is going to be?"


    "R-right! I accept your proposal."


    "Right! We have a deal. But I only have one more scroll. Could you give me some? If you like, I can buy them from you." Athena smiled excitedly.


    "I don''t need your money, I''ll give you some. But I want the parchment first." Nimo asked with an shy smile.


    Athena nodded and the two kissed.


    Nimo was an elderly woman and had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she had never even had a night with a woman.


    Athena''s soft lips touching hers and their warm tongues intertwining, making a sweet, pleasant scent invade her nostrils, it was something completely unusual for the elf.


    "Pwaaah!!! I think this may serve as our seal of agreement." Athena said and stood up, leaving Nimo still stunned. "Unless you want more..."


    Nimo jumped in his chair when he heard Athena. "No! It is alright."


    At the top of the stairs on the first floor of the palace, Anemus watched the entire scene with a complicated expression. She felt like Athena was being stolen from her and wanted to grow up soon.


    Athena decided to spend an entire night with Nimo after hand out the parchment to the elf. Anemus and Fotia was in another room, but Anemus couldn''t really sleep.


    Nimo moaned like a lioness and Anemus listened to everything, feeling alone and touching herself. She was over five hundred years old.


    Two hundred years she spent with Hades, a maniac for fight and destruction who lived only to kill and sometimes he would caress her hair and face, but he never really touched her.


    The other three hundred plus years she spent with a quiet woman who did nothing but eat, drink, sleep, and a nymph who wasn''t old enough mentally to be good company.


    But now her master had returned and even though in a woman''s body, her love for her hadn''t changed, but the master didn''t look at her the same way.


    Anemus knew that Athena saw her as a daughter and that perhaps she would never see her otherwise, but still she yearned for Athena to the point of spending all night touching herself while listening to her beloved with another woman.


    The next morning, Athena had a glowing skin like a snake that had just changed its skin and Anemus had huge dark circles under her eyes and was tired like a old man who had spent the day in the countryside.


    "Do you really have to go?" Nimo asked with low eyes.


    Athena took her hands, looked into her blue eyes and smiled widely. "I''ll come back some day." And then she kissed her on the lips.


    Nimo felt that she had gone back to when she was only a hundred years old and had fallen in love for the first time. She already missed Athena as she watched the grimera jump from branch to branch with the woman on its back until it disappeared into the treetops.


    "Which way do we go?" Athena asked.


    Anemus opened the map newly acquired from the elves and then pointed to the northwest where they could see majestic, mighty mountains.


    "We can go through the troll mountains or go farther north and fly through the giant ranges."


    "Trolls or giants? Let''s go with the trolls." Athena said as if she was going to fight the monsters and Anemus had a bad feeling.


    "We are not going to fight the trolls!" Anemus said, but Athena ignored her with a smile and the grimera took flight.

 Chapter 15 - To Sigma - Part 3 - Cidadel And Demon 1/2

    On the outskirts of the Basilica kingdom, a large and bustling merchant city went about its day as usual. Even though it was on the border of Elsna''s empire and amid mountains infested with trolls and wyverns, the city had a lively and prosperous vibe.


    "I expected more tension around here..." Athena said as she nibbled on a hard piece of jerky.


    Athena for the first time since she arrived in this world was wearing armor and for some reason felt very comfortable. All this familiarity that she feeling was bothering her and that was also one of the reasons she went to see the druid.


    Her armor was simple, but beautiful. In a dull gray color, the armor was a set of gauntlets, boots, sword, shield, helmet and breastplate made of celestial mithril.


    This armor was gained when Hades conquered the temple of an ancient lunar deity in the underworld.


    An armor that absorbs moonlight and empowers the wearer. Increased regeneration without requiring healing magic, increased movement speed and protection.


    However, this was all in the game. Athena didn''t know what the effects were or how to activate them. At that moment, the armor was just that, an armor.


    "Athena, Athena!" Foti¨˘ called from over Athena''s shoulders.


    "What is it, Fotia?"


    "Look! There''s a huge neck animal over there."


    "? There''s giraf..." Athena was saying when she looked in the direction that Foti¨˘ was pointing. "Huh? What the hell is that?"


    "Ooh! Have you never seen an earth dragon before?" A merchant in a stall asked upon hearing Athena.


    The animal had a long neck and a tail full of thorns, attached to a body of pure muscle and scales.


    "Dragon?" Athena asked with eyes full of disappointment.


    "Aaah... It''s not a real dragon. I don''t think they found a better name to give it. He''s not smart and I couldn''t even destroy countries in one night." Explained the merchant by tying his bandanna around his arm.


    "So this is just a stupidly developed lizard. You gave me a fright now."


    "Foti¨˘ wants to climb on it!"


    "No. See the scales? You''re going to get hurt. Also, we''re looking for equipment for you and Anemus."


    "If I don''t get too involved. There''s a children''s armor shop in the alley on Third Avenue here." Said the merchant.


    "Thanks." Athena said and waved goodbye to you.


    The man smiled as if he''d hit the jackpot, but Athena didn''t see it.


    ***


    At the inn, Anemus was reading a thick book about nymph magic that she had gained from Athena earlier, when Athena and Foti¨˘ entered the room abruptly.


    "Anemus, put the book down. We found a place to buy your stuff." Athena said with her mouth full of cream.


    "Equipment!" Foti¨˘ said with her mouth full of cream.


    "Why don''t you take that helmet off? It''s very ugly." Anemus said and went back to reading the book.


    The helmet covered half of the face and had wings and two horns adorning it. Athena took off her helmet, revealing her beautiful face. But pitying to dispute why she thought it was cool, she threw it back into the dimensional bag.


    "Come on Anemus. I don''t want to be in this town too long."


    "You paid a week in advance."


    "Money isn''t an issue. Come on, I think you want a robe, scepter and clothes for after the ritual." Athena said as she took the book from Anemus'' hands.


    "Can''t you choose things for yourselves? Foti¨˘ is the same size as me, she can serve as a model." Anemus complained as she was carried by Athena.


    "Do you intend to become a library rat now?"


    "Library rat?"


    "It is a person who doesn''t know how to live without reading everything she can, Foti¨˘."


    "Anemus is a rat?"


    Athena looked at Anemus, whom she carried like baggage and took her in her arms like a prince carrying a princess.


    "No. She''s a princess!"


    Anemus'' face turned as red as her dress and her heart leapt in her chest.


    ''Why does she do this?'' Anemus wondered and gave up. "Ah~.... Whatever. Let''s get this over with."


    ***


    Far away, in the mist elves'' village, the knight was sitting opposite Nimo. He/she had been captured when entering the village without permission and after saying that he/she was after a high-human, they invited him/her to the palace of the elders.


    "... You can drop me off at the entrance to the forest. From there I can go on my way." The knight said.


    Nimo stared at the parchment Athena handed her with an expression of disgust and fear. She knew Athena wasn''t a paladin, but she didn''t expect that.


    "A tormentor after so many centuries of peace..."


    "There is?"


    "You''re after the high-human why?" Nimo faced the knight.


    "Well..." The knight looked around looking for an escape route and then sighed in surrender. "I don''t think there''s any point hiding."


    The knight removed her helmet, gauntlets, and then, from her ring finger, a ring with a purple stone.


    Nimo''s eyes widened in shock. In front of her an abominable being was present.


    She had on her temples a pair of dark red horns, on her mouth pointed teeth, and yellow eyes on her face.


    But the woman also looked human with a light skin, different from the bluish ones of demons, and her mana was more mixed than Athena''s.


    "A hybrid?"


    The knight brushed her black hair out of her face even though she was ashamed to show herself. To Nimo, she was beautiful and abominable at the same time.


    "My mother was a demon." Said the knight.


    "And you want to go after Athena because she''s as unique as you..."


    "I want to serve her. As you can see from the parchment, she has what it takes to be a demon lord."


    "Even if she isn''t a demon?" Nimo asked wryly.


    During the war of the goddesses, even though it was part of the exercise of destruction, those who weren''t demons and the demons fought and killed each other, but the demons were deadly and always got the worst of these conflicts.


    The underworld and the overworld together had a total of four demon lords and a fifth would break the balance. So those who wanted to become one would fight one of the four for his throne.


    "What if she wants to kill you instead of hiring you?"


    "Then..."


    "Are you going to try to kill her? Will you accept her death? Why should I let you out of here?" Nimo said and the knight jumped from her chair.


    Nimo studied the girl carefully. A sad and lonely creature. Not being accepted by humans or demons. A miserable existence that should never have been born.


    Nimo sighed and then signaled for the knight to return to her seat.


    "What do you intend to do after she becomes a demon lord? Are you going to ask her to fight?"


    "N-no... I..." The knight raised her head, looked into Nimo''s eyes with hopeful eyes and smiled a sad smile. "I just want to be accepted by someone..."


    ***


    In the alley of the third avenue where Athena was informed of the existence of a children''s equipment store, Athena, Foti¨˘ and Anemus were walking calmly, looking for the store.


    "Are you sure this is where this store is?" Anemus asked while dodging the feet of someone sleeping with a dog.


    The alley stank of drunks and garbage. There were wooden crates and barrels all over the place and occasionally you could see outlaws along the way.


    "Yes. That merchant seemed like a good person." Athena responded as handing Foti¨˘ a white sugar flower.


    Anemus was about to say something else when that happened. A man grabbed Anemus as he ran past them.


    "Anemus!" Athena screamed.


    However, before Athena could do anything, the man stopped in place, just over ten meters from Athena and placed Anemus on the ground.


    "What was this?" Athena asked with sharp surprise.


    "New magic... Now I can use mind magic too. That book was very useful.." Anemus said making a "V" with her fingers.

 Chapter 16 - To Sigma - Part 3 - Cidadel And Demon 2/2

    Nimo and the demon knight spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the demon girl''s past.


    This was a story from before the knight was born. A high-ranking demon and a human slave boy, full of hatred and resentment towards demons, fell in love.


    One of the things judged as impossible, a demon to love, happened in the midst of the war. Demons were creatures that were born alone from miasma and grew in the midst of death. Survival of the fittest.


    Even with all the disagreements, the love between them blossomed in a simple way and from that was born a girl with small horns and eyes yellow as gold.


    It was then that everything started to fall apart. The demon''s servants, in an act of treachery, informed other demons of the hybrid''s birth, infuriating the army commanded by the demon.


    To protect the child, the demon helped her lover, along with her daughter, to return to the floating islands while fighting the devil''s orde.


    The girl grew up happily in a remote village in frozen lands where her race mattered least. It was a difficult life, where her father worried every day about what they were going to eat, but still a happy life.


    But one day her father didn''t come back. The girl spent days and days waiting for her father to return from hunting, and all she gained was the silence of the lonely winds of eternal winter.


    The girl later learned that her father had tripped and fallen off the edge of the island after hunting an armored bear. The girl saw the hidden smiles and in that moment she knew what had happened.


    "If you warm us up, we''ll feed you." They said.


    Seeing the girl fall into despair, the men entered her house and spent days with her. So one night the entire house exploded, leaving only the naked girl in the midst of destruction.


    On her body there were bite marks and bruises, in addition the girl''s eyes were glowing brightly. The villagers took the girl to a fort near the village.


    There the girl died and a knight was born.


    "...Since then I''ve only been fighting. But always looking for my place."


    Nimo had a grim expression on her face. The girl had spent three hundred years fighting alone and even after suffering so much she didn''t kill herself. That was something to praise.


    Her tenacity and perseverance touched Nimo''s heart and the elf, with a kind smile, took the knight''s hands.


    "You did well."


    "H??!" The knight looked around to make sure the elf was talking to her and then her eyes melted into tears.


    After a few minutes, the knight calmed down and Nimo stood up.


    "I know where Athena are going. But rest. I''ll ask to get you clean clothes, supplies and a mount."


    "But..." Other than her father and knights who were already dead, she had never been treated kindly.


    Whether by humans she''d just saved or demons, she was always treated like a freak. But that woman treated her like a person instead of looking at her race.


    At that moment Nimo had become a key in the fate of Athena and the knight without knowing it.


    "Ah! We spent all day talking and I still don''t know your name... I''m Nimo, the eldest elder of the fog elves."


    The knight smiled a warm smile. "I am Lunnia. A wandering knight in search of her master."


    ***


    "Athena, there''s more." Foti¨˘ warned.


    After Anemus bewitched her kidnapper, other thugs who were in the alley surrounded the girls.


    "Athena, try to leave at least one alive." Anemus asked.


    "You guys have no idea who you''re messing with. Be quiet and we won''t smack you too much." Said a man with a dagger in his hand.


    "Foti¨˘, use your shield on yourself." Athena ordered and so Foti¨˘ did.


    Flames surrounded Foti¨˘ in a dome shape. Its scarlet colors showed its intensity and even so one of the bandits tried to break through the shield, ending up in a statue of twisted charcoal on the ground.


    "How stupid." Athena said almost regretfully. "Anemus, you stay out of there and cover me."


    "I don''t need to. No one will come from the other side." Anemus said.


    She had made a wall of pressurized air strong enough to shred any meat like slices of steak served in taverns.


    Athena smiled and drew her sword. "Did you really think it was us in danger? I don''t know what you want with us, but you won''t get it."


    One by one, the farthest outlaw saw his partners defeated without difficulty. When he saw the last one turn to call for help and have his skull pierced by Athena''s sword, the man ran as fast as he could. Disappearing on the avenue noisy enough to drown out the slaughter.


    "Didn''t I say leave one alive?" Anemus yelled at Athena.


    "I left!" Athena yelled back pointing to the man drooling behind Anemus.


    "I don''t know how to undo this spell yet!"


    "Huh? So how are we going to get information from him?"


    "We will not!" Anemus said and decapitated the man with a wind blade.


    "Foti¨˘ knows where Athena gets her information!" Foti¨˘ said as she poked at the charcoal she had created.


    Following the path Foti¨˘ indicated, they were standing in front of the merchant''s stall from before.


    The man''s jaw dropped as he stared at Athena who looked like she wanted to rip him open right then and there.


    The avenue was busy and guards paced back and forth, but the merchant realized that the woman wouldn''t mind.


    "What did you intend to do after capturing us?" Athena asked.


    "Hahaha... It was an innocent joke." Said the merchant surreptitiously.


    Athena pulled the man closer by his shirt collar. Athena smelled of sweat, roses and blood, making the merchant''s heart leap over and over.


    "I won''t ask again."


    "Hey, what are you doing?" A passing guard asked as he placed a hand on Athena''s shoulder.


    Athena turned around, nearly punching the guard in fright. Stopping her fist millimeters from the man''s nose.


    "I am a paladin. This man set an ambush for me." Athena said as she lowered her fist.


    "N-no. Hehehe! I think you are confused."


    "Foti¨˘, who told us to go to that alley?"


    "It was the old man!" Foti¨˘ said chewing an apple she took from the merchant''s counter. "Want Anemus? It''s sweet."


    "Who''s going to believe a child? Guardsman, she was beating me up for nothing. And you''re going to have to pay for the apples and cherries!"


    "What cherries?" Athena asked and looked at the girls.


    Foti¨˘ had two apples and Anemus had several cherries in her hands.


    "What''s up? I haven''t had lunch yet." Anemus said.


    "I forgot about that. Foti¨˘ and Anemus are nymphs. Nymphs don''t lie." Athena said and Anemus almost gasped.


    "Seed..."


    The guard called other guards and took Athena, the girls, and the merchant to the checkpoint. They spent hours, only leaving in the early evening.


    "What do we do?" Anemus asked.


    "Nothing." Athena surprisingly responded.


    "Huh? Nothing? Aren''t you going to retaliate?"


    "I didn''t say that. After spending the day looking at that bastard, I noticed how he looked at you. He won''t wait long to do something. We just need to wait."


    During Athena''s explanation, Anemus saw the woman lick her lips two or three times. As if he was imagining what he would do with the merchant and looking forward to having him come to them soon.


    "Does he think he can try to kidnap you and get away with it? I''ll make him suffer."


    Anemus felt both happiness and a bit of aversion to this side of Athena at the same time. It was a new feeling, mysterious and weird.


    Later that night, when the streets were completely empty, a group of twenty men surrounded the inn where Athena was staying.


    "See? Didn''t I say he would do something?" Athena said with an ''I told you so'' smile.


    Atheba was staying in a room on the second floor of the inn and watched the men gather in front of the building.


    "So what? What''s the plan?" Anemus asked.


    "Let''s make a bet?"


    "Bet? What''s at stake and what are the rules?"


    "It''s simple. Whoever kills the most wins. It''s not worth area magic and the winner can ask for what they want once."


    "Hm..." Anemus pondered and then accepted. "Right... But I want one more rule."


    "Which would be?"


    "You can only use your sword. After all I can only use magic."


    "It''s OK!"


    "On my signal..." Anemus said and fluffed her wings. "Go!"


    "Hey! I don''t have wings!"


    "It''s not my problem! Hahahahaha!"


    Hearing Anemus chuckle, the men looked up and then one of them was torn in half and suddenly another was crushed by something that suddenly fell.


    The three moons were bright in the starry sky and from the middle of the huddle of flesh that had once been a man, a blue-silver light emerged.


    Athena stood up, rubbing her ass as it hit the crush''s head, shining like an angel.


    "What are you thinking? Jumping from this height, are you wanting to die?" Anemus said from a safe height. "And why are you glowing?"


    "So this is how it works... It''s the armor, Anemus. It looks like it actually absorbs the moonlight... Huh? Why does it have three moons?"


    Athena had never seen three moons in the game, in fact the third didn''t even exist there. But she didn''t have time to think about that right now.


    She was among enemies and had a bet to win. Athena brandished her sword and shield and the men awoke from their trances.


    "Let''s get them guys!" One of the thugs yelled and then one disappeared.


    "Athena, I have two already!"


    "What magic was that?" Athena asked and defended the attack of three men with shield and sword.


    "Teleport. It should be falling any second now."


    Athena looked up at the sky for a second and then turned her eyes to her opponents. "Anemus, you never said anything about skills!"


    "What?"


    "[Hew]" Athena said and the three men next to her fell to the ground in pieces. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Athena laughed loudly and pleasantly.


    Her blood-spattered armor glowed a silvery violet light and that with her laughter and had body parts in a pool of blood in front of her, it made the scene horrifying.


    The men hesitated, twenty, suddenly thirteen, then twelve when another fell from the sky on an inattentive one.


    "It''s four to four, Athena!"


    Athena leapt over the mound of flesh and buried her sword in the skull of another.


    "Wrong! Five to four!" Athena said, looking at Anemus and then felt a twinge in her right thigh, followed by pain and burning.


    "Athena!"


    Athena swung her shield in the man''s face and, drawing her sword from the other''s skull, she buried it in the chest of the one who struck her.


    "I''m fine. S-seven!" Athena lied.


    At once she felt the sword''s venom spread. Athena ripped the blade from her thigh, then a silver light covered her and nothing else was there.


    Athena smiled and then looked again at Anemus. "Right now I''m truly immortal! Anemus, which god does that red moon represent?"


    "Huh? Ah! It''s a forgotten god. So there''s no god."


    At that moment Athena''s green eyes sparkled with happiness. "So she''s mine!"


    "Huh?"


    "She is mine, she has no owner, she is mine! Her name is now ''Moon of the Massacre'' and I am the immortal goddess of the massacre! HAHAHAHAHA!"


    "Ah~. She broke again...?"


    "Goddess? How do you call yourself a ''goddess''?" Said a thug in a blue shirt.


    "Heretic!" Shouted another.


    Suddenly the situation had changed to a hunt, but the bandits forgot that they were weak and that they were the ones to be hunted.


    The men all advanced together towards Athena. Nine men against one woman. Athena was in defensive position, but before the first one attacked, she did.


    The sword the bandit brandished was deflected by Athena''s sword and hit her shield, while Athena''s sword opened the man''s arm to the elbow.


    The man dropped his sword and fell to the ground screaming in pain. Athena felt a pressure of air and then she heard a lightning noise and three other men were on the ground.


    The count was seven for Athena and seven for Anemus. The five remaining thugs who were still standing backed away with horror stamped on their faces.


    "M-monster!"


    "D-demon!


    "Devil!!"


    They said as they ran away.


    "Draw?" Anemus asked.


    "What are you talking about? I still have this one!" Athena kicked the man moaning on the ground.


    "Ah! Soˇ­" Lightning hits a man''s head in the distance, but he doesn''t stop until another two lightning strikes. "And now?"


    "How much mana you have, you little monster!" Athena asked in surprise.


    "Much more than you. Won''t you kill this one?"


    "First, the information."


    "Goddess! Athena learned!" Anemu scoffed.


    "I''m always learning..." Athena said, feeling affronted. "Now what can you tell us before our little girl wakes up?"


    With the promise that he could leave alive, the man who introduced himself as Duhan told them everything.


    The merchant was called Lup¨˘z and was a famous slaver among nobles with dubious tastes. The plan was to kidnap one of the girls and then make Athena go after her while they kidnapped the other and then Athena would disappear too.


    The girls would be sold privately and Athena would be auctioned off in a safe house on the outskirts of town.


    "...th-that''s all. I swear."


    "I believe you." Athena said charismatically. "Anemus, you stay here with Foti¨˘, I''ll go after Lupaz."


    "I agree..." Anemus said and looked at Duhan who was staggering away. "Are you really going to let him go? He can sell you..."


    "I promised... Besides, the chances that the others have already informed Lupaz is high."


    "Hm... I won."


    "What?"


    "The bet, I won!"


    "Ah!!! I forgot! Duhan, come back here!" Athena screamed.


    Duhan looked back and then began to run for his life until lightning struck him and he fell to the ground.


    Athena looked at Anemus with an expression of disbelief on her face. "Have you ever heard of ''kill steal''?"


    Anemus cocked her head, confused. "Qiu istiu?"


    ***


    The next morning, in town, don''t touch another subject. The whole city was talking about the mysterious massacres on Main Street and in the alley of Third Avenue, which no one knew who the killer was.


    In addition, people were also talking about twenty-eight nobles arrested in an illegal slave auction and about the merchant Lup¨˘z being found in every part of the city.


    Athena butchered him and handed a piece to each freed slave to scatter throughout the city, leaving only his head that she left in his tent.


    Athena, Anemus and Foti¨˘ had breakfast at lunchtime and were in a very good mood.. Later they managed to buy what they wanted and left for their next destination.

 Chapter 17 - Serien Aust Basilica

    While Athena was enjoying her night with Nimo and Anemo was dying in frustration and jealousy of Athena while Foti¨˘ slept.


    In Basilian, the royal capital of the Basilica kingdom, south of Reiden, Serien was visiting her father, the king. And it wasn''t one of the nicest visits.


    She was the fourth princess of the current kingdom of Basilica, daughter of a concubine, the least loved daughter of her father and High Priestess of the temple of light who worships the goddess of creation.


    This is Serien Aust Basilica.


    A girl who at age six was sent to live in the temple, where she was whipped for childish behavior, where she had to work, and where she had no time to play and be a simple child.


    At ten years after her magical aptitude test, Serien began to receive a real education and be treated better. That''s because the amount of holy mana Serien had was higher than that of an adult and her status within the temple was elevated to apprentice.


    As soon as Serien turned twelve, the war against Elsna was beginning to come to an end with the defeat of Basilica.


    Serien went to the battlefield where many were left behind to die and cast the greatest healing spell that humans have no seen since the disappearance of the immortals.


    In this way, Serien saved thousands of fallen soldiers both Basilians and Elsnarians and this contributed to her being recognized as a saint at an early age and at fifteen, Serien was at the top of the chain of command of the temple of light.


    Having the same level of authority as the king, Serien never lowered her head to the king, her father, and started to look him in the eye.


    After getting to know Athena a little, Serien felt the hope of his people reborn and went to talk to the king.


    "...And you want this saint who was absent during those hundred years of war, with us being slaughtered on the battlefields while she lived peacefully, to receive title of nobility?"


    The king was a man of completely white hair with age, his face was covered with fur and wrinkles, his eyes were a dead gray, and his voice was deep and coarse.


    "Yes. If she feels welcome in the kingdom, maybe she''ll want to fight for it."


    "Dad, I think you should hang this woman in the public square." Said the crowned prince. "She had the power to fight and defend the realm where she lives and yet-"


    "Lived." Serien interrupted.


    "How is it?!"


    "Before I came to Basilian, I stopped by her hut and she was already gone. It will be our luck if she is still in the kingdom."


    "Then you should have had her arrested, you useless!" The prince said as he got to his feet.


    Serien remained calm and her face expressionless, she looked at her brother.


    "What are you looking at?"


    "I should have you beheaded for your audacity to raise your voice to me and insult me." Serien said and the knight at the door pulled half the sword from its scabbard.


    The prince widened his eyes, startled, and looked at the king who kept his eyes on Serien.


    "D-dad are you going to let her threaten someone of the royal family?"


    "Serien, you''ve already proven your authority, don''t give the order." Said the king and then looked at the prince. "Perhaps I should rethink your coronation. Knight, get the prince out of here."


    Serien stared at her father for a few seconds until she signaled for the knight to do as the king ordered.


    However, the prince was not happy with the king''s insinuations. And like a spoiled child, the prince began to complain.


    "Father, what do you mean rethink? I am your firstborn and rightful heir!"


    "Not when you behave like a child in front of your king and the high priestess." Retorted the king. "Quick, get him out of here."


    "All because of a bitch born of a whore?!"


    At that moment the king looked at Serien. She had power equal and at times even greater than that of the king himself. One of those occasions was when one of the clergy was attacked in some way.


    "Wh- What do you think you''re doing?"


    The knights grabbed the prince by the arms and began to drag him out of the meeting room when Serien rose.


    In that short period of time she pondered what to do. She loved her father even though she wasn''t loved back, and her father loved the prince more than himself. She didn''t want to make her father sad, but it was too late for the prince.


    "Take him outside." Serien ordered.


    "Serien, please reconsider?!" The king asked. However, he had no turning back.


    "D-dad! Make her stop! Dad! I''m the first prince of this realm! What you''re doing is treason! I''m going to be the king!"


    The prince''s screams were heard throughout the castle, drawing the attention of other knights, guards, maids and nobles.


    In the garden of white roses, the prince had been brought to his knees in front of a bloodstained log and his authoritative cries had turned to tears.


    Hearing the cry of the man about to be executed on the path to the garden, the king and Serien meet a woman in tears.


    A woman with red hair and green eyes, young and pretty, in her early forties, this was the queen.


    "My king, I, your queen, beg you! I don''t know what my son has done, but spare him!"


    The king looked at the woman with a grim face and looked away.


    "I can''t help it. He insulted the High Priestess twice." Said the king in a choked voice.


    The queen glared at Serien who glared back with eyes as cold as the winter lands of Phentus and the queen''s fury froze in fear.


    "Take the queen to her chambers." The king ordered one of the knights to follow the queen.


    People huddled and whispered among themselves as the prince wept amidst the roses with two knights on either side.


    Two knights had the symbol of the temple of light, a radiant star, stamped on their armor and the other two had the symbol of the royal family, a crown on a sword, on their armor.


    This showed that both the temple and the crown were in agreement with the sentence. The king was a wise man, hateful, but wise, and he didn''t want a civil war right after the end of a great defeat in a long war.


    "Aren''t you really going to change your decision?" asked the king.


    "Did you change when you sent me to the temple? Ah! This isn''t revenge, it''s duty. Just to make it clear." Serien said in a full smile.


    "The crown and the temple have decided to execute the first prince, Hure Aust Basilica, for treason and an act against the faith. If anyone has anything to say, speak or be silent for eternity." Said the steward.


    At that moment the prince looked in all directions and everyone looked at him, from the lowest servants to his brothers and sisters, all in silence.


    "So be it. May the goddess have mercy on your soul." The steward finished speaking and looked at the king and Serien who nodded.


    At the steward''s signal, the knights of the temple pierced the prince''s chest with their swords while those of the crown cut off his head.


    Serien was satisfied with her duty and sad for her father that as soon as the prince''s head rolled, left the place and disappeared into the corridors.


    Once again, Serien loved her father and loved her country and people, but the prince''s execution was her mistake and later she would know that.

 Chapter 18 - To Sigma - Part 4 - Final

    In Reiden, Serien pestered Charle for Athena''s location almost every day.


    "She went to the bank today?"


    "No, your grace. She didn''t go to the bank the day before yesterday, she didn''t go yesterday, and she didn''t go today either."


    The reason Serien went to Charle for this was because the Bank Erdenleint vaults were bewitched and if you had one, they would travel to the bank where you are.


    Well, not the vault itself, its contents.


    "Be sure to let me know when you hear something." Serien said and walked away.


    Charle looked at the sky through the window. "Ah~... Miss Athena, please go to a bank."


    ***


    In the Fog Forest, Lunnia was preparing to leave after spending a week with Nimo. During her stay, Nimo taught her how to transform into mist and helped her to tame a flying mount.


    They had become good friends and Lunnia spent hours listening to Nimo''s stories and the night of bargaining with Athena. Lunnia never fell in love and hearing Nimo talk about Athena was sweet to the point of getting sickening.


    "Here''s the map. She must be around here if Gion hasn''t changed his address."


    "Thank you Nimo. One day I''ll be sure to repay your kindness."


    The two embraced and Lunnia mounted her pegasus and flew, leaving the clear lake of the Fog Forest behind, heading north.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in an oasis, Athena, her nymphs and grimera were refreshing themselves from the stifling desert heat Sigma had become.


    "How does an entire sea disappear in three hundred something years?" Athena asked again.


    In the game, Sigma was a country under a sea of ??fresh water and was a favorite place for players who liked to mine.


    Sigma was also the largest supplier of mana crystal, also called starstone, shooting star or meteorite.


    Players used mana crystals as fuel to cast ultimate spells, as no one could cast such a spell with their own mana.


    These crystals had now become large, deformed turquoise pillars that emanated waves upon waves of pure, toxic mana.


    "It was a demon lord..." Anemus said again. "How many times are you going to ask that?"


    "I still don''t believe there are demon lords..."


    "I was shocked when the fairies told me he had just done it because the king of Sigma refused to mine mana crystals for him." Anemus dipped her head in the water.


    "Aaah..." Athena looked at the grimera wetting its wings. "That reminds me."


    "What?" Asked a voice behind Athena.


    "I still haven''t named it."


    "Hm... How about Lio? He''s a lion and everything..."


    "Hm... It''s a good name. What do you think Anemus?"


    "But isn''t that very normal? You know, he''s handsome, has majestic fur, and he''s smart. I think Kima suits him well." Anemus replied.


    "Kima... ''Wise King'' huh?"


    "I like it. Kima! Better than ''Achilles''."


    "Achilles? What a strange word."


    Athena turned around. "Look here, Achilles is one of myˇ­ Gion?"


    On the shore of the lake was a man in a loincloth. Gion appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with defined musculature, long purple hair, and heavenly purple eyes.


    "Hello." Gion smiled. "Who are you? How do you know my name? Ah! I found you the moment you entered this desert."


    "Huh?" Athena was a little scared.


    Gion in the game was one of the strongest NPCs.


    In fact, he was impossible to shoot down. Gion looked with an almost menacing seriousness at Athena.


    "Your mana is pretty dirty. When are humans, I understand why there are some with so much darkness and rancor in their mana. But you''re not human, are you?"


    The pressure on Athena was enormous. Gion''s mana was almost as pure and dense as a mana crystal pillar.


    It made Athena''s heart and breathing quicken with fear.


    It looked like the desert had turned into a great ice desert as Athena trembled. She looked around for her sword and saw it beside her armor in the shade of a palm tree.


    Maybe if she ran... No, that wouldn''t work. She could feel that somehow, Gion would kill her even before he turned toward her equipment.


    Athena no longer knew what to do, since she arrived in this world, this was the first time she had felt true fear.


    She would vomit if she didn''t control herself. Her face was contorted in terror as Gion had returned to smiling.


    He was the real monster there.


    Athena was about to pass out when she heard Anemus'' voice.


    "You old man idiot, can you control this stupid mass of mana? It''s hurting her!"


    "Huh? Anemus?" Gion''s eyes opened wide in surprise and he began to look around with a wide smile. "Hades is here?"


    "Hades died..."


    Anemus'' expression was serious, showing the truth of what she said.


    "Oh? It can''t be? Who killed that demon?"


    "Himself. And look at the surprise, three hundred years later he came back." Anemus continued, enjoying hermself.


    Gion''s eyes sparkled again. "Eeh? Where is he then?" He went back to looking for Hades.


    In addition to being amused by Gion''s reactions, Anemus was buying time for Athena to calm down.


    "He is here."


    "Where? Behind the grimera?"


    "Not, here." Anemus pointed at Athena.


    "Where?" Gion walked around Athena.


    "Here! Here! Can''t you see her? She''s Hades!" Anemus exploded when she saw Gion looking at Athena''s naked body.


    "Eh? Really?"


    "Serious."


    "BAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Gion fell into the water and began to roll with laughter. "Hades became a woman! Hahahahaha! What''s more, he lost all the demonic power he had! Hahaha! Got what you deserves!"


    As Gion laughed, Athena calmed down, got up, dried herself, and put on her armor. It was like all the tension had melted away after hearing Gion chuckle.


    Gion''s voice was exactly the same as that of his voice actor and Athena had always hated the Druid''s laughter and personality. She couldn''t believe she was scared of an asshole.


    After a while, Gion''s laugh had stopped being irritating and had become inconvenient.


    "How much longer are you going to laugh?" Athena screamed as she kicked sand at the druid.


    Gion sat facing Athena. "Ah~... So how did this happen?"


    "Well..."


    Athena began to tell truths, half-truths and some lies.


    Athena said that she was tired of all that death and destruction, so decided that she would die and then come back as someone new.


    However in the process of magic, something went wrong and her soul escaped to another world, where she was reborn and lived as Arthur, who died young.


    "Got it... So where is this magic now?"


    "I don''t know. It was imprinted on Hades'' body. Must have disappeared or if some demon didn''t copy. But I doubt."


    "So why did you come looking for me? Is it anything to do with the absurd mana load on Anemus? I warned you she needed the growth ritual." Gion said as he looked at Anemus playing with Foti¨˘ and Kima in the water.


    "Is that.... No, what? What are you talking about?"

 Chapter 19 - For Anemus - Understanding Of The World

    After hearing Gion''s explanation of Anemus'' situation, Athena''s face was haunted with worry. She looked at Anemus playing with Foti¨˘ and Kima and all she thought was that the current situation was her fault.


    "But why now?" Athena wondered.


    Gion was happy that Athena cared about Anemus, it was proof that the current person in front of him was a better person. He was sure Hades wouldn''t mind Anemus dying, and that all he''d do after her death was find another nymph to put in her place.


    "Huhuhu... No need to worry so much, we still have a little time. And about your ''why now'' question, it started a long time ago and not now."


    Athena turned depressing eyes to Gion, thinking about the game. In the game the nymphs had levels just like the players.


    Anemus was level locked because she didn''t go through the growth ritual that was something close to an evolution, but he still received experience points.


    Athena began to merge and compare the information she had from the game with what she had from the world. Every time she killed something with a soul, she got stronger, that would be the game experience. However, now, even if she had the nymphs around, if she killed something, the ''experience'' would be hers alone.


    Athena realized that some ''laws'' of the game remained unchanged in the world. The woman rummaged through her memories to remember how many percent of Anemus'' experience bar was.


    "It was 78¨G or 80¨G..."


    "There is?"


    "Shut up, Gion!" Athena said brutally.


    She needed to focus on what she still remembered. In the game, killing regular NPCs was the same as killing a dungeon boss for exp gain, and if you killed a bad guy who had killed, it was a gain equal to clearing an entire dungeon by yourself.


    Anemus had killed fifteen people on the trip to Sigma. Athena tried to stipulate an approximate percentage, but the little information about the victims was very little, so Athena forced herself to think negatively.


    "She must be 96%..."


    Gion was looking at the woman curiously. He wondered what she was talking about and wanted very much to know. That was her thirst for knowledge speaking out after so many millennia.


    Gion remembered his young self and pushed his curiosity away by taking a deep breath and calming down. He didn''t want to repeat his mistakes and so just waited quietly for Athena.


    Athena okhou again to Anemus who smiled happily as she splashed water on Kima and Foti¨˘.


    ''Anemus'' mana is so abundant, calm and clean...''


    "I know what you''re thinking, but this is just for now. When she reaches the limit, this whole lull will turn into pain and suffering for her." Gion said following Athena''s gaze. "Tell me... what ingredients are missing?"


    "I don''t know. Anemus!"


    As soon as she heard Athena call, Anemus'' ears fluttered slightly and the nymph spread her magic wings and flew to her master.


    "I need you to give me all the ingredients for the ritual you have."


    "Are we getting started?" Anemus smiled excitedly.


    "No, we need to know what''s missing." Gion replied.


    Anemus sat beside Athena and took the ingredients one by one from her dimensional bag.


    A bunch of brightly colored leaves that Hades stole from the fairies, a tiny vial of wind elemental essence, a vial of fairy dragon bone powder, and a drop of storm phoenix tears.


    "Still lacking the blood of a celestial harpy and the blood of her master." Athena spoke with a complicated expression.


    Well, actually only the dragon''s breath is missing." Gion said with a smile and Athena understood.


    "Do you have an empty, clean bottle?"


    "Yes, but your mana is too dirty to be really useful."


    Athena frowned not understanding what one thing had to do with the other.


    Seeing Athena''s expression, Anemus sighed, giving up completely on Athena''s brain.


    "Athena, your blood and mana are relatively connected. If your mana has demonic power, your blood is almost that of a demon. It can affect me or kill me." Anemus explained.


    Athena turned to Gion with eyes almost in despair.


    "I know, you don''t need to look at me like that. I have a way to neutralize the demonic power. It''s going to be dangerous and you won''t be able to use your dark spells for a few hours or days."


    Gion did not want to suggest such a solution, but time was short and no one could predict the future.


    "So? What am I supposed to do?" Athena urged him on.


    Gion looked around and then pointed to a large pillar of mana crystal in the distance.


    "Go and absorb as much mana as you can."


    At that moment, Anemus rose to her feet, completely stunned by Gion''s suggestion. That was crazy, Athena would die before she even reached the crystal.


    "You are crazy?" Anemus complained. "She will die if she goes there!"


    "I said it was dangerous."


    "No it''s not! This is suicide!"


    "But if she doesn''t, you''re the one who dies." Gion said with a strained expression.


    Anemus looked at Athena, who seemed to be weighing her chances. Anemus'' eyes watered, she dropped to her knees and clung to Athena.


    "Do not go..."


    "Anemus?"


    Athena looked at Anemus and was about to stroke her hair when Anemus began to cry out in tears.


    "Don''t go! You''re going to die and leave me again! If it''s going to be that way, I''d rather spend more time with you and die!"


    Those words hit Athena hard.


    If Anemus died, how would she feel? What would happen to her? What would life be like without Anemus?


    All these questions popped into Athena''s mind and thinking about life without Anemus shook her heart.


    ''Huh? What was this?''


    Athena felt a different beat in her chest. It was painful and yet pleasant, it was lonely and yet cozy, Athena remembered that feeling and pushed it away.


    "Anemus!" Athena took Anemus'' small face in both hands and stared into the girl''s eyes. "Do you trust me?"


    Anemus sniffled and squinted his eyes.


    "I don''t..."


    At that moment Gion burst out laughing and Athena and Anemus looked at him as if he were going to devour him alive and he fell silent.


    "I''ll be back. Stay here and take care of Foti¨˘ like you always did." Athena kissed Anemus'' forehead, stood up and called Foti¨˘ and Kima. "Kima, I''m going to be gone for a while and if something happens to them in the meantime, you already know right?"


    The Grimera tilted his head wondering who Kima was. But she was talking looking at him, so Kima could only be him. Athena could see in the animal''s eyes that he had understood and was happy with the name.


    "Very good." Athena looked at Anemus and Foti¨˘. "I''ll be right back."


    "Let''s go?" Gion asked.


    "Huh? Will you go with me?"


    "Of course I will! You don''t know how to do it."


    "But what about the children?"


    "I never said they couldn''t come.." Gion laughed and Athena''s face became a sea of ??shame.

 Chapter 20 - For Anemus - To The Limit

    Athena''s group headed towards a large clump of crystal pillars that Gion indicated and looking down on, Athena thought it resembled the Super***''s fortress of so******, where the mana was relatively calmer, but as dense as the others.


    *I don''t know if I can name these big guys, so I won''t do it out of concern.*


    Athena and her nymphs flew on Kima''s back while Gion, transformed into a purple wyvern, flew beside them, and saw dozens of things that looked like an insectoid snake that emerged and submerged in the sand around the crystals.


    "Gion, what are these things?" Athena asked feeling a little repulsed.


    "They''re desert kanias. They like crystals."


    "Kanias? That didn''t exist three hundred years ago."


    "Of course they existed, they were in the darkest parts of Sigma, but after the sea disappeared, they adapted to the desert."


    "How am I going to get to the crystal?"


    "Fighting! How else did you think? Actually, this is quite a distance, let''s land." Gion said and dove for the sand.


    Up close, Athena could see the true size of the pillars and be speechless. The crystals that players used were just sand in comparison.


    "Well, now I''m going to explain to you how you''re going to do it..."


    After explaining, Gion waited for Athena to walk away and created a magical barrier that would protect whoever was inside it from intruders and the heat of the sun and desert.


    Athena looked at Anemus who refused to look back at her and smiled as she turned and faced the kanias.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to tell her anything?" Gion asked as he sat in a chair made of sand and sipped something that might or might not, be juice.


    But when Anemus looked at Athena, she could no longer say anything. Athena was facing five of those nasty insectoid snakes and was coming farther away.


    At first Athena thought it might be easy, but when she shielded the acid spit with her shield, the shield quickly crumbled.


    "No! I like that shield!" Athena said and was soon attacked by another spit and dodged jumping on one of the kanias.


    The kanias had neither scales nor skin. They had the appearance of snakes, but they also had antennae and their exterior was a cockroach-like exoskeleton, dark brown in color and smooth and slippery.


    Athena stuck her sword where she thought the monster''s chest was and ripped it to the ground. Not a drop of blood came out of the thing, instead it was a white goo with some green balls.


    "Urgh! I didn''t know inside a kania was like that. Disgusting." Gion commented and set his glass aside on the sand table. "She''s actually doing well."


    When Gion said this, Athena was hurled away by a surprise attack from the buried tail of one of the animals.


    Athena rolled, got up and already had to dodge another jet of acid, however, she was too slow and a little splashed on her boot and then her foot.


    "That must have hurt." Gion commented and fell silent when Anemus made a scary face.


    "Aaaaaaah!!!! Enough of that! {Demon Storm}" Athena yelled as she pointed her sword at the area where the monsters were.


    "Oh! She freaked out." Gion and Anemus said.


    "What is that?" Fotia asked.


    Red clouds covered the sky with black rays that hit the ground mercilessly and set even the sand ablaze.


    The rain of lightning was short-lived, but when the clouds dispersed, the short time had been enough to clear the place, leaving only stinking ash and flames that were beginning to fade into place.


    "She used a lot of mana. She won''t make it, if she goes in there now, she''s sure to die." Anemus said.


    "I don''t doubt it." Gion nodded nonchalantly.


    "And you won''t do anything?"


    "Why would I?"


    "Athena will die!" Anemus yelled.


    "Athena is going to die?" Foti¨˘ asked, almost crying. "Anemus, is Athena going to die?"


    "N-that''s not it. It''s just a force of expression. She''ll be fine."


    "Truth?"


    "Hm!" Anemus smiled hiding her concern.


    Athena breathed fiercely, the use of all her mana wearing her out too quickly. She was feeling like she''d been running all day and she''d tripped, grated and started running again.


    And when she thought would be quick to recover, it was actually too slow. Her Mana hadn''t even started to recover when from the sand emerged what she least wanted to see at the moment.


    "Aaaaah! A boss now?" Athena complained.


    "Will you help now?" Anemus asked. "If not, let me out and I''ll help!"


    "No, it is not."


    "Why?"


    "I want to see how far she''s willing to go for you." Gion said and smiled leaning back in his sand chair.


    The kania this time was the size of four elephants huddled together and had three heads on top of long necks and arms protruding with black claws attached to a kink the others didn''t have.


    Acid dripped from their mouths like gooey cascades and their eyes, instead of being cockroach, were like those of snakes.


    "My luck has been screwing with me lately." Athena said with a crooked smile.


    The three heads shook at once, Athena was prepared for what was coming, the other kanias had the same habit before spitting acid.


    When the kania spat out his acid at once, Athena was running towards him. The monster seeing this, swallowed the acid and then a toxic mist spread around.


    "Will help?"


    "Not yet."


    Gion watched the fight with attention and anticipation, while Anemus was gnawing in grief as Athena appeared above the toxic fog, flying toward the middle head with a pained expression on her face.


    Anemus smiled in relief, but soon her face turned pale.


    Seeing that Athena was right in front of his eyes, the kania used his paws and in a single blow threw Athena against the pillars of mana crystals and then spat his acid towards the woman.


    "NOT!!!!!" Anemus despaired and Foti¨˘, who was biting her own blouse unable to bear the tension, burst into tears.


    "Ah~ I guess I shouldn''t have waited so long." Gion said.


    Anemus turned and glared at the druid and was prepared to die there as long as she ripped off an arm from Gion. But then something surprising happened when Anemus was about to cast his most powerful mage.


    A sinister column of green and purple fire erupted from where Athena should have been, burning the entire monster and engulfing everything around the place where Gion had raised the barrier.


    The flames passed through the yellowish transparent wall of the barrier forming demonic expressions, as if inside the flame there were several demons laughing.


    Kima shrank back into place, wrapping himself around Foti¨˘ and Anemus to protect them or because he was flushed with fear, and Gion felt shivers with every smile he saw.


    "She survived..." Anemus felt relieved and smiled hopefully.


    "Heh~." Gion was also impressed.


    When the flames stopped, the ground around the barrier was gone, leaving only a tall, thick glass tower holding the ground under the feet of Gion, Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Kima.


    In the distance, Athena was standing within the mana waves of the mana crystals and her body emanated a pure white aura seen, and even Foti¨˘ who couldn''t see the mana, she could see it.


    When Athena was hurled at the crystals, her armor began to absorb the crystals'' pure mana and activated a protective bubble, defending Athena from the kania''s acid attack.


    Athena began to breathe and absorb all that mana, feeling her lungs and other internal organs and skin burn but not burn like fire, it was like she was being ravaged by a fever so high it was roasting her from the inside out.


    At first Athena despaired, but then she remembered that she was in a fight and unraveled all that power as she absorbed more and repeated this for another ten seconds or so, until she got used to it.


    When Athena went to meet the group, Gion could see that Athena''s mana was the same as someone he knew a long time ago. A mana that wasn''t evil or benign, it was just power.


    As she approached, Athena smiled at Anemus and Foti¨˘ and then fell like a log in the sand, unconscious.

 Chapter 21 - For Anemus - Deaths Interest

    "You''re awake... Alright, go wash up and after that meet me in my office." Gion said and left the room.


    When Athena opened her eyes, she was lying on a soft bed that smelled of sun. She sat up, feeling a light body and a slight pain in her hand, and looked around.


    The room was nothing Athena had ever seen in her life. Diamond chandeliers, jeweled mirror, smooth white floor, walls with works of art and so on. This place went far beyond a royal bedroom.


    Athena scrambled out of bed and noticed that she was wearing a simple satin nightgown that marked her body, showing off her curves and accentuating her breasts, but Athena didn''t mind.


    From the bedroom balcony, Athena could see where she was. All she could see was a sea of ??sand wherever she looked.


    In a castle in the middle of Sigma, that''s where Athena was. Athena could see from the balcony, ruins of what was once the sunken city of Sigma at the foot of the castle and in the distance great mountains and...


    "Is that a pirate ship?"


    Athena shook her head and laughed at herself. She couldn''t have a pirate ship in the middle of the desert. It would have? She was thinking about it when the bedroom door opened again.


    Two women with lost eyes entered the room. They wore the same clothes with colors swapped between embroidery and fabric.


    The black haired one wears a white dress with black embroidery and the white haired one wears a black dress with white embroidery. Both had shoulder-length hair, gray eyes, and monotone voices.


    "Lady Athena, let us come and bathe you." They said, with their hands at their stomachs and with their eyes downcast.


    "You are...?"


    "I am Nue." said the black-haired one.


    "I am Eun." Said the white-haired one.


    "We are Ytria''s imperfect creations." Both said at the same time.


    Thinking it might be tricky to ask more, Athena dropped the subject.


    ''A person who can create life? Who cares about that? Me? Never! This all seems like a trigger to save the world... No, thanks.''


    Athena sank into the bathtub with these thoughts permeating her mind. Neu and Eun cleaned Athena''s body even from under their nails and then prepared a dress that was easy to move.


    When Athena was dressed, Anemus and Foti¨˘ entered the room like a hurricane.


    "Athena!" Both screamed and ran into their master''s arms.


    "I thought you would never wake up again." Anemus said in a voice full of longing.


    "Huh? How long have I been sleeping?"


    "For over a month. You were in a horrible state. You had broken bones all over your body, but your right arm was the worst. Healing magic works, but because of the high mana density you had, the magic was almost nullified. And..."


    Anemus kept talking and talking and Athena petted them both and this continued until they both fell asleep.


    ''Ah~. I ended up making them too worried.''


    "Lady Athena, Gion awaits you." Neu said.


    "Gion awaits you, Lady Athena." Eun said.


    "You don''t call Gion courteously too, why? I''m getting jealous." Athena said as she followed them.


    "Gion doesn''t like it." Eun said.


    "Me neither." Athena snapped. "I don''t want pretty girls to treat me like an old woman... How old are you?" Athena put an arm on each shoulder, hugging them, but they didn''t show any reaction.


    "We are 3678 years, 8 months, 22 days, 13 hours, 41 minutes and 31, 32, 33, 34..." They responded in chorus.


    "Okay, okay! Enough of counting. Do you prefer girls or boys?"


    Athena''s eyes were full of anticipation, but the girls remained silent until they reached a half-open door.


    "Mrs. Athena..." They were saying, but Athena turned away pretending not to have heard until they changed the way they treated her. "Athena, Gion is waiting for you."


    "Much better, thanks. Neu, Eun, see you later." Athena said as she kissed their faces.


    In the office, Gion was sitting in an armchair carved with various animals in its wood, reading a huge book that could easily have a child sleeping comfortably on it.


    "What is this book?" Athena asked as she approached.


    The pages of the book were full of handwritten words, with erasures and scribbles here and there.


    "It''s a diary."


    Gion had a sharp, serious expression. He read a page referring to more than three thousand years in a month that Athena didn''t know about. What was written alu was so old that the calendar and the alphabet were not the same.


    "I know it''s impolite, but what are you reading about."


    "Do you know what a tormentor is?" Gion was still reading as he spoke. "When you were unconscious, I used a soul scroll on you. I thought it was impossible, but now it makes sense that your mana was so evil. Well, it was."


    Gion looked at Athena. She wore a simple dress, dark blue with pearls sewn into the fabric, making it look like the night sky and starry.


    However, it didn''t matter to Gion, Athena''s mana was completely white. She had no demonic power or holy power, she had become a being irrelevant to things like good and evil.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    Athena sat in the armchair on her side of the table and her expression was like she was asking ''has he lapsed for good?'' making Gion smile.


    "Tormentors are emissaries of destruction, they rule and create evil and kill everything regardless of race, age or gender. When I used the scroll on you, I thought you were a tormentor and if you were..." Gion closed the diary that shrunk into a necklace.


    "What if I were...?" Athena asked.


    "I would have killed you before I woke up." Gion responded with a menacing look, making Athena feel shivers run up her spine.


    "W-wellˇ­ I''m alive, so what am I?"


    Gion smiled and then with a relaxed expression, he stretched out in his chair. "I do not know."


    "Huh?"


    "The scroll I used is a very old one and in the world there are new things like demon lords and angels..."


    "Then let''s get this sorted out. I still need to go after the last ingredient." Athena said as she took a scroll from her dimensional bag and used it.


    ================================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High-Human


    Class ? Reaper


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 341 years old


    ?Spells?


    Transform; Gangrene; Prison of Darkness; Mockery; Hell fire; Slowness; Paralysis; Invocation; Whip of Darkness; Shield of Darkness; Judgment; ...


    ?Skills?


    Hew


    Inventory


    Dimensional Bag


    Death Aura


    Death Eyes


    Death Control


    ?Features?


    Emissary of Death ? A saint who has looked at Death more than once and has escaped her hands. Death wants to know you and is jealous of you. So she cut off any connection you have or had with any other god.


    Immortal ? Time doesn''t matter anymore, but Death wants to see you.


    ================================


    Athena looked at the parchment and then at Gion in amazement.


    As she read, Athena felt as if she were reading a stalker''s love letter. Athena also felt goosebumps as if someone was breathing near her ear.


    "Gion, have you talked to Death yet?" Athena said with a crooked smile.


    "Are you crazy?" Gion took the parchment from Athena''s hands and began to laugh. "Bahahahaha! You''ve gained a very powerful admirer."


    "That''s not funny! What if she decides to kill me just to see me?"


    "Not going to happen. She didn''t take away her immortality."


    "How do you know?"


    "No real god has power in the world. How can I put it in an understanding way? They can come here, in the mortal world, but from the divine world, they can do nothing but a few limited ''miracles'' through some medium. And Death has no one to worship it except... Pffft!!!!"


    "How not? And the goddesses Lhia and Faena?" Athena asked and Gion quickly sulked.


    "They are not goddesses. They are spoiled children wanting their mother''s attention and praise. Did you know Neu and Eun? Lhia and Faena are the same. They are the creations of an old acquaintance of mine."


    "Ytria? Ah! No, no, no... Don''t tell me, I don''t want to know." Athena waved her hands, dismissing the subject. "Let''s talk about Anemus."


    Giom smiled at Athena''s disinterest. He didn''t want to talk about Ytria and her past.


    "I already drew your blood." Gion placed a vial filled with blood on the table. "All that''s missing is that of a celestial harpy. You''ll have to go to Alauri''s holy mountains."


    "Which way is that anyway?"


    "It''s west of here."


    Without waiting for Gion to finish speaking, Athena rose to leave, but then turned away.


    "Where is my armor and sword?"


    "Soˇ­" Gion looked at Athena with a mournful face.


    "No....!!" Athena cried for her armor.

 Chapter 22 - For Anemus - Athena And Lunnia

    In a room strangely decorated with monsters and stuffed animals, Gion showed Athena the state of the armor she had worn so far.


    "How did this happen?"


    The armor on a table that was too big, was in a sorry state. Originally mithril was not supposed to break so easily. However, mithril also lacked the ability to store as much mana as Athena''s armor had absorbed.


    "When you fell face first in the sand, you lost control of your mana and the armor absorbed as much of it as it could begin to melt into your body." Gion explained while hitting what was supposed to be a gauntlet.


    "If Gion hadn''t gotten her out of you in time, she would have melted into her skin and it would have been much more painful to get out of you." Neu said.


    "What am I going to do now? The ones I have in the bank are crap compared to this one..."


    Gion took a map from his dimensional bag and spread it out on the stone table.


    "You''re going to Alauri, then you can stop by Juefu town and buy one there."


    "Juefu? Since when did the dwarves move to this island?"


    "You were out of this world for a long time, Athena. Wars have gone on and on. An exiled group of dwarves founded Juefu about two hundred and fifty years ago." Gion said and crossed the map marking two places.


    After putting away the scrap that had become her armor and sword, Athena was starting up the stairs when Gion stopped her.


    "I had forgotten. While you were sleeping, someone came looking for you."


    "Huh? Who? I don''t know anyone but Neu, Eun, Nimo, a waitress named Mila, a receptionist named Iris, and a princess priestess with mermaid''s name."


    "No, wait! What about me?" Gion asked with a theatrically sad expression.


    "I don''t know you, Gion." Athena said seriously.


    *Poor Charle... He was so nice to her.*


    ***


    In a secluded room of dubious elegance, with red and gold as the dominant colors, a woman sat uneasily on one of the beautiful sofas.


    The woman with bluish-blond hair, at the level of the chin, wore a heavy black armor with details of intense green and gold, which resembled dragon scales.


    Athena and Gion watched the woman from the corner of the room, unnoticed.


    "She is pretty." Athena whispered.


    "You think?" Gion whispered back.


    "Blind." Athena retorted without taking her eyes off the woman. "Anyway, I don''t know herˇ­I think."


    "Me neither."


    "Athena, Gion, would you like us to announce your presence?" Eun asked in a normal tone of voice.


    Hearing Eun''s voice, the woman rose from the couch and looking at Athena, she dropped to one knee.


    "Are you Athena?"


    Athena had a mixture of amazement and surprise on her face, and she approached the woman slowly as she looked back at Gion.


    "You''re...?"


    "Forgive my rudeness. My name is Lunnia."


    The moment Lunnia introduced herself, she saw Athena''s eyes change from emerald green to lifeless black and then a smile spread across the woman''s face.


    "Lunnia, that''s not your true form is it?"


    In Athena''s words there was no aggressive emotion, but even so Lunnia felt cornered.


    It was like death itself looking at her. Fear ran through her entire body. She felt cold and goose bumps climb her back and icy sweat formed on her forehead. Lunnia felt the air escape her lungs and her heart slow down as it happened.


    Gion, seeing how the two of them were behaving, crossed the space between him and Athena in an instant and flung the woman across the room.


    At that moment the color in Lunnia''s face returned and she began to breathe again.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Gion complained. "Or rather. What the hell did you do?"


    Athena fell onto several pillows when Gion flung her and when she stood up, her eyes had returned to normal.


    "I''m the one who should ask that. I was just having a friendly conversation with her andˇ­" Athena scratched her head, confused.


    "Don''t you remember? You almost killed her."


    "Huh? N-no! I was just asking her name."


    "And for that you used a skill that you don''t even know what it is?"


    "Did I use skill? I didn''t use skill." Athena looked at Lunnia. "Used?"


    Lunnia had an expression of yerror on her face as she nodded several times. Athena looked at Gion with a lost look.


    Athena had unintentionally used the Death Eyes skill and it was as if she went into a deep trance and only remembered asking the name of the woman on the floor.


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to..." Athena said in an embarrassed voice. "I do not know what happened."


    "From now on it''s better to be careful with these skills. Death is death for one reason only." Gion advised and then looked at Lunnia. "Nowˇ­ who and what are you, my dear guest?"


    Lunnia inhaled and exhaled deeply twice and stood up, took off her gauntlet and then the ring, revealing her half-demonic appearance.


    "I am Lunnia, a wandering knight who seeks a master." She turned to Athena and with a hand on her chest. "And I think that master is you, Miss Athena."


    "But she just tried to kill you." Gion said.


    "He! Are you jealous that she wants to serve me and not an old man like you?" Athena laughed derisively.


    In fact, even Athena was surprised by what Lunnia said. She was beginning to wonder if the demon in front of her was a masochist or something


    "Why do you want to serve me? Thank you Neu." Athena took the cup offered by Neu as if nothing was happening.


    "As you can see, I''m a hybrid between human and devil. I''m unique in this world, just like you. Ah! Thank you."


    Athena tilted her head as she sipped the tea with a taste of fish and green apple. She wondered what was unique about herself, until a light popped into her mind.


    "Yeah, my class is really quite unique..." Athena said.


    "Your class?" Lunnia asked.


    "Yeah, huh? Isn''t that why you came to me?"


    "She''s talking about your race, you moron!" Gion said.


    After that they talked for the rest of the afternoon. They introduced themselves and cleared up the misunderstandings.


    Lunnia told of her journey to get there briefly and Athena hers, omitting everything about reincarnation and all the lies and half-truths she told Gion.


    "So... Will you accept my sword?" Lunnia asked.


    Athena looked at Gion and then at Lunnia again and sighed lightly.


    "Can''t we be friends instead?"


    "Friends?"


    "Yes. This master and knight thing for me doesn''t work. I can fight my battles, but I won''t stop you if you help me, in fact I''d even thank and defend you."


    Lunnia listened carefully to Athena''s every word. It felt like a dream, over three hundred years alone and then suddenly, after two months, she had two friends.


    "As your friend, can I travel with you?"


    Lunnia''s eyes were full of anticipation for Athena, but then those eyes turned sad.


    "Not."


    "Why?"


    "Because as my friend, you can do whatever you want. You don''t need my permission. Do you want to come with me? So do it in your own strength." Athena said and another smile spread across their faces.


    That night, Lunnia could barely sleep a wink at the elation she felt. Maybe this was one of the happiest few days of her life.


    The next morning, Athena and Lunnia prepared to leave. In fact, the preparations were being made by Lunnia, Neu and Eun. Athena wanted to spend as much time with Anemus and Foti¨˘ as possible before having to separate from the nymphs.


    Since she arrived in this world, Athena has been with her nymphs and having to stay away from them was as painful for her as being beaten by the chief kania, if not more.


    "Athena will come back, won''t she?" Foti¨˘ asked as Athena brushed her hair.


    "Yes I will! And after that, we''ll never be apart again."


    "Be careful not to make unnecessary enemies." Anemus advised without looking up from his book.


    "I know that. I''ll go to the dwarf city, buy my new armor and sword and then go get the harpy blood and after that, I''ll come straight back here."


    Athena kissed Foti¨˘''s hair after she finished combing it and hugged Anemus from behind to comb her hair.


    "It''s like having daughters. I''ve always wanted a daughter." Athena commented with a goofy smile.


    "I''m not your daughter and I don''t even want to be." Anemus complained.


    "Foti¨˘ wants to be Athena''s daughter!"


    "Serious?"


    "Hm!" Foti¨˘ gave a big nod with a bright smile, making her rosy cheeks swell.


    Athena hugged Foti¨˘ again and kissed her neck several times, making the girl giggle when she felt the tickle.


    "So now you are my daughter and you have to call me mother. Understand?" Athena said.


    That was a comfortable feeling. Athena felt elation at suddenly gaining a daughter and an abundant happiness filled her chest.


    Foti¨˘ and Anemus never had parents. Nymphs are pseudo-fairies that are born from someone''s mana or from nature itself. Saying that Athena and Hades were her parents, wasn''t wrong since they were born from the mana of the two people. Or at least that''s how the world saw it.


    Anyway, Foti¨˘ was happy. She already saw Athena as a mother figure, but being allowed to call her master ''mother'' and being recognized as a ''daughter'' gave her a happiness she couldn''t keep to herself.


    So she ran out of the room, jumping up and down, to tell everyone that she had a mother. She told to golems of empty armor that were scattered around the castle, the stuffed monsters and stuffed animals, she told to Neu and Eun, Gion and Lunnia, and even Kima. Foti¨˘ was happy and couldn''t stop smiling.


    "Why don''t you want to be my daughter?" Athena asked Anemus, but didn''t receive an answer.

 Chapter 23 - For Anemus - War Queen Diana

    After the preparations were complete, Athena said goodbye to Anemus and her new and first daughter, Foti¨˘.


    "Behave and listen to what Anemus, Neu and Eun say, okay?"


    "OK!" Foti¨˘ replied with a big nod.


    "Wait! What about me? She won''t listen to what I say?" Gion asked alarmedly.


    Athena looked at Gion and smiled innocently, making the man feel relieved.


    "The Gion you don''t need to listen to, and you don''t need to befriend him, torment him as much as you can. Then when Mommy comes back, she''ll bring you a present." Athena said with a serious face and Foti¨˘ listened carefully.


    "Foti¨˘ will do what Mom says!"


    "Wh-! Eh~! Athena!" Gion complained.


    Athena kissed Anemus'' cheek and ruffled her hair and ran to Kima who was waiting beside a pegasus with Lunnia on top.


    "Foti¨˘, why don''t you go with Neu and Eun to the castle tower? From there you''ll be able to see Athena for longer." Anemus said.


    After the girls disappeared down the hall, Anemus and Gion watched Athena and Lunnia drift farther and farther into the sky.


    The silence between them was uncomfortable and even a certain tension could be felt. Anemus was expressionless and the same could be said about Gion.


    "So what do you want to ask?" It was Gion who broke that uncomfortable silence.


    "Why didn''t you tell her?" Anemus asked without taking his eyes off the two dots far in the sky.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Gion said monotonously.


    "Don''t lie to me. I was in the bedroom when you used the parchment on her." Anemus finally turned to Gion. Her face was distorted with anger. "Why didn''t you tell her that she was a tormentor? Even though you knew what it is."


    Gion smiled and stared at the girl who was no more than the height of his leg. "But you also knew and didn''t say anything."


    "I don''t know what a tormentor is. I don''t like giving wrong information." Anemus snorted. "After all, what is it?"


    "Let''s go inside. It''s going to be a long conversation..." Gion turned and walked away slowly.


    Anemus couldn''t see it, but Gion''s expression was an expression only Nimo and two other people saw. Finally, his past would come back to haunt him.


    ***


    Somewhere in the sky east of Sigma''s castle, Athena and Lunnia, mounted on their respective mounts, flew at an alarming speed for a average person.


    In fact, despite being flying as fast as he could, Lunnia''s pegasus was seconds slower than Kima, so Lunnia was a little behind.


    If she was with the girls, Athena wouldn''t fly at such high speed and it would take her longer to reach her goal, but alone, she could make it halfway in just one day.


    "It''s nice to let go of the reins sometimes, isn''t it Kima?" Athena said and the lion roared in excited response.


    "Miss! Look!" Lunnia screamed.


    "Lunnia, I already told you not to treat me so formally." Athena complained in a scream.


    Below them, on the sand, a huge sailless galleon, its mainmast broken, glided across the sand dunes as if it were the most common thing. From above it was possible to see the deck filled with various things that resembled men and skeletons.


    "I saw it yesterday! So it was really a ship..."


    "It''s not just any ship. It''s the War Queen, Diana."


    The moment she heard that name, Athena was reminded of a group of players who had decided to become pirates on Sigma, which was the busiest sea in the game.


    The ship''s captain was an NPC named Faust "Old Skull" because of his young, muscular body and gray, wrinkled head. Their ship''s name was "Diana the Warlord" and they were an annoying group that just stole NPC ships and ran away from players.


    Leaving their ''modus operandi'' aside. Athena remembered this ship by its name and nothing else. She was just beginning to wonder if it was the same Diana when a harpoon passed her, nearly hitting Kima''s right wing.


    "Oou!!"


    "Athena, are you alrigth?" Lunnia asked and ducked to avoid a harpoon that went over her.


    "I was going to ignore them, but they started attacking first. Lunnia, I''ll go ahead!"


    Athena stood up in Kima''s saddle, tied the skirt of her dress between her legs, and then jumped into nothingness.


    "Huh? Wait! Athena!" Lunnia''s eyes, wide, she couldn''t believe what she had just seen.


    Athena dropped like a hammer, but halfway to the deck, she floated like a feather and landed quietly on the ship''s bow.


    The crew of the War Queen, Diana, consisted of skeletons, ghouls and resurrected ones. The skeletons were of the most varied. There were what were once humans, orcs and half giants. All armed with swords, axes, halberds and masses.


    By comparison, the ghouls, white-skinned, completely black-eyed humanoid monsters, were unarmed. Which didn''t make them any less menacing with their serrated teeth and knife-sharp claws. And the resurrected ones were like zombies with a conscience, they wore clothes as rotten as their flesh and brandished their swords with elegance and skill.


    The smell of that place was reminiscent of the alleys of suburban Reiden. Athena frowned every time she took a breath. She looked at that small army of undead in front of her and remembered that she had no sword.


    "Good morning, gentlemen..." Athena said and saw a skeleton wearing something like a dress or tunic. It was too worn out to identify. "...and maybe ladies. I was passing by there, in sky, when you attacked me. I came to return the favor and destroy you."


    The pirates looked at each other and as if laughing at her, the skeletons snapped their teeth against each other. Reproducing an even nice sound.


    "And how do you intend to do this?" A spoiled voice, like that of an oldman smoker, asked.


    In the far right corner of the deck, a resurgent in an old overcoat, torn where he was struck and colored black, or green, or brown, admired the blade of his sword.


    Athena''s eyes quickly dropped on the sword. It was a bastard sword with a bluish gray blade. Athena didn''t know what it was made of, but she wanted that sword.


    "Like this!"


    Lunnia was at a good enough height to jump in the middle of the deck and was about to do so when an explosion opened a hole where the skeletons stake.


    Athena cast two spells, hellfire and dark sphere, joined them into one and cast against the pirates. She had no idea if it was going to work, but as this world was relatively different from the game, she figured that spell fusion should be possible.


    The new magic had a hideous appearance. A sphere of shadows that seemed to suck everything around. Within this sphere was an aggressive flame, colored green and purple, which was desperately trying to escape and mingling with the shadows. It was like seeing a miniature of hell mixed with the abyss.


    In an instant the skeletons were either destroyed, or thrown into the air and then onto the sand. At least it was what it should be. Those who had been torn apart in a few seconds were on their feet again, and those who had been thrown overboard were climbing the ship''s hull with impressive insistence.


    "Hahahahaha! Is that it?" Laughed the resurrected.


    "Yes. Look, I don''t see any ghouls and the other two resurrected ones were burned so they won''t come back." Athena said with a victorious smile, but in her mind she was hoping she was right.


    "Athena! What was that?" Lunnia asked to appear with her back to Athena.


    "Magic." Athena replied simply.


    "That I know! What magic was that?"


    "Ah... That? I don''t know. I used hellfire and dark sphere at the same time and it worked well and didn''t use as much mana." Athena descended from the bow to Lunnia''s side. "And look at that sword."


    Lunnia looked in the pointed direction and saw a zombie with clothes and little hair. He held a bastard sword with a certain dignity and moved with a dexterity unlike ordinary zombies.


    "That one..."


    "Yes. It''s beautiful, I want it!"


    "The resurrected?"


    "No!!! His sword! Anyway, he''s mine. You can have the rest."


    Around a large hole in the deck, skeletons of various sizes clustered. Lunnia looked down into the hole and saw other skeletons, but of goats, snakes, and even cows.


    This was her first battle alongside Athena, she didn''t want to be dead weight and she wanted Athena to depend and trust her.


    The knight drew her sword and held tight to her shield. Athena looked at the knigth and laughed at her seriousness and nervousness.


    "Don''t try too hard!" Athena said and the skeletons all moved forward together. "Huh? Hey! I''m not ready yet!"


    The monsters didn''t care if they were ready or not. It was as if they felt an urge to kill and that was what led them to attack Athena.


    Lunnia stepped between Athena and the skeletons and then an aura like black veil covered her body. Athena had cast shield of darkness on Lunnia and it happened.


    Lunnia''s demonic blood resonated with the demonic power of the shield and what was only a veil of shadows became a storm.


    The common shield of darkness could easily defend any attack that wasn''t magical or from creatures that should be legendary, such as dragons. However, the shield around Lunnia would withstand even a dragon attack.


    Seeing this, Athena felt the excitement of a new discovery. Dark magic was a good combo with a demonic being. Then she thought of another supporting spell from her arsenal of spells.


    "Lunnia!" Athena called. In her left hand a blood red ball pulsed.


    "What?"


    "I''m sorry!" Athena undid her shield and cast another spell. "{Demon Heart}"


    "Huh?" Lunnia turned and she was hit by a red smoky aura.


    The moment Lunnia was hit, she lost consciousness for seconds, but those seconds were enough for her to be buried in bones.


    "Hahahahaha! Is that it? Your plan is to betray your friend so you can run away? Too bad, you''re going to die here, with her!"


    Athena dodged one skeleton''s sword and then another''s axe and breaking the arm of a third, she stole the monster''s scimitar along its forearm.


    "Me? I didn''t do anything you said." Athena said and then a shiver.


    The magic that Athena used, brings out all the wishes of the bewitched and turns it into strength. In the game it was just a buff Hades learned so he could cheat on monster fights bets. However, in that world it was another matter.


    The moment Lunnia was hit, her greatest desire was to prove herself to Athena and for that it was necessary to be strong. All this desire turned into Lunnia''s strength.


    Underneath that jumble of bones. Lunnia had suffered some injuries, but none serious. Her armor was stiff and the skeleton attacks weren''t strong enough to get through.


    Lunnia''s body was full of red vein-like marks and her eyes through the helmet were red as glowing rubies.


    Feeling her heart racing and her body simmering unable to move because of the weight, It irritated the knight. To get rid of it, she decided to destroy more of the deck.


    She lifted her right leg as high as she could and kicked the ground with all her strength. The wooden floor, unable to withstand the impact, cracked and gave way, and most of the skeletons, along with Lunnia, disappeared from the deck.


    "See?" Athena said. On her face was the same smirk she wore when she was Hades.


    The resurgent was about to say something, when a ball of skeletons flew from the second hole and spread through the air like fireworks and another tremor happened and the ship broke in half at the sound of wind, wood breaking, Lunnia''s enraged roar and Athena''s laughter.


    But it lasted shortly.


    When the ship came to a stop after it cracked, the door to the captain''s cabin opened and a tall, fat, shirtless man stepped from inside. In his rotting face he had a lifeless gray eye and a wound that split his face and thick beard in half.


    "What the hell is going on here?" The thing asked and Athena threw up her breakfast.

 Chapter 24 - For Anemus - The Tormentor

    When the captain left the cabin, his scent came along with him. The wind was quickly polluted by the stench of death that came from that man''s body and the worms that fell from his brain through the slit in his face was an extremely disgusting sight.


    Athena threw up all her breakfast and maybe dinner. The stench had filled her nostrils and it was nauseating.


    "Shit! Ueeergh!"


    Meanwhile, the tremors continued along with the sounds of bones and wood breaking below deck.


    "Captain, this human and the one below deck are responsible for this!" The resurrected one said.


    The captain looked at Athena who was still vomiting. And then his eye turned to the resurrected one. The fat man licked his lips broken by the wound and brought a lot of worms into his mouth.


    "And who are they? How did they manage to do so much damage to my ship. Groooff!" the captain asked.


    The ship had split in two and was no longer moving. On both sides there were two large holes and his army of skeletons was nowhere to be seen, except for a few skeletons here and there.


    Everything else had been torn apart and thrown away by Lunnia, and there were still others that were being crushed incessantly below deck.


    To the captain''s question, the resurrected one was silent. He couldn''t say they attacked them first and are now being slaughtered.


    The captain without having an answer started walking towards the resurrected one. At every step of the man, a cadaverous fart was heard and the stench of the place got worse and worse.


    Athena reached into her dimensional bag and pulled out a bottle of perfume she had stolen from Gion and threw it in her face.


    The scent of roses and gillyflower eased her sense of smell, but for a little while. It was as if the perfume and the stench battled and the perfume was beaten to death.


    "Do something about this stench. Now I know why you had the bones of half-giants and orcs in your crew. They are good-smelling races. You didn''t even have to fight, they died with your stench." Athena complained.


    "Hmph! A girl barely out of her diapers wouldn''t know smell a man of the sea!" The captain said and looked around and saw only sand. "Huh!? Where''s the sea?"


    "Captain, the demon lord, Vahika, destroyed it hundreds of years ago."


    "Enough of this clowning! If I kill you, the stench will be gone!" Athena said without any basis for her logic.


    Using the sword that still had a forearm attached to it, Athena leapt to the other side with the intention of decapitating the captain, but was stopped by the resurgent that leapt between them and deflected Athena''s sword.


    Upon closer inspection, Athena realized that the sword was not a bastard sword, but a long sword, and she wanted it even more.


    "I will kill you first and I will keep this sword for myself!" Athena smiled greedily and unleashed seven attacks in that second still in the air.


    Resurgent are people who died and came back to life of their own free will after making a deal with true demons in hell.


    They returned to the carnal world with all their abilities from when they were alive. All this for a purpose, usually revenge. Upon completing this purpose, their souls would return to hell and never leave.


    But no one knew what would happen if a resurgent were killed first.


    For the first time in centuries this man was having a battle that was worth it, but that battle ended in those seven blows defended.


    Seeing the two there in front of him, the captain saw an opportunity to get rid of Athena and with his sword cut the air where the two were.


    However, unlike the resurgent, Athena saw the sword coming to her right and used her sword to defend the attack. Athena flew to the left and across the deck wall and fell to the sand.


    The resurrected one, who had his back to the captain, was split in half as his arms were cut off.


    "Argh... You are useless now." The captain said, with his one eye on the resurrected one. "No, maybe you''re still useful."


    ***


    Anemus followed Gion into a dark hallway and then a dimly lit staircase. The stone walls were cold and damp.


    That place looked nothing like the underground of a desert, but the underground of an underwater cave. There were mosses, seaweed and even crustaceans walked through that place.


    The stairs continued for almost an hour until reaching a cave that was not dark only because of the large crystal of mana that was in the center of the whole place.


    Anemus was speechless. That crystal emanated tens of times more mana than the other crystals on the surface. The mana felt like a waterfall as opposed to how dense it was, and it made Anemus feel suffocated.


    Gion calmly entered that torrent of energy and disappeared into the mana curtain for a few seconds until the mana spread all over the place.


    Mana was everywhere, making the place even brighter and the air less thin. Anemus admired the designs that energy created every second, it was like someone''s memories or dreams.


    One time mana would draw great plains with four people and the next, one person alone in a devastated place, but then the design changed completely and there were four people facing a dragon and etc...


    "These are her memories and also her nightmares." Gion said in a mournful voice.


    He was facing the transparent white crystal. Gion caressed the stone as if touching the face of the most precious and fragile person in the world.


    "Who is this person?"


    Inside the crystal, a person with long crimson hair. A girl who was barely fifteen years old. She wore a white tunic with yellow accents and her eyes were closed as if she were in a deep sleep.


    "Her name is Ytria, although the world has forgotten about it. She is the greatest mage that ever lived, the person who came closest to the deity, the creator of dark magic and also creator of what people now call goddesses. She is the person I love the most and the first Tormentor."


    Gion''s voice echoed off the cave walls, intensifying the lament that Anemus felt coming from the man.


    "Right... But that doesn''t explain anything. What is a tormentor?"


    "Four thousand years ago... No, it was three thousand nine hundred and eighty-four years ago. Back then..."


    Gion told the beginning of his journey, how he met his best friends and his beloved, how they managed to become the most famous people on the continent and how they destroyed it in an attempt to stop Ytria.


    The four friends traveled through lands that no one had set foot in and ventured together.


    "...We shouldn''t have gone in search of the forgotten goddess. We should have stopped Ytria..."


    In times already forgotten by the world, the gods walked the world like anyone else. Among these gods there was one who wanted the destruction of everything for the purpose of recreating everything from the ashes.


    There was a war and this goddess was sealed in the confines of the continent. Millennia later, four adventurers found the seal and opened one of its locks thanks to a key they recreated. It created a gap where the goddess could speak.


    "...By that time, Ytria had already created the dark spells that used demonic energy power..."


    All four had become saints at an early age.


    Lanar, a young human boy, had become the saint archer.


    Nimo, a young high-elf, became the saint of magic.


    Gion became the saint of life


    Ytria, a human girl, became the saint of darkness.


    "...At first, it didn''t affect our personalities. At first..."


    After finding the seal and opening it, the group camped for days in that end of the world. That''s because Ytria wanted to hear what the goddess had to say.


    "... It was then that everything started to fall apart... The goddess had enjoyed Ytria''s curiosity and the time we spent with her and to know that, she gave us gifts that we should never have accepted."


    Lanar would never miss a target and his targets would always die with an arrow. Nimo would have the ability to manipulate the world''s natural mana as she wished. Gion would live forever as long as Lanar did not kill him. Ytria would become a tormentor.


    At first they thought it was just an old class, but then Ytria who was a cheerful and playful girl, started to kill more often and cause destruction for futile reasons.


    "...She knew something was changing within her. It was as if demonic power and class merged and created a new personality..."


    Fearing what might happen, she came up with the idea to create two copies of it. One to kill her and one to seal and protect her body.


    With the help of her friends she created Neu and Eun, but they were weak, failures. But they didn''t give up and kept trying. Other failures were born and killed because of their evil tendencies. This was repeated until the birth of Lhia and Faena.


    "...But they weren''t strong enough to stop her. Faena summoned demons and Lhia created angels and we joined together to seal Ytria..."


    "Wait! Lhia and Faena weren''t fighting each other?"


    "That was after... Sugar?" Gion and Anemus were sitting across from each other at a table and chairs made of stones that Gion had created and drinking tea. "Continuing..."


    After sacrificing half a continent, they managed to seal Ytria in eternal magic. But the war did not stop, Lhia and Faena continued to fight. One wanted to rebuild the destroyed continent and the other wanted to destroy the rest.


    Lanar, Nimo and Gion were exhausted and following Ytria''s wishes of save as many lives as possible, Lhia send the islands to the sky while the three saints sealed the two.


    "In short. Tormetors are the emissaries of the true goddess of destruction. If Athena continued to grow stronger as a tormentor, she would follow the same path as Ytria. But this time she would manage to kill and destroy everything. Lanar died and Nimo and me alone it would be impossible stop her. Satisfied?"


    Anemus had a worried look. She looked at the crystal with Ytria inside and wondered if she could do it. Just thinking about it made her heart ache and she pushed the thought away like she''d swatted a fly away.


    "What about this new class? Reaper? What is this?"


    "I don''t know. Death is a goddess who doesn''t care about anything. But keep an eye on your master. The way she acted with the demon girl isn''t common."


    ***


    Athena admired her newest sword as she cleaned it as carefully as you could with a sword, while Lunnia lay by the fire and moaned with every move she made.


    "Sorry, I won''t use that magic on you ever again." Athena said and Lunnia responded with a moan.


    They were camping in the middle of the desert after setting fire to the galleon that burned with great flames in the distance.

 Chapter 25 - For Anemus - Athena Vs Captain

    A few hours ago~


    When Athena returned to the ship, she was able to witness the most disgusting thing she had ever seen in her entire two lives. The captain was chewing the resurrected one over his head.


    Every time he bit into another piece of the man''s rotting flesh, a gooey line of cadaverous mucus stretched from his mouth to the flesh that quivered with each bite.


    The resurrected one was being devoured ''alive'' and because he no longer had a head, he could not scream or call for help. Anyway, even if he could scream and ask for help, hardly anyone would.


    Athena couldn''t watch it anymore. That scene along with the stench was extremely disgusting to her. Athena jumped back onto the sand and leaned on the ship''s hull, feeling her stomach churn.


    "I''ll wait for him to finish..."


    As soon as Athena said that, the hull beside her cracked and then broke. Lunnia was smeared with sand and bone dust. She was panting like an enraged beast.


    "Oh! Lunnia, good job in there." Athena said, forgetting about the scene she had just seen.


    Lunnia looked at Athena at the compliment and then calmed down. However, she was still under the effect of {Demon Heart} and her greatest desire went from proving herself to Athena, to seeking love.


    What more would a person who has lived centuries without experiencing this kind of feeling want? As soon as she saw Athena and let go of her thirst for power, the thirst for love took over her body, heart and brain.


    Her target went from being the pile of bones on the ship to Athena. Lunnia finished crossing the hull of the ship and faced Athena. Staring at the woman lustfully.


    "... Lunnia?"


    "Th-this is all your fault..." Lunnia said and pressing Athena against the wall/hull of the ship, kissed her.


    Athena''s eyes widened open with a sudden kiss, but then she accepted it. The two women''s lips devoured each other and their tongues entwined in a suffocating kiss.


    Athena wanted to grope Lunnia''s breasts and ass, but the stiff armor prevented it, and instead of grope, Athena had her breasts groped and her ass squeezed by Lunnia.


    This just didn''t continue because Athena felt she was being watched and when she looked up, there was the captain. The man watched the two kiss as if it were a TV drama scene. Not that he''s ever had a TV in his life and afterlife.


    When he saw that Athena had noticed him, the captain smiled a rotten smile and with his giant ax, attacked like a pendulum of dungeon trap blades.


    Athena hugged Lunnia, pinning her arms, and threw her away and then dodged the ax that descended toward her.


    "Have you heard about privacy?" Athena complained.


    "Get a room in hell after I kill you guys!"


    The captain jumped onto the sand, making a small wave of sand and clouds of dust. The scene just wasn''t worse than Athena imagined.


    By the time the man had jumped off the ship, Athena had imagined rotting flesh spreading across the ground and tens of thousands of flies flying from his skinny skeletal bones. Athena sighed in relief when that didn''t happen.


    "What did you do with the other guy?"


    "Ate!"


    "That I know. I saw it. But why?"


    "Source of power."


    "Eh~... Did it work?" Athena asked and it happened.


    The man who was supposed to be slow because of his size and body fat, in the blink of an eye was eye to eye with Athena.


    "Yes!" The man smiled. A rotten stench came out of her broken mouth and a shower of worms fell from his brain onto Athena''s face.


    Athena shivered in disgust. An icy shiver ran through her body and then an impact flung her body across the yellow sand dune.


    The captain was faster and stronger. Athena didn''t even have time to dodge or block the attack and when she saw it, she was already rolling in the sand and was beside Lunnia who was unconscious.


    Athena took the knight''s sword and shield. It was a bastard sword with a dark and icy blade, its guard was an ''X'' and its pommel was a small mass. Also, Athena felt like the sword sucked in some mana and then she smiled.


    "A magic sword... Damned little."


    Well-equipped now, Athena scrambled to her feet and ran toward the walking corpse. However, along the way the captain disappeared from where he was and reappeared beside Athena.


    Just by instinct, Athena placed the shield between her and the raw ax blade, and feeling her left arm hurled skyward on impact, she quickly used the sword as a ramp to deflect the blow.


    Athena jumped back trying to create distance between them and use magic, but the captain left no room for such a thing. As soon as she was far from the man, like a fly the captain followed and delivered a blow that was either dodged or blocked by Athena.


    With no option to use magic, Athena gave up on backing away and focused on attacking rather than defending. She put some mana into the sword and in response the sword shimmered and an icy mist escaped from the blade.


    As the Captain approached for another attack, Athena slashed the ax seven times and parried the monster''s attack while being hurled away like a golf ball.


    "By god! How boring you are!" Athena complained. "Always the same attack pattern. Approaches in an instant, attacks and throws me away and then repeats. Don''t you get tired?"


    "Not!" The captain replied curtly and then made his move again.


    He ran to Athena, struck and had his attack parried and his ax attacked at the same time Athena was thrown again.


    However, this time something was wrong. When the captain went to change hands, the ax did not come out of his left hand. His hand had frozen with the ax handle and wouldn''t come out at all.


    "What? What did you do?"


    "Nothing!" Athena said and now it was her turn to attack.


    But like every other time, she didn''t attack the captain, her target was the axe. If a tempered metal has its temperature lowered to some degree, it will break like glass. That''s what Athena was thinking.


    That was another piece of information she had no basis for. When she was Arthur, in addition to going out with his friends, Athena only had two hobbies before meeting Luana, games and japanese novels. And this information came from several fights she had read in novels where the characters'' weapons were shattered for whatever reason.


    Anyway, Athena attacked, seven, nine, fifteen times in a short period of time until cracks began to appear in the captain''s ax.


    "Finally!" Athena celebrated.


    "Do you think cracks will stop me from killing you?"


    "No, but I''ll be able to hit you more safely until you don''t move anymore!" Athena said and left for her onslaught.


    The captain swung the ax with force that could easily rip Athena''s head off, and Athena slipped to her knees through the sand and cut where the tendons in the man''s knees should have been.


    The sword easily cut into the captain''s rotting flesh and froze part of his knees. But Athena didn''t stop there. She turned quickly and made three cuts on the monster''s back, which twisted its body, causing its fat belly to fold and tear.


    Gray and gooey organs spread across the sandy desert floor and the stench spread further. The captain was about to attack, but then he looked down at his organs on the ground.


    In the midst of those grey-green, sticky puddles lay the captain''s stomach. A large, misshapen package of meat.


    The strength of a resurrected like the captain comes from his soul, and by devouring another resurrected one, they souls had almost merged in one. With the abilities that the resurrected one had, it had become possible for the captain to fight and subjugate Athena. But not anymore.


    "My stomach..."


    "Yeah... pretty disgusting." Athena said and continued to attack.


    Every sword cut from her, froze the captain''s rotten flesh. The captain tried to fight back and defend, but he was slower and weaker and even though he saw Athena''s attacks, his body didn''t follow his thoughts.


    In the end, Athena was on her feet, covered in sweat and sand, facing a large frozen corpse.


    "Hm... Let''s put a final touch. [Hew]"


    Athena cut the captain into several pieces until there was only crushed ice in the desert sand.


    "Nowˇ­" Athena looked at the ship and smiled. It was like exploring a dungeon and collecting loot after killing the boss. It gave the same sense of achievement that she felt in the game.


    Athena entered the ship through the hole Lunnia had created in the hull and saw the damage the knight had wrought in the place. Destroyed cells, broken columns and more.


    After searching both parts of the ship, with the exception of the captain''s cabin, all Athena had in her hands was a long sword in a scabbard.


    Like the blade and hilt of the sword, the scabbard was a dull blue-gray, with simple carvings.


    The sword''s cross-shaped guard had jewel carvings, but there were no inset jewels, and its scabbard followed the same pattern. But this was not a simple sword. Athena could feel a performance similar to Lunnia''s sword, but still different.


    Leaving it to be examined later, Athena looked again at the captain''s cabin with its door open and pondered.


    "If I go in there, the stench will definitely stick to me but... What if there''s something really good?" She untied the skirt of her dress and paced. "What if I just stand at the door...? I have an idea!"


    Athena tore a piece of the skirt off her dress, soaked it in perfume, and covered her nose, but she still hasn''t entered the cabin. The stink of the place was even more pungent up close.


    From the door she could see the cabin almost completely and the place was completely different from the rest of the rotten ship. It was like two different places and separated by hundreds of years despite their stench.


    The cabin was in the same state it would have been when the crew was still alive. Varnished and red wood furniture, a wine rack and a table set with fresh food. In the corner near the bed, a black-and-gold chest looked very tempting, but the smell of the place was discouraging.


    Athena frowned, frustrated by the loss of something that could be something really good. But then she perked up.


    "Maybe what''s in there isn''t that good." Athena said, trying to convince herself.


    She turned her back to the cabin, still feeling repentant, then shook her head. She puffed out her chest with the courage to abandon the precious chest and marched away in a forced manner.


    After pulling away, she cast {Fire Ray} and then cried when the cabin started to burn.


    ***


    Now~


    Due to exhaustion from the aftereffect of the {Demon Heart}, Lunnia was passed out for half the day and the rest she lay there, moaning in pain as Athena apologized and promised not to use magic on her again.


    When night fell and Lunnia was better, Kima and Lunnia''s pegasus were exhausted and could no longer fly. Because of this the women were camping in the middle of the desert.


    Lunnia and Athena were sitting in front of a fire and watching the galleon still burning in the distance.


    "Are you going to sulk? I already apologized." Athena said.


    However, Lunnia was not sulking, she were embarrassed for having kissed Athena. She couldn''t face the woman who was supposed to be her friend without turning her face almost purple with embarrassment.


    "Ah! Here, look at this. I got that guy''s sword. It looks pretty strong."


    Lunnia looked at the sword, avoiding looking at Athena. Sword in hand, Lunnia studied the blade that didn''t even reflect the firelight beside her.


    The sword was bluish gray and lackluster. It was as if it had been made of stone and not metal.


    Lunnia stood up, still feeling pain throughout her body and then put mana on the sword after realizing it was also a magic sword.


    Athena, who watched closely, was surprised when the sword began to glow a vivid blue. And even more so when Lunnia released the sword''s energy in a blow to the air.


    "It''s an amplifying sword." Lunnia said and handed the sword to Athena.


    "Sword what?"


    "Amplifier. Unlike other magic swords that have their own spells, this one can channel and amplify whatever magic and skill its owner wants." Lunnia explained in a low voice.


    "Hm... I think my old sword was that too." Athena replied, remembering the sword that was part of the celestial mithril set.


    Athena and Lunnia continued talking about swords for a while longer. It made Lunnia forget her shame and look Athena in the eye again. They laughed talking about what had happened until they fell asleep.


    In the morning, before the sun even appeared over the horizon, Athena and Lunnia finished their preparations, mounted their mounts and flew east, leaving the still-hot coal of what was a haunted galleon behind.

 Chapter 26 - For Anemus - Juefu And New Class

    Getting to Juefu was extremely difficult to reach for ordinary people like merchants and warriors wanting top-of-the-line equipment.


    These people, if coming from the east would have to go through dense forests and full of dangers, and after surviving the forest, they would have to climb the mountain and again pass life and death tests.


    For those coming from the west, they would have to cross Sigma''s great desert, a swamp full of monsters, and then climb the mountain.


    From the north or south it was the same, but with different challenges, the mountain was surrounded by dangers, but those who conquered them received their rewards.


    However, this was not a problem for anyone who could reach the city from the sky.


    After a day and a half of travel, Athena and Lunnia could see at the top of the mountain, the city of the exiled dwarves, Juefu.


    The city was nothing like the other cities Athena had seen so far.


    The houses were like small fortress with smoky chimneys. Square, with roofs and walls made of stone, and the streets were no different. They were made of stones perfectly aligned and leveled on the ground.


    But the biggest difference Athena saw was that the city had no walls. They were just neatly lined houses and neat streets at the top of the mountain.


    In the distance, anyone could mistake the mountain for a volcano active due to the smoke.


    When they landed, Athena was impressed because even though the city was difficult to access, the city streets were just as busy as those in Reiden and the Citadel.


    There was possible to identify several races, humans, elves, half-orcs, beastmen and mainly dwarves. All were from a diversity of classes. They had warriors, paladins, archers, wizards, sorcerers and others.


    All were there for one purpose. Get cheap, well-made equipment by dishonored dwarves.


    Juefu was built by dwarves who had fled a civil war, but now the city was primarily a haven for talented exiles.


    Because of their reputation as exiles, the equipment, tools and weapons created in Juefu were cheaper than in Qartur, the nation of dwarves.


    A sword in Qartur could amount to hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Already in Juefu, it was no more than thousands.


    At the entrance to the city, Athena had her eyes shining. The houses were actually forges where she could see in almost all of them, muscular, bearded dwarfs using a large hammer to hit hot metals.


    For someone who was a fan of dwarfs, seeing this scene was inexplicable. Every step the women took, Athena stopped and admired the work of some blacksmith.


    "Athena, if you stop at every forge, at least let''s rent a room at the inn. The animals are tired too." Lunnia said.


    Athena looked at Kima who seemed to be sleeping as walked and at the pegasus Lunnia named ''Achilles'' after Athena insisted, and he also looked exhausted.


    "Okay! Let''s go to the inn. Let me ask the blacksmith here, where we can find an inn and also a bank."


    "Bank? What''s up about the bank?"


    "I need another class scroll."


    ***


    Athena and Lunnia were trying to rent two rooms. But due of the high number of visitors to the city, most inns, hostels and hotels were fully booked.


    "Room and stable space? No, girl, we have a room but no stable space."


    "We have a spot in the stable, but we don''t have any rooms available."


    "No room and no stables. Didn''t you see the ''full'' sign outside?"


    These were the answers they got everywhere they went. They considered putting Kima and Achilles in one place and going to sleep in another, but Athena didn''t want to. When they were about to give up...


    "We have a room and two spaces in the stable." Said the owner of the inn, a fox-man gentleman.


    A smile spread across Lunnia and Athena''s tired faces.


    "We want it!" They responded at the same time.


    The room was of modest elegance and had a ceramic bathtub in the corner of the room that looked very attractive to the two women.


    "Do you want to go first?" Athena asked.


    In that moment, Athena had become a savior goddess for Lunnia. Lunnia quickly removed her armor as the tub filled with hot water.


    Athena watched Lunnia''s process of undressing. Her attentive green eyes followed the woman''s every move without wasting a second.


    "ˇ­Are you going to keep looking at me?"


    Lunnia was dressed only in a cotton shirt and brown wrought-leather pants and was about to take off her shirt when she noticed the bright eyes of a smiling Athena.


    "Don''t mind me, we''re two women. Go ahead.", ''I''m so glad I became a woman!!!!''


    "No but..."


    "Don''t mind me.", ''Take off those clothes!!''


    "That..."


    "Hm..." Athena kept smiling and looking at Lunnia no matter what she said.


    In an attempt to make Athena lose interest in her, Lunnia took off her transformation ring, revealing her hybrid appearance which she thought Athena would hate because of what happened the first time they met.


    However, when she turned around after taking her clothes off, she found Athena naked and more willing than ever. If she had a D***, that would definitely be up and beckoning to Lunnia.


    Lunnia sighed in resignation and climbed into the tub followed by Athena. But unlike the half-demon imagined, Athena looked like an old woman melting in hot water.


    The two shared a peaceful, relaxing and restorative bath without incident. After the bath, they had dinner in their room and because of the heat that the city emanated, they slept with the window open and with little clothing.


    *All: I hope you didn''t think too much. :v*


    *J: I thought a lot. For me it happened.*


    The next morning Athena went to the bank and after a few minutes there, she returned to the inn and with Lunnia present she threw dozens of scrolls on the bed.


    "Are these class scrolls?" Lunnia looked curiously at the sealed silver parchments.


    "Yes, it''s some of the ones I have. I need to get rid of my current one. [Inventory]"


    Lunnia jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the red wooden door in the middle of the room.


    "W-what is this?"


    "A skill! An original version, I think, of the ''dimensional bag''."


    Athena filled up her arms with scrolls of the soul, left the [Inventory] and the door disappeared.


    "First I''ll try with all these paladin scrolls."


    "By the way. What''s your class to you want to change so badly?"


    Lunnia sat cross-legged on the bed. She wore only her cotton shirt while Athena wanted so badly to be naked. The day was hotter and muggy than the previous afternoon and evening.


    "Right now? I''m a reaper." Athena said and Lunnia frowned.


    Reapers were known as beings working for the life cycle goddess, Death, not as a class.


    In general, reapers wore black robes and always walked with a lamp in hand to guide the dead. If you saw one, you were either dead or you were going to die in a few hours.


    Lunnia could understand what Athena meant and Athena saw it from Lunnia''s expression and laughed.


    "No need to look like that. I don''t understand either."


    Athena took a paladin''s scroll, ripped the seal and read the parchment as Iris had taught her long ago. Athena smiled longingly at the receptionist and then scowled as she used a soul scroll.


    "Why hasn''t it changed??" Athena complained but didn''t give up.


    She used ten paladin scrolls, five archer''s, twenty swordsman''s, two sorcerer''s and lost interest in the second, discarding the classes that used magic as a main feature and continued.


    On the bed, with the exception of the various scrolls of the sorcerer, wizard, cleric, druid, and elementarist, there were six scrolls.


    "There are two left for the knight, one for the warrior, and three for the assassin." Lunnia with some excitement.


    "Why are you so happy?"


    "Because it looks like those street lotteries. You never know if you''re going to win or not and you probably won''t, but you''re still excited by the possibility."


    "Remind me never to go to a casino with you."


    "Hm? What is a casino?"


    "Forget about it for now. I''ll go with the warrior''s scroll as it''s the last one." Athena took the parchment and nothing.


    Athena swallowed her saliva as the tension built. She didn''t want to be an assassin and that''s why she left that option for last.


    With the knight''s scroll in hand, she repeated the procedure and the scroll burned into a bluish flame. Athena felt her muscles tense and an energy try to build inside her and then disappear.


    Athena frowned tightly and took the soul scroll, using it but afraid to open it.


    "A-open you!" Athena tossed the parchment at Lunnia''s legs, turned and closed her eyes. Wishing with all her might that it had worked.


    "Athena..." Lunnia called after opening and reading the parchment, but Athena didn''t turn around. "It worked and it dont worked at same time."


    "H-how so?" Athena''s voice was squeaky and shaky.


    "Better see for yourself." Lunnia said and opened the parchment in front of Athena''s face.


    "Huh?" Athena couldn''t believe her eyes and squeezed them shut to make sure she wasn''t having a nightmare. "D-Death Knight?"


    "Congratulations?" Lunnia smirked and shrugged as Athena looked ready to fall hard to the ground.

 Chapter 27 - For Anemus - Death Knight, Athena

    ================================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High-Human


    Class ? Death Knight


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 341 years old


    ?Skills?


    Hew; Inventory; Dimensional Bag; Death Aura; Death Eyes; Death Control; Eradication; Army of the Dead; Harvest


    ?Features?


    Saint of Humility ? You are the one who has conquered divinity, touched demonic power, acquired a forgotten power, attracted the attention of two gods and discarded them.


    Observed by the Gods ? Due to the interest of two goddesses in you, the other gods started to pay more attention to your actions.


    Punished by Death ? You turned your back on Death''s gift and as punishment she made you a death knight. As long as the punishment lasts, you cannot change jobs.


    Medium of Death ? If you go to a temple of Death, you will be able to see, hear and speak to her. As a medium you can also represent her and be her body in the mortal world.


    Emissary of Death The saint who has looked at Death more than once and has escaped her hands from her. Death wants to know you and is jealous of you. Only she she cut off any connection you have or had with any other god.


    Immortal ? Time doesn''t matter anymore, but Death wants to see you.


    ================================


    "W-what is this?"


    Athena could not conceive of what was written on the parchment. She used others in hopes that the first was defective, but they all showed the same information.


    "M-my spells..."


    Athena was upset. Tears of disbelief streamed down her face as she smiled a crooked smile.


    "Saint of Humility? Haha... Emissary of Death?"


    Athena read the parchment over and over again and nothing fit her mind.


    "The gods have plenty of free time, don''t they?"


    Athena rose from the bed, where she fell helplessly on her legs and stared at the bedroom ceiling, as if she could see the sky.


    "What did I do to deserve this?"


    "Athena, stop! If you don''t like this situation, don''t face the gods. They might want to do something more to you!"


    Athena looked at Lunnia with red and puffy eyes, her face was in pure sadness. She didn''t care to which class she had changed, let alone her other traits, but her spells...


    Athena went back to bed and laid her head on Lunnia''s thighs and lay there, sniffling and crying in a fetal position.


    "My spells are gone... I don''t have any more learning scrolls with those spells... I was so fond of ''Hellfire''..."


    Lunnia stroked Athena''s blond hair and comforted her until she fell asleep. Later, Lunnia dragged a depressed Athena downtown to see the blacksmiths she liked so much, but it didn''t change her mood much.


    ***


    Far away, in Ursula, the capital of light. A religious city within the Kingdom of Basilica. ruled by the temple of light.


    A young priest was running through the temple''s corridors towards a white door.


    "Your Holiness!" The young man came through the door unceremoniously, carrying two envelopes in his hands.


    Inside the room, sitting in a chair that looked like a sculpture of a cathedral, with her back to a stained glass window, was a beautiful young woman with silver black hair and purple eyes.


    "Warq, did you drop your education on the way here?"


    "Forgive my behavior, Your Holiness, but it is an urgent matter."


    "What is it?"


    "It''s a call from the king." Warq handed the letter with the royal seal to the woman.


    "And the other?" The woman asked looking at the envelope remaining in the priest''s hands.


    "Ah! This is from the bank. From Mr. Charle."


    The moment the priest said this, Serien''s eyes wided in surprise. She dropped the king''s letter on the table and hurried around her desk.


    "Give me that. Thanks and slam the door when you leave." Serien said taking the letter from Warq''s hands.


    After the priest left the room, Serien broke the seal with almost trembling hands and read the contents.


    <To Her Holiness, the High Priestess Serien Aust Basilica.


    How have you been, miss?


    Hope you are in good health.


    I heard what happened at the palace a few weeks ago.


    Don''t you think it was a rash move?


    I just hope that nothing like a civil war between the kingdom and the church happens. Although that would be very good for business.


    I am writing to inform you of what you asked me to. The vault of Her Holiness, Athena, was moved to Juefu''s bank, in the empire of Elsna.


    I can imagine why she gone there, but I don''t think she stays there for a long time.


    Considerations.


    Charles Arvanan.>


    A smile spread across Serien''s face, but then it faded. She had finally found Athena, but she was practically out of her reach.


    The religion of the temple of light had been banned in the empire and the priests who did not flee were hunted down and killed like deer.


    "I think I''ll have to go myself..."


    ***


    Three days had passed since Athena began her mourning and now she was on her feet again, after remembering the reason for this trip.


    ''I can''t keep crying over spilled milk... Anemus needs me.''


    "Where are we going today?" Lunnia asked as she put on her armor.


    "I don''t need a sword anymore, but I still need armor as good or better than my previous armor." Athena responded by pulling on the straps of her yellow dress. "Aren''t you hot?"


    Lunnia wore her gauntlets and her body was already sweaty even before putting on the armor.


    "I am, but I don''t have anything else to wear."


    "Then wear this." Athena threw Lunnia a dress she had taken from her dimensional bag. "You can have it, Anemus insisted I buy it, but purple isn''t my color."


    When they left, the two drew as much attention as someone famous. It didn''t matter who or why, everyone was looking at them.


    Mainly for Lunnia. The color of the dress Athena had given her was the least of the problems. In fact, she liked the slightly faded purple color, but the real problem was its length.


    The dress was so short that if a wind blew, her breasts would show.


    "Athena, I want to go back to the bedroom." Lunnia said as she pulled her dress down, revealing a bit of her breasts.


    "Why?"


    "Why? I look like a whore! All the men who pass by us keep eating me with their eyes!"


    "What are you talking about? You look beautiful! Let them look, you need more confidence in yourself."


    "What do I want that for? That''s not even my real appearance..."


    Lunnia''s ring of transformation was random. She almost never changed into the same appearance twice.


    Now she was a woman with dark hair and charming blue eyes and attractive lips. Athena loved that look when she saw her this morning.


    "Then take off the ring."


    "No!"


    "Why not? You are beautiful in your true form."


    "I would be an easy target for those who hate demons."


    "You are not a demon." Athena said with a serious face. "I don''t know what your mother was like, but every demon I''ve ever met was irrationally violent."


    ''At least in the game.''


    "I''ve only known you for a little while, but I know you''re a good person. I won''t insist that you take off the ring, but know that I''ll be by your side whenever you want to do it."


    Lunnia smiled shyly and with her head held high she continued walking down the main street until arriving at a square, where merchants, adventurers and people announcing events and wares gathered.


    "Come, come! This is a beautiful specimen of firebird!"


    "Wanting to enchant your gear? Here''s the right place!"


    "Black ice crystals! I sell black ice crystals! It''s the last five!"


    "Bets! Place your bets!"


    Everyone shouted their offers and wares in an attempt to make a quick and easy profit. However, none of them were interesting to Athena and Lunnia.


    They kept going deeper into the square until Athena heard a really tempting announcement for her.


    "Spiritual Stone of Fire! The auction will start in ten minutes! Place your bids! It was very difficult to get this stone and I intend to profit a lot! Interested parties look for the auction house on Third Street! It starts at..."


    Athena grabbed Lunnia''s wrist and pulled her through the crowd out of the square.


    "A-Athena? What''s wrong? What''s in such a hurry?"


    "A fire stone! I need that for Foti¨˘!"


    "Fire stone?"


    "Spiritual fire stone, I''m going to buy it for Foti¨˘ to evolve! Huh?"

 Chapter 28 - For Anemus - Auction

    In the middle of the crowd where Athena and Lunnia were, a young man accompanied by a young nymph was attracted by the announcement of an auction of a fire stone.


    "Did you hear that, Hein?"


    "I heard."


    "Does this mean that..."


    "Yes!"


    "I''m going to buy it for you to evolve!"


    "I''m going to buy it for Photia to evolve!"


    Athena stared at the young man who said he was going to buy something for someone to evolve.


    The man had orange hair, one pearly green eye and one covered with an eye patch. He dressed like a mercenary with a claymore on his back and heavy graphite gray armor that resembled an exoskeleton.


    The nymph had magical anklets attached to her ankles, allowing her to fly, dressed in black shorts and a black belted top. Her scarlet hair was curled like flames and her eyes were yellow as the sun.


    Athena narrowed her eyes and frowned as she took in the situation and quickly turned to Lunnia.


    "Lunnia, I''m going to the bank. If they start the auction before I arrive, keep bidding no matter the price."


    "Huh?! No matter the price? Are you crazy?" Lunnia cringed in fear.


    Lunnia had seen enough of Juefu in those three days and her fear was justified. Within that period they spent in the city, Lunnia saw several people being enslaved after stealing or going into debt.


    "Don''t worry about it. I guarantee the money!" Athena''s eyes burned in the flames of competition. "Foti¨˘ needs this stone!"


    Lunnia let a long sigh out of her mouth and smiled at Athena, who smiled back. Athena kissed Lunnia''s cheek and was heading toward the crowd back when she turned around.


    "Get your horse out of the rain! The stone is mine." Athena told the man and disappeared into the crowd before he could respond.


    The man intrigued by Athena looked back to where Lunnia was, only to find that she was no longer there.


    "Yrio!" Hein called. "What are you doing? The auction is about to start, run!"


    "Tsk! Sorry, I was stunned for a moment because of that girl..."


    Yrio and Hein hurried to the auction house on Third Street. A stone building like any other on the outside and a grand, elegant theater inside that would remind theaters of the Victorian era.


    Lunnia sat in one of the upstairs seats, from where she had a better view of the stage, and waited for Athena with anxiety kicking in her belly as if she were on her period.


    "You again?" Hein said as he landed in the chair beside Lunnia.


    "You...?" Lunnoa was so anxious that she couldn''t even remember what Athena had told her right.


    "Hein, a fire nymph." Hein introduced himself. "Is that you?"


    "I am called Lunnia and I am a knight."


    "Hein, I already told you not to fly ahead and leave me behind..." Yrio complained. "Ah! We meet again..."


    Lunnia looked at the man and shyly nodded once. Without armor, Lunnia was like a frightened girl who didn''t know how to handle men.


    "Where''s your friend? Athena, isn''t it?"


    "H-how do you know?" Lunnia''s heart pounded like drums.


    "Just now, you said her name before she ran into the crowd." Hein said.


    "A-ah~... Yes. She went to the bank." Lunnia said looking at Hein. "Ah! It will start."


    When a hairless, brown-bearded dwarf appeared on stage, the audience dimmed in a dim light.


    The dwarf was dressed in a garment like a black suit, and he paced pompously up and down, talking to some big shot here and some madam there.


    "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Fuguv and I will be your host at this auction." Said the dwarf. His deep voice didn''t do justice to his pomposity.


    The audience applauded and Lunnia, Hein and Yrio followed. After the applause, Fuguv continued with a short speech about the items being auctioned.


    "...Now, today''s first item is... A spear found in a black dragon''s nest. Hm... It says here that maybe it''s cursed, but since it''s a rare item... Let''s start with one toss of five hundred gold coins."


    Few people wanted the spear, but it was still sold at a very high price.


    "14 thousand gold coins for a cursed item?"


    Yrio looked at the participants in the spear auction and his surprised face fell when he saw the winner with a satisfied expression, the loser sullen and two of the participants with happiness stamped on their faces.


    "I see... These dwarfs..."


    "What, Yrio?"


    "There are two cheaters in the audience bidding."


    "Eh? Isn''t that going to be bad?" Lunnia asked with concern.


    "Usually they stop bidding when the item hits a price they''ve pre-determined." Yrio explained with an analytical expression. "At least that''s how it is in ''ground'' auctions."


    The auction continued, and item after item was auctioned off to the tens of thousands. Of course, all with the help of fake buyers.


    And then came the spiritual fire stone''s turn. A rare stone that only appears when a fairy dies. The stone was big as a soccer ball and deformed like a meteor, its reddish color seeming to glow and go out like a firefly.


    "This spiritual fire stone was rescued from the polluted volcanic hot springs, where the fire fairies lived. As you can see, it spent a lot of time there and that''s why it''s like that. However, that doesn''t make it any less valuable. The opening bid is for five thousand gold coins. Who gives more?"


    As soon as Fuguv asked, Yrio raised his hand and the price changed to five thousand five hundred. Lunnia was afraid to bid too high, so she imitated Yrio and raised by five hundred, but the price didn''t stay that way for long.


    As Yrio stared at Lunnia with a crooked smile, the fakers raised the price to eight thousand. Yrio didn''t have a lot of money and would probably spend his entire small fortune there, but he didn''t care and raised his bid by four thousand.


    Lunnia was apprehensive at the price that was now twelve thousand, but she remembered what Athena had said and raised her hand with noticeable hesitation and raised the price of the stone by another four thousand.


    "Are you sure you have all this money?" Yrio asked, worried that he couldn''t buy the stone. "Sixteen thousand gold coins is a lot of money..."


    "I know that, but Athena said..."


    "Twenty thousand gold coins from the gentleman over there." Fuguv said and pointed to one of the fakers. "Who gives more?"


    Yrio clenched his fist, the price was almost reaching its limit, but he couldn''t give up and he raised the price to twenty-five thousand.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to stop?" Yrio asked Lunnia.


    He knew that if he lost to the fakers, after the auction they would look for the last bidder and that''s why he wanted to make Lunnia give up, but...


    "Th-thirty thousand!" Lunnia said and Fuguv continued with his partners, increasing the price by another two thousand gold coins.


    "Yrio, if this keeps up, we''re going to go broke!"


    "I''d rather go broke and have you grown up!" Yrio responded and raised his hand, increasing the value of the stone to thirty-seven thousand.


    When the stone reached the value of forty-four thousand gold pieces, people began to ask if a stone of fire was worth all that.


    When it reached the value of fifty thousand and Yrio was a thousand coins from his limit, the theater doors opened and Fuguv was asking who would give more.


    "A million!" Athena screamed.


    Yrio passed out with his mouth foaming, Fuguv''s eyes turned to golden coins, and Lunnia shrank back in her seat and began to pretend she didn''t know Athena, while the forehead turned to a chaos of whispering.


    "A million? Are you sure, girl?" Fuguv asked in mock concern.


    "Yes, wrap it for me as a gift and show me your best armor." Athena practically ordered.


    "And how will you pay?"


    "Thereby." Athena showed a pure color hexagonal-shaped kaleidoscopical stone. "That is..."


    "A perfect diamond? I-is that really a p-perfect diamond?" Fuguv''s thick voice was thin and dry.


    "Yes, and if that''s not enough, I have another twenty-two of those." Athena smiled and Fuguv fainted.


    -------------------------------------------------------


    For those who would like to know the price of a stone of spiritual fire in the real world.


    1 gold coin = 300 dollars.

 Chapter 29 - For Anemus - Knowing New Limits

    *All: Well, I spent the whole day pondering whether or not to write a chapter today. Out of nowhere I got sick. Out of nowhere. Do you believe? All I did yesterday was lie dead on the couch, reading stuff anywhere on the internet... -_-


    Sorry for the outburst. Let''s go to the chapter!!!*


    After all the fuss Athena caused and when the auction ended, she was called to a private room in the theater.


    Fuguv repeatedly apologized for the way he spoke to Athena. To the point of starting to irritate her.


    "Okay, okay! Enough of this shit! How much is my diamond?"


    Fuguv picked up the stone and admired it.


    "Well... Hehehe...! From what-" Suddenly Fuguv shivered from the cold. "W-w-what?!"


    Athena looked at the dwarf with cold eyes. Her bloodlust was so strong that Lunnia and Yrio felt it from the hallway.


    "If you lie to me, this will be the last time you talk."


    "Eh? N-no! I would never lie to you... Hehe... Let''s see... Following the Empire''s monetary correction, this diamond alone costs around forty million gold coins. "


    Hearing the value, Athena felt weak in her legs and fell onto the sofa.


    ''Forty millions? In the game it was only worth two million at most...''


    In the game, these diamonds were mined with a certain level of ease by players. But in this world, if a miner wanted to find a diamond like that, he would have to dig very deep and close to an active volcano, but there was no guarantee he would find it. It was too risky.


    "Right. Now, I know the spiritual fire stone doesn''t cost anywhere near what I offered. So I think I''ll pay fifty-one thousand gold coins."


    "WHAT?"


    "That''s right. I''ll only pay fifty-one thousand." Athena said with a cheerful smile.


    "But you can''t do this!" Fuguv said.


    The dwarf''s face was twisted in fury. What Athena was doing was the same as a robbery for the man.


    The feeling of being robbed made the dwarf lose the fear he was feeling of Athena and he was considering taking his weapon.


    It would be easy to kill the human with the allegation of theft. And he could take the stone and no one would complain.


    That''s what Fuguv started to think when Athena brandished her sword first.


    "I don''t know what you''re thinking, but I know a cheater when I see one."


    "I''m the one who asks. What the fuck do you think you''re doing? If you kill me, everyone will hunt you down."


    "Truth." Athena smiled pleasantly. "But doesn''t that mean I just have to kill everyone in this town?"


    Again, Fuguv felt his blood rush through his veins like ice water, and a sinister shiver ran through his body.


    "H-as if you were going to make it..." Fuguv tore his eyes away from Athena. "... Y-you''re just a h-human..."


    "Want to pay to see?"


    There had no hesitation in Athena''s voice. She didn''t know if she could actually kill them all. In fact, she even doubted it. However, she was willing to try.


    Something had changed in her body since becoming a Death Knight, she felt she had more stamina and physical strength, besides her foundation of mana having changed even before that, her skills seemed to have something related to mass slaughter.


    She wanted to test this power which she was forced to receive. But, Athena remembered what Anemus had told her about making enemies lightly and let her bloodlust fade.


    "Bring the firestone and armor you have. I''m in a good mood, I''ll let you live for now." Athena said as she lowered her sword.


    After that, one armor after another entered and left the room until Athena found the perfect armor.


    Made of oricalcum and gold, a white armor with gold accents, it resembled an angel''s armor.


    The helmet that covered half of the face, had golden wings at the temples and the eye shadow was also golden.


    The breastplate was completely white and covered up to her hips like a short dress. Athena liked the armor even more because it self-suited to her body as if she recognized Athena as her owner.


    The shoulder pads were gold and were shaped like wings folded back.


    The manuplas had their golden fingers and side blades on the forearm in the shape of golden wings and everything else was white.


    The thigh-high boots were also white with golden wings on the heels.


    She also had a shield and sword, but Athena simply discarded them inside her dimensional bag.


    The shield was too heavy and slowed her down and the sword was inferior to the one she had gained from the undead.


    "It was nice doing business with you, you bastard." Athena said and left the room, leaving a diamond behind.


    Just as Fuguv was about to pick up the stone, Athena''s head appeared in the doorway.


    "You owe me thirty-eight million, nine hundred and forty thousand gold coins. How will you pay?"


    When he heard the value, Fuguv sweated with nervousness. On that day, because of his greed, Fuguv became a slave.


    ***


    In the tavern where Lunnia and Athena were staying, the women were feasting. Well, Athena was.


    Lunnia was drunk after the fourth glass of an extremely strong drink the innkeeper poured them.


    Athena was on her eighth glass of the same drink and was still sober. Her body was stronger even for alcohol.


    "Are you going to be okay, drinking that much, girl?" asked a man who sat at the next table.


    "I''ll be fine." Athena responded happily.


    "Hoh~ why don''t you have a drink with us then?"


    Athena looked at the man''s table and saw three others. What he was talking about was bald, with an ugly scar that ran to the middle of his forehead, muscular and wearing a beaten-leather pectoral as if to mark his muscles.


    The others were ugly and beautiful in their own way and they all had a predatory look on their faces.


    "I don''t like you guys. Especially the split head. Your scar is really ugly. Didn''t you have time to go find a healer?" Athena scoffed and the entire tavern laughed.


    "What did you say?" the man asked in a scream.


    "Poorˇ­" Athena sighed piously. "Besides being ugly he is deaf, the poor wretch."


    "You started this bitch!" The man drew his sword.


    However, Athena had already drawn her sword and pointed it at the man''s throat, making him freeze.


    "Let''s not do this in here. I like this tavern and the owner is kind. You four against me outside after I finish this glass. Until then, sit down and shut the fuck up." Athena said without any interest.


    Minutes later, in front of the ''Old Fox'' inn, a crowd watched the four-on-one duel and placed their bets.


    "Yrio, what is it?" Hein asked when Yrio stopped to see what was causing the crowd.


    When the man saw Athena facing four strong looking men, he pulled out his claymore and positioned himself beside Athena, who looked relaxed.


    "Youˇ­" Athena looked at Yrio trying to remember where she knew him and then gave up.


    The bald man who called himself Jimo looked at Yrio with his face wrinkled in anger.


    "Who are you?" Athena and Jimo ask at the same time.


    "Eh? Hey! At least remember the face of the guy you defeated!" Yrio complained.


    Athena looked at him with a hard face. Trying once more to remember and then he smiled at the man and Yrio smiled back, his face lit up as Athena remembered him.


    "So... Mirio...? What do you want?" Athena asked.


    "It''s ''Yrio''! Y-r-i-o! Shit! I came to help you!"


    "Huh? I don''t want to!"


    "What?"


    "They''re mine! Did I take something from you by chance? Tulip, this fight is mine!" Athena said, pushing Yrio into the crowd. "But there''s something you can do for me."


    "Huh? But I..."


    Athena tugged at the collar of Yrio''s armor and brought her lips to his ear and whispered.


    "Today everyone here will become slaves. Bet two hundred thousand gold coins on me. These assholes are betting against me. You can keep the whole prize for yourself." Athena smiled evilly and Yrio nodded feeling like he was making a deal with a demon.


    "Are you going to be flirting or are we going to fight?" Jimo complained.


    "Ah! Let''s fight, let''s fight!" Athena returned to the pseudo-battlefield. She bounced and smiled as only a beautiful lady from a rich family would.


    "Since I am a gentleman, I will allow the girl to attack first."


    "Really? How lucky for me!" Athena brandished her sword and put an arm behind her back. "First..."


    That was in an instant, few people there were able to follow Athena''s movements. These were the ones who bet on her.


    Athena disappeared and reappeared in place as the head of the man who looked like a healer rolled on the bloodstained floor.


    "Come on, make your move!" Jimo yelled without noticing that one of his friends was dead behind him.


    "No, no... Now it''s your turn." Athena smiled pleasantly.


    Despite hating the fact that she was forced to be a Death Knight, Athena was really enjoying her new abilities.

 Chapter 30 - For Anemus - Dark Night 1/2

    "Are you crazy? You haven''t done anything yet!" Jimo complained and Athena pointed her finger down the man''s legs.


    "I already killed one of you. Your turn."


    Jimo looked down as Athena spoke and the pool of blood under his feet came from somewhere behind him.


    Whoever was after Jimo was his brother, Dimo. It was for him that Jimo got his scar. Jimo didn''t look back, not because he didn''t want to, he couldn''t, he was afraid to confirm his younger brother''s death.


    "Dimo..." Jimo called in a shaky voice. "H-hey! Dimo, talk to me, man!"


    "He can''t. He''s headless." Athena said disinterestedly. "But if you insisted on talking to him... [Army of the Dead]"


    Athena used her new skill and half of her mana left her body and traveled to her decapitated body. The body and head were engulfed by a mass of colorless energy, and in Dimo''s place, a skeleton appeared.


    "W-what is this?"


    "Jimo, Dimo ??h-is...!"


    Jimo''s two companions shivered at the sight of what Dimo ??had become.


    Dimo had become a skeleton of dark bones and wore a torn priest''s robe, a cleric''s scepter and gave off a dark aura from his body, that was miama.


    In the crowd there were several reactions, disgust, surprise, anger and others, but the most important was Athena''s reaction.


    Athena wore an expression of disgust toward the undead she created. She had an idea it would be something like that, but she still hated it.


    "I... I''ll wait over there... Kill it and then I''ll be back..." Athena said as she sheathed her sword.


    "You...You...Bastard!" Jimo said and ran to Athena.


    Athena wore her new armor, but she didn''t wear her helmet, so Jimo aimed to hit her in the head with his sword.


    When the sword passed her face level, Athena ducked, causing her hair to whip in the air and be cut in place.


    "Didn''t I say kill that before it came to me?" Athena grumbled as she looked at the ends of her hair.


    "You killed my brother and turned him into a zombie!"


    "Huh? No, that''s a lich at best!"


    "You will pay for this!" Jimo said and brought the blade down hard on Athena.


    Athena in turn stopped the blade with her forearm and punched Jimo in the jaw. Or that''s what should have happened.


    Athena''s fist went right in front of Jimo''s face as the man fell lifeless to the ground.


    The lich-Dimo attacked his brother''s back with a miasma ball and this quickly intoxicated Jimo, killing him in the process.


    The lich gritted its teeth as if commemorating its first victim, at least that was the impression Athena got when she looked at that skull with no eyes or lines of expression.


    ''Hitkill? This thing is too p.'' Athena thought as she gaped at the lich.


    "Ah! Aaaaah!" Jimo''s two companions who were still alive ran through the crowd and disappeared somewhere.


    In the end that was it, Athena couldn''t actually test her full strength, but had gotten some important information about one of her skills.


    She could only create a maximum of one dead soldier with her current mana when using [Army of the Dead]. This skill spent half her mana to summon an undead, that is, for Athena this was a useless skill.


    Athena looked at the skeleton still kicking Jimo''s body and felt revulsion. After what she''d faced with the pirates, she didn''t want to deal with the undead again.


    "I won." Athena said to the crowd.


    People were still stunned by what happened. They wondered if Athena was a necromantic, but then came her skill with the sword, she couldn''t be a necromantic being a skilled swordsman.


    "I won!" Athena yelled, drawing the crowd''s attention and then a cheering shout from Yrio and Hein.


    "Yrio, we are rich!" Hein said hugging the man''s neck.


    "Let''s go to every auction house we find the stone of spiritual fire!" Yrio said and rolled with Hein.


    On that day many people went bankrupt and others became slaves to pay their debts and they all started to hate Athena.


    ***


    The next day, after saying goodbye to the innkeeper and getting scolded by the city elders, and having to pay a stupidly high fine for letting an undead run loose around the city, Athena and Lunnia were ready to continue their journey.


    "Anyway let''s goˇ­" Athena said.


    Lunnia held onto Achilles'' saddle and her expression was that of someone who was suffering from extreme pain.


    "What was it?"


    "Hangover..." Lunnia replied in a low voice.


    Athena laughed and helped her mount Kima and joined her on the lion.


    "Let''s go this way. You can sleep some more." Athena hugged Lunnia from behind and held onto Kima''s saddle support. "Achilles, follow us closely!"


    Achilles snorted and whinnied with envy at Kima and the lion looked down on the horse. They were the headache of the poor boy who ran the ''Old Fox'' stables.


    In an alley nearby, a group of people watched Athena take off.


    "What do you think?" A man asked.


    "I still don''t know what she is. No, I really can''t tell." A woman replied.


    "Like this?" A boy asked.


    "Her mana has no shape. It''s like just a colorless mass of energy, it''s similar to that of the marshal and emperor, but different." The woman replied.


    "And what are we going to do, captain?" the boy asked.


    "Let''s follow her. We have to confirm what she is, and then try to recruit her orˇ­" The man replied and misshapen wings spread out on his back and also took flight.


    ***


    Athena and Lunnia traveled for half a day at an easy speed and they could already see the heavenly ranges of Alauri.


    The place got its name from the constant golden light that illuminates the mountain tops and the angelic shadows that the harpies caused.


    "Why don''t we go upstairs at once?" Lunnia asked as she gathered dry branches to light a fire.


    "I don''t have my spells anymore, I don''t know what can go wrong and I don''t know my new skills. Going during the day is safer." Athena responded by taking off Achilles'' saddle.


    Athena wanted to find out what skills she did before flying to the mountain ranges and the forest at the foot of the mountains was the perfect place for that.


    The place was infested with man-eating creatures and according to the owner of ''Old Fox'', there was a real chance of finding a chimera in the place.


    Athena was anxious.


    Chimeras generally behaved like dragons, only with less intelligence, and guarded valuable treasures. This felt like a divine call to Athena.


    About a hundred yards away, three people landed on the ground and hid in the early evening shadows.


    These people had been following Athena for hours, ever since they saw her fight last afternoon.


    "Horx, are you sure she won''t notice us from this distance?" the woman asked in a worried tone.


    "There''s no way she has such a strong perception in the middle of a sea of ??trees like this." Horx replied.


    "If she did, she would be a monster and not a person." The boy said.


    "Den, we don''t know what she is yet." Horx snapped as he sat in a tangle of roots.


    "That''s true, but what if she really isn''t human?"


    "What else could she be?"


    "I dunno... A demon?"


    "Do you really think the demons would let someone like her walk around alone?"


    "The demon lords do this all the time and often alone..."


    "Anyway, Vitia, have you managed to identify what her mana is?"


    "Likeˇ­all I know is she has more mana than you Den." Vitia said, Horx and Den stared at her with concern.


    Den was their leader and he was a wizard, if Athena had more mana than a wizard, people''s suspicions at the time of the duel would prove true and Athena was a swordsman necromantic.


    Later, when Lunnia was already in a deep soni, Athena rose from her bed, took one of the freshly placed branches, and entered the woods as stealthily as possible.


    Before she even left the clearing, you could hear wolves, owls, bats, the rustle of leaves on the trees with their terrified little night rodents and the wind whistling in hollow trunks like flutes.


    It was a dark and dark place that would make any child cry.


    The moons shone in the sky, but they barely lit the place, and Athena plunged into that darkness with only a torch and a sword in her hand.


    She walked for ten minutes and then she was alone somewhere in the woods. With each step, the noise of leaves and branches crunching under her feet grew louder until they and the gust of wind were the only things to be heard besides her heartbeat.


    Athena closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the crisp, icy night air, and tried to hear what else was in that silence.


    When Athena detected breathing and then footprints to her right, she opened her eyes and they were no longer green.


    Her black pupils were of a darkness even denser than the darkness of the woods, and the dire wolf that intended to make Athena her hunt died without even taking any action.


    Den and his companions watching the scene from afar were stunned in surprise and then Athena disappeared from their field of vision, leaving only the torch behind.


    "Where did she go?" Horx asked.


    "I, I don''t know! She was there now!" Vitia said and then something jumped from one tree to another.


    "She knows we are here." Horx said and pulled his sword from its scabbard.


    Den prepared a force shield around them, covering them with a pale blue half-bubble, and Vitia drew her daggers.


    And then like a shape, something hit the force shield, flashed the bubble where it had been hit, and Horx saw white armor.


    "Why is she attacking us?"


    Vitia tried to follow Athena with her eyes, ears, and Slayer awareness, but it was as if Aten was covered in a cloak that hid her in the night.


    "Horx, light a torch!"


    "Tsk! What the hell is going on?"


    "I do not know." Den said and reinforced the shield. "But I know she sees us as enemies."


    Horx lit the torch so they could see.


    Athena jumped from tree to tree covered in an aura so black that her armor looked more gray than white and her hair looked like conscious blades, cutting through everything that crossed her path.


    "But what? She''s a demon!" Vitia screamed.


    "Have you ever seen a demon like that?" Horx said through gritted teeth.


    Den was about to say something when Athena attacked coming face to face with the woman and saw her face.


    Athena had eyes black as the abyss, lifeless and smiling as if she were taking the greatest pleasure of her entire life.


    In the instant that Den looked into Athena''s eyes, he felt as if her life force was being expelled from her body, and then Athena jumped again and the boy caught his breath.


    "S-she''s not a demon.. Demons don''t have so much fun!" Den said with a bitter smile.

 Chapter 31 - For Anemus - Dark Night 2/2

    Something changed the moment Athena opened her eyes again.


    She was trapped in a place without distinction.


    It wasn''t dark, but it wasn''t light either, it had no floor or ceiling, but she could get up and walk, there was no sound at the same time it was noisy and in the middle of that nothingness and everything, a colorless silhouette.


    *I didn''t use anything to write this.*


    The silhouette was going somewhere, coming towards her as Athena chased her in place and then the silhouette disappeared and in its place a door appeared.


    The door of iron or wood, perhaps stone, was cold and heavy, light and big or small. Athena went to the door or the door went to Athena and when she opened it...


    ***


    "What do you mean? You mean she''s doing this for fun, Den?" Horx asked as he tried to keep up with Athena''s figures.


    "I think so. Vitia, can you see her?"


    "I can!"


    "Think you can stop her for a few seconds?"


    Vitia clenched her fists around the hilt of her daggers and tried to simulate in her mind what would happen.


    "M-maybe for tenˇ­no, five seconds?"


    "I''ll undo the shield. Don''t look her in the eye! Horx, as soon as Vitia stops her, attack with everything you''ve got!"


    "Don''t you look her in the eye? Are we fighting a lamia or basilisk?"


    "No, it''s worse. Those eyes can kill you... Ready?"


    Vitia and Horx gritted their teeth, Horx dropped the torch and then the shield was gone.


    Just as Athena came towards them, Vitia jumped and they met in midair.


    Right there, in the air, Vitia kicked Athena in the abdomen, but Athena defended with her knee and the two landed.


    Athena advanced on Vitia, still keeping her smile of pure pleasure, but stopped midway where Horx slashed with his sword.


    Horx gave Athena a nervous smile without meeting her eyes. He was sure his attack had hit the woman, but a lock of hair covered in a black aura defended the attack and Horx''s sword began to crack.


    "What the fuck is this?" Horx said and dodged a sword thrust from Athena that passed in front of her blue eyes.


    Den, who was behind Vitia and Horx, finished casting his magic and streams of light wrapped around Athena''s legs and arms.


    "I seized her!" Den celebrated.


    "What now? Do we kill her?" Vitia asked without taking her eyes off Athena.


    Den looked at Athena who showed no resistance to the chains. She actually seemed to be quite interested in magic.


    "No... She''ll calm down now. That way we can talk."


    Horx examined his sword, where it had been cracked and there he saw that the blade looked like it was old and worn. However, this sword was new, practically newly forged in Juefu. Horx wondered what would happen if he was the one to be touched by ''that'' and a shiver ran down his back.


    As the three discussed what to do, they listened to the rattle of Athena''s armor, until everything fell into an uncomfortable silence.


    They looked at Athena and the woman was just standing there with her head down, her sword in her hand.


    "W-what is she doing?" Den asked in a thin voice.


    Athena looked like one of those ghosts that appear under trees in horror stories and Den''s childish heart wasn''t prepared for those things even though he was already used to the killing of a war.


    "I don''t know and I don''t want to go near her to find out." Horx said this and Athena slowly raised her face...


    ***


    ''What the hell is this place?'' Athena asked.


    Passing through the door, Athena saw a place that had form, light, floor, and maybe even a ceiling. She couldn''t be sure.


    When she looked up, she saw a dark immensity.


    ''This place is you.'' A voice answered.


    The voice was young and feminine.


    ''Is this place me? So what is that place?'' Ateba said and pointed to nothing.


    The door had disappeared as if it had never been there.


    ''Fufufufu... That place is me. At the moment I am in you, although I cannot see you and neither can you see me.''


    ''Who are you?''


    ''I''m someone you''ve been ignored...'' The voice sounded resentful. ''You even tried to throw my gift away.''


    ''Your gift?''


    ''Are you going to play dumb now? I gave you the Reaper class and you tried to change classes... Didn''t you get an education in the other world?''


    ''Do you know I came from another world? Not! Wait, that''s not important right now! If you gave me this class and the other, does that mean you are Death?'' Athena squealed in irritation.


    ''Ding, ding, ding! Correct!'' Death responded excitedly.


    ''If this place I am and you are in me, it means that you are controlling my body. Give me back my body and give me back my spells!''


    ''Auh! I don''t want to leave now... You''re the one who called me. And I''m not returning those dirty things to you. It was corrupting your soul, you would end up in the demon world if you continued like that and I hate demons because their souls don''t come to me!''


    Athena calmed down upon hearing the explanation and without thinking too much, she sat down and a chair formed under her.


    ''What kind of god has that much free time? And why would it matter if I became a demon?''


    ''Fufufu... Gods always have too much time. Even I''m the busiest, I have plenty of time to do nothing.''


    ''That doesn''t answer my other question...''


    ''Ah! I want to meet you...''


    ''Nice to meet you, Death, my name is Athena. I was forced to be a death knight and now I am your captive.'' Athena said, full of cynicism and with a forced smile. ''Now can you return my body?''


    ''...''


    ''Hey!''


    ''Ah! I''m leaving, your mana is running out... Using the body of others is very inconvenient if the person is weak. Wait a little longer.''


    ''Huh? Hey! Wait!''


    ***


    Death looked at the three people and smiled.


    "I don''t have a lot of time. So I''ll seal this first since she doesn''t want me to take her body again and then put this here and also this..."


    The three people looking at Athena were beginning to doubt her mental health.


    Den took a step in front of Horx and Vitia. He was still scared of Athena, but the moment she started to speak, he figured she''d come to her sense, but...


    This happened when Den tried to say something.


    "[Erase]" Death said and the chains holding her disappeared as if they were a lie and she advanced on Den with a smile of pure ecstasy.


    Vitia and Horx saw Athena''s long sword come towards Den''s neck and as fast as they could, protected him.


    Vitia prepared to stop the sword with her daggers, but Horx got between Den and Athena.


    "Horx!" Den screamed as he saw Athena''s sword cut through the man''s armor and into his flesh.


    Horx spat blood but held the blade in both hands.


    "Prince, we cannot recruit this. She is too dangerous! Blasts us with your strongest magic!"


    "No! Horx, I can heal you!"


    "Prince!" Horx screamed and Den''s eyes filled with tears.


    "Okay, I..."


    "That...Thank you, my prince." Horx smiled.


    Den began to cast a spell and Horx felt the sword being pulled, gripped it tighter and then laughed happily when he saw a purple light cover Athena and him.


    When the light faded, Horx was still standing and feeling the sword in his body. He opened his eyes and saw the angry faces of Den and Vitia.


    "Huh? I..." Horx looked around and the forest was untouched. "I don''t... You don''t... Huh?"


    "I trapped her in stronger restraining magic." Den explained.


    Athena was trapped in a dark purple dome in the same position as she was trying to pull Horx''s sword. One foot on the man''s back and the whole body thrown back as if she was trying too hard to pull her weapon.


    "Stay still, I''ll heal little by little while we take the sword out of you." Den said.


    Inside the dome, Death began to move again and Vitia, who was watching over her, urged Deb and Horx on.


    Den healed and Horx backed away from the blade in accordance with the healing and when it was nearly complete, they heard Athena''s voice filled with power.


    "[Eradication]"


    Vitia''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at what she saw.


    An Slayer has two properties, the most important of which is survival. During training he learns to survive by instinct and if it were possible, the second priority should be followed, that. it was to keep his master''s safety.


    Underneath Athena''s feet the ground began to die and turn to sand, the magic and mana around her also began to dissipate as if they never existed.


    Vitia ran to Den without explaining anything. She felt she had to run away and couldn''t run or carry Horx who was twice her size.


    She grabbed Den, passed him out in an instant.


    "Run Horx! I forgot everything and run as far as you can!"


    "Huh?!"


    "Run!!!!!" Vitia screamed without looking back as she dodged a tree here and there.


    By the time Horx started running, it was too late.


    As if that place were never part of a wood, everything within twenty meters around Athena turned to sand as if it were the most common thing to happen.


    Vitia fell to the ground next to Den. She cried aloud and Athena fainted on that sandbar.


    ***


    Far away, in the midst of a mana storm in the tallest tower of Gion''s castle, Anemus was in critical condition.


    Gion was doing his best to keep the nymph alive while praying that Athena would return quickly.

 Chapter 32 - For Anemus - No Time 1/2

    Three days ago.


    Emissaries from Elsna knocked on the door of Gion Castle.


    "The Emperor is not well and said that only you, Saint Gion, could save him." They said and Gion went with them.


    In Gion''s absence, the fear of approaching the castle that the desert monsters had, disappeared.


    On the first night without Gion, they could hear the roars and squawks of monsters surrounding the castle, but nothing happened.


    On the second day without Gion, the monsters got braver and started to scale the outer walls of the castle, being knocked down by the golems.


    That night the monsters started to invade the castle and the golems did their best to stop them, but it wasn''t enough.


    The monsters made their way into the castle as if something called to them and they destroyed more than half of Gion''s golems in a short time.


    In an attempt to keep Foti¨˘ safe, Anemus stayed on the stairs, between the monsters and the entrance to the wing where the higher rooms were.


    Anemus did her best. When Gion returned on the morning of the third day, he followed a trail of shattered monsters to the room where Athena was staying, and found Anemus standing in the doorway maintaining a wind-shredding barrier.


    The nymph was covered in sweat and blood, her red cheeks and forehead showed her fervor and in her face the clear exhaustion showed how much she had struggled and her eyes showed how much pain she was feeling.


    Behind Anemus, Neu and Eun who had less mana than even a normal person tried to keep a barrier on the porch and windows.


    "Y-you tookˇ­" Anemus said with a crooked smile and passed out at Gion''s feet.


    Gion was going to bend down to check on Anemus'' situation, but felt the nymph''s mana flow change and then ran to protect Foti¨˘ and the others when an energy explosion occurred.


    ***


    Vitia laid Den at the foot of a tree and walked back to Athena. Her slow steps sink into the sand that makes a dry sound.


    The moons illuminated well the new clearing that was created there and from where Vitia was it was possible to see Athena lying on the ground.


    The Slayer wields her daggers and her steps get faster and firmer until she finds herself running towards Athena.


    On her face there was only hatred and grief as she faced Athena who was sleeping peacefully on the sand. Just as Vitia was about to slit Athena''s neck, a black shield resembling a dragon''s face appeared in front of her and blocked her attack.


    "I don''t know what''s going on, but you won''t hurt my friend." Lunnia said.


    The knight emanated a strong murderous aura, making Vitia instinctively put distance between them.


    While Vitia looked at Lunnia without looking anywhere else, Kima fell from the sky on her, but Vitia dodged at the last second.


    Amidst the dust that appeared at her landing, Kima flew again and then saw from above another person lying down and like a diving eagle, the grimera flew towards the boy.


    Seeing the direction the animal was flying, Vitia''s eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed.


    "Not!" Vitia screamed and ran to Den.


    But Kima was faster and the sand didn''t make it easier for Vitia to get around.


    Kima landed brutally in the sand above Den, caught the boy in his mouth and turned to Vitia with a menacing look.


    "He won''t kill the boy." Lunnia said. "As long as you don''t try anything against his master."


    "You keep getting mixed up and don''t even save what happened here. Get out of my way, I have to kill this woman to avenge Horx and for the sake of the rest of the world!"


    Lunnia sheathed her sword and fastened her shield to her waist, not caring what Vitia said.


    "Very noble, but she is one of the few friends I have." Lunnia laughed at the thought of Vitia''s words. "If she decides to destroy the world, all I would do at the very least is watch."


    "You don''t know what you''re talking about. I don''t know what she is, but she has to die!"


    "Umhum! Kima, bring the boy." After that Lunnia whistled, calling for Achilles, and then looked back at Vitia. "If you manage to kill her in a fair fight, I won''t say anything. Otherwise, I will kill even this child out of revenge."


    After that, in the camp of Athena and Lunnia. Lunnia laid Athena on the bed beside the fire and Kima kept Den close to him.


    Lunnia sat on a log, away from Athena and the fire, with Vitia in front of her. Both women were serious and were studying each other.


    Lunnia studied Vitia''s body and every movement with her eyes.


    From the short, dark brown hair to the black boots with silver toe.


    Vitia was a pretty girl with pink lips and very dark blue eyes and a slim yet muscular body.


    She was dressed in light blue gray leather armor with metal plates over her breasts, black shorts and tall boots with small metal plates in strategic parts.


    She moved like she was an Assassin, looking for where to hide and looking which way the wind was, but her breath gave her away, making Lunnia come to a conclusion as she looked at the girl''s mana.


    "You are a Slayer, aren''t you?"


    "How do you know?" Vitia asked. His wide eyes showed his fear.


    "That''s rare... What was the reason for abandoning Assassin''s path? Your breathing is too fast and your mana is practically all converted into martial energy, and you have too many muscles..."


    They kept talking inane things while keeping their eyes on each other all the time until dawn.


    When Athena woke up, her head ached like she had a hangover. She got to her feet, sputtering to death, and walked to a bush behind Kima, taking off her armor on the way.


    After doing her morning chores, not minding Vitia''s presence, Athena sat beside Lunnia, in front of a new fire.


    "He slept well?" Lunnia asked and handed Athena a mug of something black.


    "Hm? Coffee?"


    "You do not like?"


    "I love coffee!" Athena said and Lunnia smiled. "Who is this and the kid inside Kima''s mouth?


    Lunnia looked at Athena with concern and Vitia looked at Athena with anger.


    "You don''t remember?" Both asked in different tones.


    "Huh? Did something happen while Death was in my body?"


    ***


    "...And this is what happened." Vitia said. Her eyes showed suspicion in Athena''s words.


    Athena made a complicated expression. Not because of Horx''s death, but because it wasn''t her and now she was taking the blame.


    "Well... do what, eh? I wasn''t the one who killed your friend, it was Death itself, the goddess I''m currently imprisoned with. Lunnia, I need to go upstairs, are you coming?" Athena pointed to the mountain ranges.


    "Yes." Lunnia immediately lectured.


    "Wh- Are you going to pretend this isn''t your problem?" Vitia was outraged.


    Athena looked at the girl with a stagnant expression.


    "I won''t pretend. It''s not my problem. You guys who were following us, this is all your fault. Now if you want to get back at me for something I didn''t do, I won''t hold back and I''ll kill you without any remorse."


    As soon as Athena said this, Vitia placed her hands on the hilts of her daggers at her waist. Athena just turned her back on him and started walking towards Kima.


    "Kima, drop this."


    Kima threw Den to the ground and got to her feet, purring loudly for Athena to brush her mane, but the woman just threw the cell onto his back and tightened the support straps.


    Vitia, seeing Athena''s disregard for everything that happened, could no longer stand her fury and thirst for revenge and ran with her daggers in hand, towards Athena.


    Athena turned to the girl and drew her sword which was still smeared with Horx''s blood. Out of respect for what she''d said earlier, Athena didn''t attack first and waited.


    Vitia looked deep into Athena''s serious eyes and began to use her skills.


    "[Acceleration]" Vitia went faster than Athena could see.


    Athena took three steps forward and remembering the descriptions provided to her by Vitia herself, Athena also used her skill as soon as Vitia appeared in front of her.


    "[Death Aura]"


    Vitia had dilated pupils and saw everything as if the world had slowed down.


    When she saw a black veil cover Athena, Vitia struck twenty-four times in a single strike.


    Lunnia watched everything from the side, just as she had promised.


    Athena didn''t move, but there she had the noise of metal clashing against each other.


    Vitia''s attacks were all defended by Athena''s hair. Vitia complained and Athena smiled.


    "Interesting, this skill works as a buff for speed, defense and attack..." Athena said with a smile that she was falling apart and turning into a nuisance. "This is a cheater..."


    "Hah!? What are you talking about while fighting me?!" Vitia yelled.


    "Eh? Ah! Don''t bother with me. Go on." Athena said, calling Vitia closer.


    "Do not underestimate me!"


    "Impress me!"


    Vitia approached Athena in the blink of an eye and landed another twenty-five blows and this time Athena defended with her sword, dodged and retaliated with a punch which Vitia parried and spun in the air using Athena''s arm for support.


    Before Vitia landed on the ground and started running again, Athena stuck her sword in the ground and used [Hew].


    The ground, with the exception of where Athena was standing, split and split into hundreds of boulders of churned earth, raising dense dust.


    The moment Vitia stepped on the soft and destroyed ground, the girl''s foot turned in a strange way and Vitia fell into a sitting position, in pain.


    "Athena, don''t overdo it." Lunnia screamed from somewhere in that dust.


    "I''ll finish this now." Athena responded and dove into that brown fog, cutting where she passed. "That''s enough girl. I have someone important to meet today."


    Vitia kept silent as she walked away, using the dust-covered curtain to give her pain time to ease.


    Somewhere there, Den woke up coughing from the dust. He didn''t understand what was going on and started calling out for Horx and Vitia, but the one he attracted was Athena who was covered in [Death Aura] like the night before.


    Vitia was crawling anywhere when she heard Den''s scream of terror.


    "Den!"


    "V-Vitia! She''s here!"


    "Den!" Vitia screamed and ran towards where Den''s voice was coming from, forgetting the pain. "Den, where are you?"


    "Hereˇ­" Athena said, appearing behind Vitia. "That''s enough. I really enjoyed playing your little game and everything, but I gotta go." Athena said and threw Den into the girl''s arms and disappeared into the dust cloud again.


    "Den! Are you okay?"


    "Y-yesˇ­Where''s Horx?"


    In the sky, Athena and Lunnia flew towards the edges of the mountains.


    "Are you sure you won''t kill her?" Lunnia asked remembering what Athena had said to Vitia.


    Athena shrugged and laughed. "I''m in a good mood, that''s all it takes and my Anemus will be fine."


    "So let''s go get what''s needed and get back as soon as possible."


    The hardest part of this ''ingredient gathering'' was facing dozens of harpies at once, but they had a catch-and-run plan.


    Athena and Lunnia attracted the harpies and using a rope, they captured a harpy by the wings and kidnapped it away from the band that followed them for some time and gave up.


    Harpies had a song that bewitched people and lured them to death and thus gained food for their cubs, but that song, like the mermaids'' songs, only works on men.


    That day Athena had another confirmation that she was a woman and decided to accept this fact once and for all.


    After drawing the harpy''s blood and waiting for Lunnia to draw materials from the carcass, the two women sent their mounts flying restlessly for eighteen hours straight at speeds they had never run before.


    But all this haste was only to find Gion Castle surrounded by six tornadoes that curved into the castle, indicating its origin.

 Chapter 33 - For Anemus - No Time 2/2 - Final

    "But what the hell is going on here?"


    Athena couldn''t understand... No. She didn''t want to understand what was going on.


    The moment she saw tornadoes in the distance in the desert, she knew what was happening.


    Athena was beginning to think about what to do and also the worst possibilities, which made her heart shrink and her face darken.


    "Athena, what do we do?" Lunnia asked seeing the expression on Athena''s face.


    "Iˇ­" Athena looked at Lunnia. "I don''t know... First, let''s land."


    Lunnia followed Athena to the ground and saw the woman leave Kima behind and walk toward the tornadoes.


    "What are you planning on doing?"


    "They''re there, Lunnia. They need me!"


    "Yes! They do! But if you go there like that, you''re going to die!"


    "So what do I do?"


    "That girl said you used a skill that negates the skill or magic of others when Death was in your body..."


    "But that was Death, I don''t have that skill, all Iˇ­" Athena''s eyes widened and a small smile formed on Athena''s lips. "There''s a way for us to know what''s going on there!"


    Athena sat on the cold sand of the desert night and focused on Foti¨˘ to establish a mental link with the nymph.


    ***


    Inside the castle, Gion maintained two protective barriers. One to protect Neu, Eun and Foti¨˘ and the other to prevent the wind elementals from merging with Anemus.


    ''These bastards are taking advantage that she is fragile to try to take her body. Glad she was strong enough to hold out until I arrived. But now what to do?''


    Gion rearranged his thoughts and rummaged through his memories about this kind of problem, but nothing came to mind.


    It had only been five hundred years since he started helping the nymphs and during the age of the immortals, when the nymphs were as strong as their masters, it never happened and after that, no nymph reached that stage.


    Seeing Anemus suffer so much, Gion considered killing the nymph, but then he thought of Athena and how she would never forgive him.


    "Argh!!! Ytria, what am I supposed to do?" Gion muttered through his teeth.


    Gion was strong enough to get rid of the elementals if he abandoned Anemus, Foti¨˘ and their servants, but then it would make no sense.


    When he saw no choice but to kill Anemus, he heard hope resurface in Foti¨˘.


    "Mommy? Mommy is you?" Foti¨˘ asked, looking anywhere with a huge smile. "Foti¨˘ is fine. Gion is protecting Foti¨˘! But Mom, Anemus is sick." Foti¨˘ made a saddened expression. "Anemus protected Foti¨˘ from a lot of monsters and now she seems to be in a lot of pain. Mommy, help Anemus?"


    "Foti¨˘, are you talking to Athena?"


    "Hm!" Foti¨˘ nodded to Gion.


    "Tell her to get rid of these tornadoes, they are monsters who want Anemus'' body!"


    "Mommy, Gion said the wind monsters want to catch Anemus!" Foti¨˘ said in an agitated way, without explaining too much.


    ***


    Athena smiled, relieved that Gion was protecting them and rose from where he was with hatred directed at the elementals.


    "Lunnia, how can we kill elementals?"


    "No, but I know how to sever their connection to the material world."


    "Great! Explain it to me on the way." Athena said, drew her sword and started running towards the castle.


    "First..."


    Running after her, Lunnia explained in minute detail and breathlessly lagged behind.


    Athena ran with all her strength. The strong wind and sand made the task more arduous, but Athena didn''t mind.


    The wind was so strong that it lifted huge boulders and pieces of ancient city walls to impressive heights.


    Seeing this as a form of locomotion, Athena used [Death Aura] and jumped on a boulder and from that one jumped on a higher one and jumped on another.


    However, before reaching her new floor, Athena was pulled closer and flung into the air.


    She was at a height she had only reached when she was on Kima''s back. From above she could see the center where the six elementals met inside the castle and also their entire cylindrical body.


    "Where is it...?"


    Athens was not worried about the fall. In fact, she didn''t have time to worry about falling. Hers were focused on finding the nuclei of elementals.


    "Where?"


    Athena was about to be thrown again when she saw something glowing green inside one of the elementals.


    Athena smiled defiantly as she found the core, but then again she was flung into the sky without any resistance.


    Athena snorted and writhed in the air desperately, in an attempt to straighten her stance, and then she felt something catch her waist and begin to take her down.


    Athena looked down at her abdomen and saw Kima''s huge, white, furry paws. He was exhausted from the trip, but it was his duty to make Athena fly.


    Kima dove at an absurd speed, giving more thrusts with her wings and throwing Athena into the tornado.


    With her sword drawn, Athena passed through the core that looked like a fairy or something that was a fairy.


    A body about eight inches long, without an arm and without a head, served as a receptacle for the elemental''s essence.


    "[Hew]"


    The instant Athena went through it, feeling disgusted and more hateful to the elementals, she cut it off and turned it into nothing.


    At that moment, the essence that was inside the body was also pulverized and the energy contained in it exploded, throwing Athena away.


    Athena hit the sand hard and rolled over a hundred yards. She broke nothing, but her organs couldn''t withstand the force of the impact.


    When she stopped rolling, blood gushed from every orifice. Athena felt suffocated, desperately trying to get her helmet and breastplate off her armor, but the lack of oxygen makes this action almost impossible.


    Athena''s bloody eyes were almost out of focus when she saw the silhouette of a panting Lunnia.


    "Athena! What were you thinking? I told you to put the essence aside and just destroy the receptacle!"


    Lunnia took off Athena''s helmet and armor, letting her breathe as she lay on her side.


    "You don''t... Corgh! Said the receptacle was a fairy... Corgh!" Athena complained. Her voice was scratchy and choked with blood she spat out with every cough.


    "My mistake. [Healing Hands] this isn''t going to be very effective because... Well, you know, I''m part demon..."


    Lunnia snorted the words as if she mocked the requirements of magic and Athena laughed as she felt her organs return to places they should never have left.


    After some time there, lying down, receiving treatment, Athena faced the starry sky and had an idea.


    "Lunnia, what was the area hit by the skill that killed one of those people in the mountain ranges?"


    "I think around 125m in circumference... Why?"


    "Do you think you can reach Gion and the others inside the castle?" Athena rose, putting aside her armor and helmet.


    "I think yes."


    "Then I need to stay away." Athena said and tied her hair into a ponytail. "Kima!!"


    "Like this?" Lunnia asked, Athena smiled and jumped on Kima''s back.


    From a distance, Lunnia understood what Athena intended to do.


    Athena flew away from the remaining elementals, landed about twenty meters from the things, and sent Kima back to Lunnia.


    As soon as she found herself alone, Athena drew her sword and took aim at two of the closest elementals and roared her skill with a voice full of power.


    "[Eradication]!!!!"


    The energy of the mana used ran from her arms towards the blue-gray sword which had been dull until then and which now glowed intensely and released all that energy into the elementals that had disappeared silently.


    Athena''s heart seemed about to explode with speed and a wide smile spread across the woman''s face.


    In reaction to the disappearance of three of them, the remaining elementals stopped attacking the castle and turned to Athena.


    That would be a source of despair for anyone, but Athena was even more elated to see what was happening.


    As Athena celebrated with leaps of joy, at having taken the elementals'' attention of Anemus to herself, the elementals merged into one another and became a giant humanoid wind being.


    Athena faced the giant coming towards her and ran to the other direction still under the effect of [Death Aura], making the elemental follow her until it no longer affects the castle and its surroundings.


    The fight didn''t last long. In fact, there wasn''t even a fight. It was a unilateral victory for Athena, who using her new skill, simply made the elemental disappear.


    Athena ran back to the castle, climbed what was left of the stairs and entered the bedroom door while shouting the names of Anemus and Foti¨˘.


    Foti¨˘ ran into Athena''s arms while Gion laid Anemus on what was left of the bed.


    "How is she?" Athena asked. She smoothed Anemus'' sweaty greenish-blond hair, noticing her high fever.


    "You can''t see her mana?" Gion snapped. "Give me the harpy blood!"


    Anemus'' mana felt like a torrent of lava and blades and it made her writhe and moan in pain. She was feeling her blood melting her organs as the air from her lungs shredded her from the inside out.


    Blood ran from her nose, eyes and ears and blisters and cuts appeared on her skin.


    Gion mixed the ingredients without any kindness or care, at this point all Anemus needed was to survive, they didn''t have time for a refined potion.


    After grinding and mixing everything, Gion blew all the dirt from the room with wind magic and drew with fire magic a magic circle twenty feet in circumference.


    In the circle he had drawn the three moons forming a triangle, with the sun as the guide and seventeen symbols and words forming and ensuring their existence.


    Athena laid Anemus naked in the middle of the circle as carefully as if she were dealing with fragile crystals.


    "Now make her drink the potion." Gion said as he blew the rest of the bedroom ceiling somewhere to bathe Anemus in moonlight.


    Neu handed Athena the wooden bowl of a pinkish liquid that had the texture almost like goo and smelled worse than it looked, making Athena scowl at the liquid.


    Athena lifted Anemus'' head carefully and drained the potion into the nymph''s mouth, but she didn''t swallow.


    Athena waited to see if she reacted to the taste and when Anemus turned her face and spat out the liquid, Athena lifted Anemus'' head again and whispered in her ear.


    "This is the first and last order I give you as your master. Swallow the potion, Anemus."


    Athena put the potion in her mouth and transferred it to Anemus'' mouth in a kiss and so they stayed until Anemus swallowed.


    "She would be very happy if you did this when she wakes up." Gion commented when Athena walked away from the circle.


    "Begins!" Athena ordered impatiently.


    Gion slammed his staff to the ground, making a sound hard and loud enough for Lunnia to hear outside the castle, and activated the circle that glowed blue, yellow, red and then green as the man chanted.


    "Darga etu saero yirm negh lerk..."


    Every word Gion uttered had power and that power went straight to Anemus'' body that began to arch on the ground as her skin glowed and changed color.


    "Saero dum erb aqw!"


    The chant came to an end, Anemus was now floating in the air and her body glowed a smoky green light.


    Her voice sounded more mature in her moans, which sounded more like sleepy complaints than someone in pain.


    When the light went out, Anemus was sleeping on the floor in a fetal position and three pairs of yellow-green wings grew from her back. Her greenish-blond hair was much longer, her face and body was that of a girl of fifteen or seventeen, and when she opened her eyes, they were the same emerald green as Athena''s.


    Athena and Foti¨˘ hugged and caressed the girl, who didn''t seem to understand what was happening.


    "Thank you! Thank you!" Athena said, her voice filled with relief and affection. "You got it!" Athena looked at Gion, who was turned away.


    "Th-of course I got it! Hmph!" Gion responded with shyness and arrogance mixed in his voice.


    "Anemus are you alright?" Athena asked, examining the nymph''s body.


    Anemus covered her breasts and closed her legs in shame at her nakedness and looked at Athena.


    Anemus thought that if she got older, her feelings for Athena would disappear, but on the contrary, Anemus loved Athena even more. More than she could keep.


    "Athenaˇ­" Anemus'' voice was soft and clear.


    Athena looked into the girl''s eyes, she was smiling genuinely, full of happiness.


    Anemus didn''t look away.


    "Iˇ­" Anemus pursed his lips.


    "Hm? You?" Athena asked tilting her head.


    "I love you...."

 Chapter 34 - Faith And Crown

    Serien ran to her room as she ordered preparations for her journey to the empire.


    Her goal was only one, to bring Athena to her side.


    Serien knew that the ceasefire with Elsna''s empire would only be a short lull before the terror of war resumes and his people suffer again.


    She needed an attacking force that would lead them to victory and she saw it in Athena.


    A saint was something rare and would certainly have a power that would rival any army if it were well trained.


    In the world, there were only three saints, at least that was common knowledge. Sigma''s Gion, Nimo Fog and Veta, the marshal of the empire.


    Athena''s existence was like a divine gift to Serien.


    If Basilica had a saint to be her strength, never again would the empire or any other nation want to step foot on a battlefield against them.


    Serien hurriedly packed her bags with the help of the servants, but as she was leaving through the temple gates, she came across holy knights, knights of the king and behind her a carriage with bars.


    "What''s the meaning of this? What are you doing gathered in front of the temple like that?"


    Followed by servants carrying suitcases, Serien hurried down the steps and ordered her suitcases loaded into her carriage.


    "Whatever it is, I don''t have time. I''m going on a trip."


    A middle-aged man dressed in a white and gold tunic stepped forward, standing out from the others.


    "No. The princess will go nowhere but to Basilian." The man said in his rough voice.


    Serien looked at the man, who looked like he would break in any strong wind because of his thinness, and sighed.


    "And by what authority do you intend to do this?"


    The man looked back with a stern look as if Serien were just a rebellious girl and then nodded to the knights who soon moved.


    "With the authority of His Majesty the King and His Holiness the High Priest. I, Bishop Theo, will take Princess Serien Aust Basilica into custody on the charge of betraying the faith and the kingdom."


    "Huh? What do you mean? When did I betray the faith and the kingdom? And what high priest is this? I am the high priestess of the temple of light!" Serien complained as knights surrounded her. "Get your hands off me! I need to go after Saint Athena!"


    "Princess, I advise you to come without resistance, for your own good. We don''t want to harm a kingdom resource that has saved so many lives." Bishop Theo said as Serien was locked in the carriage that had bars on the door and windows.


    ***


    In the royal palace at Basilian, Serien was brought to her knees in the throne room, in front of the king and other nobles and temple grandees.


    Serien had messy hair, rumpled garments, and big, deep dark circles under his eyes. Her face was pale, with dry, chapped lips.


    The king had the same sunken eyes and dark circles under his eyes, but on his face it wasn''t exactly weariness, it was mourning.


    Since the day she allowed the execution of her son, the king could not sleep and since the day the queen committed suicide, there was no night that the king did not cry.


    "Princess Serien..." The king''s voice was breathless and cavernous. "Do you know why you''re here today?"


    Serien looked at her father the same way she always did. A girl looking for her father''s love.


    "N-no. I don''t know, my father." Serien said in a husky voice.


    The king sighed heavily at Serien''s response.


    "You were accused of treason against the faith by taking the side of a servant of the goddess of destruction, and for that you were deposed from the position of high priestess by allowing the murder of eight people. All of them were soldiers of the kingdom. becoming a traitor to the kingdom."


    Upon hearing her father''s accusations, confusion took over Serien''s mind and fixed on her expressions.


    "B-but I''ve already explained all thisˇ­" Serien muttered.


    None of it made sense to her, let alone to most of the nobles there, since worshiping the goddess of destruction was no crime.


    She was trying to understand everything that was going on when she heard an unpleasant voice.


    "Your majesty, don''t be so hard on her. By getting involved with an evil worshiper, she had her mind corrupted. It''s sad that by that fact, the first prince died, but that doesn''t mean Sister Serien''s soul have no salvation." She said a nasal voice.


    That voice belonged to Poston, a man dressed in a white robe with a large gold star embroidered on his chest.


    Serien hated him, just as other young girls in the temple hated him.


    "Poston!" Serien had pure revulsion on her face as she spoke the man''s name. "This is all your doing, isn''t it?!"


    "Pfft! How could I, a simple servant of the goddess Lhia, do something like that?" Poston walked to stand between Serien and the king. "I''m just doing my job as the new high priest of the temple of light."


    "I don''t know what Poston told you, Dad, but I didn''t do anything and I''m sure if I talk to Saint Athena-"


    "''Saint''? How can you call a heretic a saint?" Poston snorted.


    "And since when do saints follow any religion or god?" Serien asked mockingly. "Saint Gion is a druid who lives in a desert, saint Nimo is a woman who lives in community with her people, saint Lanar died a man who hated the gods and his heir, saint Veta is a cold and cruel man who banished the faith and hunted the believers throughout the empire."


    "These are all heretics!" Poston yelled.


    "Their heresy doesn''t change the fact that they are saints!" Serien yelled back.


    "Enough!" Shouted the king to both of them. "Serien, is that all you have to say in your defense?"


    Father and daughter face each other.


    In her father''s eyes, Serien could see the indifference the man felt for her and it crushed her heart.


    "It will change anything for you?" A lump rose in Serien''s throat and her scratchy voice showed her sadness.


    "Faith and the crown have come in a fitting punishment." The king said as if in a sigh. "Serien, in addition to being deposed from your position as High Priestess, you will be imprisoned in the temple for your entire life and will only leave when your powers are needed."


    "I''ll not.!"


    "Huh?"


    "I will not be arrested in the temple! Not with Poston as highpriest!" Serien said and then almost mockingly she continued. "And why would I use my powers for you?"


    Everyone in the throne room had expressions twisted in confusion, indignation, anger and disgust.


    When she became a member of the temple, Serien took a vow to use her powers for the people and they didn''t expect her to break her vows.


    "Besidesˇ­" Serien continued with a cold look. "If I am arrested in the temple, all they will have is my corpse."


    "You''re bluffing!" Poston doubted it.


    Serien chuckled and when everyone was looking, she stuck her tongue out and bit down with all her might.


    At that point the king ordered the clerics to heal her quickly, saving her life but not regenerating her tongue.


    Serien concentrated and a great golden circle filled the place, healing all the old and new diseases and injuries the people there might have.


    "I''m not going back to the temple!" Serien repeated.


    Poston ground his teeth in anger. That power was what he wanted and it was because of him that Serien took the place that should be his.


    If he could control Serien, that power would be like his own and that''s why he learned dark magic.


    "{Your majesty of hers, we cannot be held hostage by this heretic. We must place her under a mental restraint spell!}" Poston said and every word of it contained power directed at the king.


    He hoped his mind control magic would affect the king so he wouldn''t just have the temple, mad the entire kingdom.


    That was his mistake.


    The crown shared power with faith only by good will, but kings always had their ways of dealing with the high priests and one of them was the crown that had been passed down for generations from before the age of the immortals.


    Poston''s magic didn''t even have any effect on the king. That''s because the caster was incompetent and the magic didn''t exert even three-tenths of its ability and the crown simply devoured Poston''s words.


    The king rose and glared at Poston.


    "For attacking a member of the royal family and more, your king, I sentence you to death, High Priest Poston."


    Poston''s eyes widened and the king''s knights drew their swords.


    "Y-Your Majesty, what are you talking about?"


    "You know what I''m talking about. You tried to bewitch me!" The king growled. "Kill at once!"


    Poston ran to the left of the room, where the temple members were standing with two holy knights, and hid behind the two armored men.


    "P-protect me!" Poston said and the knights placed themselves between the temple members and the king''s knights.


    It was two holy knights against the king''s ten knights. It was obvious who had the advantage, and Poston wasted no time waiting to see the battle unfold.


    "From now on I, the high priest of the temple of light, unseat King Rerian Aust Basilica and charge him with heresy and crime against the faith! And with the rightful king, Hure Aust Basilica, dead, faith must take the kingdom until may the next king be born under faith!"


    When he finished speaking, the blood of the holy knights was already running down the floor of the throne room and then a glow occurred and Poston and the other members of the temple disappeared, leaving the place in disarray.


    Meanwhile, Athena had her head filled with Anemus'' sudden confession of love, unaware that a war was about to break out over her actions in Reiden.

 Chapter 35 - The Pain Of Truth And The Weight Of Love

    Did not take too long.


    After returning to the temple with a warp spell, Poston summoned the paladins, holy knights, clerics and the worst organization attached to the temple, the Divine Swords that were scattered throughout the realm.


    In comparison, the king was slow to summon his troops, and when he did, few attended.


    With the high-ranking members of the temple under Poston''s control, the lie spread quickly and the people were poisoned against the royal family and Serien.


    ***


    A week had passed since Anemus confessed to Athena and still hadn''t received an answer.


    However, Anemus did not move away from Athena, it was Athena who did.


    Every time they ended up alone in one place, Athena made some excuse to leave first.


    To run away.


    Athena didn''t know what to make of Anemus'' confession. She remembered Luana''s vows of love as a hateful ghost and the word "love" just seemed like a horror story to her.


    She knew that Anemus and Luana had nothing to do with, she knew the worlds were different, but that hurt that had permeated her soul for millennia in that empty space was still there, burning painfully.


    "How long do you intend to keep this up?" Gion asked as sit beside Athena on the castle''s new terrace.


    Athena stared out into the desert nothingness with a bitter expression that contorted her beautiful face.


    "Gion..."


    "??"


    "I hate love." Athena said with a cold look. "But..."


    The moment Athena said this, Gion''s eyes opened wide and his face fell into pure sadness until he heard the "but".


    "But...?"


    "I''ve been dead for so long and spent so much time being eaten away by a hatred of someone that I don''t even know if it''s still alive..."


    Athena spoke in a way that was beginning to sound strange to Gion.


    The story she told was that when she was Hades, she did a spell to reincarnate and then something went wrong and he ended up in another world, in that world he lived like Arthur and when he died he reincarnated in the body he had prepared and become Athena.


    But now Athena spoke as if she had only lived one life and she spoke in a way that referred to herself as a man, unlike what she had been doing since they met at the oasis.


    "Athena, who really are you?" Gion looked at Athena with a suspicious look.


    Athena smiled lonely.


    "I do not know."


    ***


    Mount Urken was an arid and hostile place on the northeast edge of the Sigma Desert.


    Even from natural hazards like basilisks, giant lions and shadow wolves, this place was also home to a clan of mercenaries called the ''War Vultures''.


    "Den, are you sure about this?"


    "We have no choice, Vitia. If we go back within Veta''s range, we will die. Especially now that we no longer have the Horx."


    "Horx..."


    Den Tamurian Elsna Sixth, the imperial prince of the Elsna empire died at the hands of rebels who tried to assassinate the emperor.


    This was the new truth that the marshal, saint Veta, told the emperor and the empire when he failed to kill the prince and let him escape.


    Den, an eleven-year-old boy, fled along with his most faithful subordinates to save his own life. In the beginning they were more than twenty people and over the course of a year they all died in different situations, until only Vitia and Horx were left.


    "Horx''s death was my fault. We shouldn''t have gone near that woman." Den said with a bitter expression.


    "One day I''ll get revenge on that thing!" Vitua swore.


    The two people stopped in front of a rusty colored stone wall. On this wall, a large black door carved with vultures devouring a soldier''s corpse.


    ***


    Anemus carried a silver tray with a tea set to serve Athena and Gion, but stopped when she heard Gion''s question.


    "Athena, who really are you?"


    Anemus'' pupils dilated and his heart sped up as his hearing became even more attentive to Athena''s calm, pained voice.


    "I don''t know. I just accepted things as they are and have been living that way for the past two months." Athena smiled unknowingly as she said this.


    "What do you mean by that?" Anemus manifested her presence with a troubled expression and a trembling voice.


    The nymph began to wonder if everything they had lived so far, if all that was a lie.


    But even afraid of the answer, she had to know the truth.


    Anemus put the tray on the table and returned to face Athena who was looking at Anemus with a strange mixture of fear, shame, affection and respect for Anemus.


    "Anemus..."


    "I''ll let you guys talk." Gion said as he got up. "For now, just listen to what she has to say." Gion advised Anemus and disappeared inside the door.


    "Anemus, Iˇ­" Athena turned her face away, pursing her trembling lips.


    "You lied to me?"


    "Huh? N-no... Mmm... in parts."


    Athena took a deep breath and motioned for the nymph to take the chair across the table, but Anemus didn''t move.


    "Please?" Athena begged.


    "Are you going to tell me everything?"


    "I don''t know if you''ll believe..."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "...And that''s it. I don''t know what, who or why I was called into this world and I don''t know who I really should be."


    After hearing the whole story from Arthur and not Hades or Athena, Anemus'' face was pale.


    "Th-so, is this world a game?"


    "No, I don''t think so. I think it''s a world and the game is the same but different. I can''t explain it... The game can be a copy of this world."


    "And everything I lived with hades was something you decided?"


    "..."


    Athena had no words to answer Anemus'' questions as she seemed to be choking on something impossible to swallow.


    "Iˇ­I need time to digest all this."


    "Anemus..."


    "Athena... No. Arthur? Sorry. Please, leave me alone."


    After that Athena told everything to Gion and Lunnia. Both were shocked, impressed and intrigued.


    Gion asked about the entity to whom the voice belonged and about dark space and came up with various theories about such things until Athena agreed with her hypotheses.


    Lunnia wanted to know more about the history, religion, culture and politics of Athena''s old world and the questions just piled up on both sides.


    The days passed and now it was Anemus who avoided Athena.


    Athena can only thank Anemus for not having said anything to Foti¨˘. But even so, Anemus didn''t look at Athena.


    ***


    One night, weeks after having had that conversation with Anemus, Athena prepared to leave.


    "Take care of them until I get back." Athena told Lunnia. "Thank you for remaining my friend even after what I said." The two women embraced.


    "Are you sure about that?" Gion asked.


    "I have." Athena said in a sadly determined smile. "I''ll get to know who I am now and come back."


    "Try to go to the temple of all the gods in Ethers. There you will be able to talk to Death."


    "Thanks." Athena said and then took a red stone from the [Dimensional Bag]. "When Foti¨˘ is ready, give it to her."


    "Athena, are you sure you don''t want to take Kima or Achilles?" Lunnia asked.


    "I have." Athena looked up at the starry sky, deciding her fate. "I''ll be going. See you later."


    ***


    .


    ..


    ...


    ....


    .....


    ...


    In a castle in the middle of a desert that was once a freshwater sea. Where also once existed a submerged realm known as ''Sigma'', three girls were preparing for a journey.


    A beautiful and imposing knight in black armor and blue hair, beside a brave and faithful white pegasus.


    A beautiful girl riding a white grimera. Her long reddish-black hair was arranged in a long braid and she wore under a red overcoat, brown pants, black boots and a white cotton shirt.


    And finally, a beautiful and elegant girl with long greenish-blond hair that blew in the wind. She wore a dark blue tunic embroidered in gold and silver, and from her back, three pairs of wings of greenish-yellow feathers spread.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to wait a little longer?"


    "I''ve waited for three years..." The girl smiled sadly. "Whether out of fear or.... Anyway, thanks for everything Gion."

 Chapter 36 - Unholy War - Part 1 - A New Friend

    It had been two months since the beginning of the war and the kingdom was bathed in blood and thrown into chaos.


    The king ordered to hunt and kill everyone directly related to the tenplo and destroy everything that belonged to them while on the battlefields soldiers and more soldiers died.


    While all of this was going on, Serien was still locked in her old room, now willingly, ignoring her father''s requests, the king, to go to the battlefields.


    "Are you really not going to help your people?"


    Serien''s gaze was that of someone who had lost everything.


    She knew that people were dying every second on the battlefields and she also knew that the kingdom was falling into the hands of the temple of light, but she had no desire to help.


    "..."


    "You are the princess of this kingdom. You are my daughter, you have a duty to help them!" The king shouted.


    "Kuh.."


    "What''s the fun?"


    "Now I''m your daughter..." Serien looked at the father she now resented more than she loved. "When I was being wrongly accused of treason, I was just the high priestess."


    The king shifted his gaze to the hallway.


    "Just as Hure was just a prince when you branded him a traitor."


    "I didn''t branded him as a traitor. You were there, you know."


    "..."


    "Now you shut up. It was always like that when you were supposed to be by my side. That''s when the queen decided to hand me over to the temple and..." Serien felt her hurt slipping away and fell silent in a sigh. "If you just came to ask me to go to the battlefields, leave."


    ***


    Meanwhile, away from there, Athena arrived at the immense gates of Tarna, capital of Elsna.


    The city was surrounded by walls that were absurdly high and long as far as the eye could see. Furthermore, the city was located in a fertile and verdant land with dense forests and wide plains.


    Athena had spent half the day in line to enter the city and was now facing two giants guarding the gates.


    "Giants working for humans?"


    "It''s your first time in Tarna? They''re not giants, they''re troll hybrids. See the long furry ears?" Said the person behind Athena.


    When she turned to face the person, the person was a small creature, no more than the height of Athena''s breasts.


    The boy with hair the color of fire and tousled alike, had pink cheeks painted with freckles and big blue eyes and a big smile.


    However, what was most striking about the boy was his immense baggage on his back and his fuzzy, flapping tail like a fox tail.


    "You''re...?" Athena had a confused look on her face.


    That was another race that didn''t exist in the game and despite his tail, he wasn''t a beastman, he didn''t have animal ears, claws or fangs.


    "I''m Samy, I''m a kindred." Samy smiled widely as he introduced himself.


    Athena looked at the boy with great curiosity.


    "Ah! I''m Athena... (I think...) and I''m... I''m human." Athena smiled awkwardly. "I''ve never heard of kindred people. What are the characteristics? You know? So I don''t be rude to meet more of your people."


    "We are naturally very strong, we stop aging at a certain point and we have some animal part in our body." Samy explained thoughtfully while counting on his fingers. "Ah! We can be either a girl or a boy, depending on the mood."


    "How interesting. Where do you live? Now I want to see what your culture is like."


    "We usually live in villages. For example, my village is four days'' walk west from here."


    "Did you walk here for four days?"


    Athena and Samy followed the line talking and entered the city that way. It was as if the two were old friends who met by chance.


    Tarna was how Athena remembered from the game.


    A great city with architecture resembling ancient Rome in its splendour, but for Athena, a great stone labyrinth.


    "Athena, what are you doing in Tarna?" Samy asked as he chewed a piece of meat from some roasted bird.


    "I don''t know yet..."


    "How is?" Samy looked at Athena''s outfit. "Perhaps..."


    "What?"


    Samy stood up in his chair and bent over the table until his face was close to Athena''s.


    The boy looked from side to side suspiciously and asked.


    "Are you one of those women?"


    "What women?" Athena smirked.


    "You know! Those women who follow men to wars..."


    Athena tilted her head to the side with a wry expression of confusion, making Samy sigh in resignation.


    "Whores." The boy said hiding his mouth with his hands in a cone shape.


    "What? Of course not!" Athena denied with an outraged expression.


    "No, well... Sorry, it''s just that you''re not carrying a backpack, so you can''t be a merchant and you don''t have armor or sword, so you can''t be a warrior." Samy took a sip of his drink that looked like grape wine. "It''s the way you are dressed..."


    Athena looked down at her garments. It were with a long, black dress with a subtle cleavage at the bust and black leather boots with metal toe and heel.


    "I could be a magician..."


    "Not without a tunic and an orb, scepter or staff." Samy denied it.


    "Sorceress?"


    "You could, but then you would have some draconic mark on your body as a way to demonstrate your contract with a dragon." Samy looked at Athena defiantly. "You do not have it."


    "Are you a merchant or a scholar?" Athena complained as she crossed her arms.


    "A merchant needs to know a little bit about everything." Samy said with eyes closed and a greasy finger raised.


    "Hm... Then I''ll help you with your knowledge." Athena smirked. "I''m a high-human, so I can use magic freely without a channeler even if I''m not a sorcerer."


    After hearing this, Samy had his mouth and eyes open wide and then came an expression of fright, disbelief, pondering and then understanding.


    Athena watched the boy enthusiastically as if he were a comedian as she finished her lunch or perhaps dinner.


    "It''s possible." Samy concluded with determination.


    "Are you going to believe that?" Athena asked with an amused smile.


    "I have no evidence to contradict you. For now I will accept that as the truth."


    "Hmˇ­" Athena looked at Samy, but not at him actually.


    She wished Anemus had accepted everything she said the same way Samy had and felt lonely.


    After finishing eating, Athena and Samy walked around the city so that Athena memorized the important points like the library, the mages'' tower, the bank, the mercenary and merchant guild, the inn where they rented rooms and stores with interesting items.


    "Thanks, Samy. You were a hand on the wheel today." Athena said excitedly.


    "Hand on the wheel? What does that mean?"


    "That you were a great help."


    "Cool! Hands on the wheel... Is that an high human saying?"


    "Can be." Athena laughed.


    They walked calmly towards the inn they were staying. The avenue was still busy despite being late at night.


    There were men and women of different races in armor and assorted attire drinking and celebrating in noisy taverns.


    Typical food stalls from the region and also from other places, permeated the path with the smell of appetizing and doubtful food.


    It also had the dark, troubled alleys that looked inviting to thieves, rapists, and murderers.


    But none of that mattered.


    All Athena thought about was taking a hot bath and sleeping, but...


    As said before, the streets were lively and groups came and went all the time and when Athena and Samy passed in front of a tavern lazily as a group left the place.


    "Hey! Get out of the way!" Said a man, no, a boy a little smaller than Athena.


    Athena looked at the boy, smirked and ignored him as continued walking lazily with Samy.


    "Hey! What was that smirk?" The boy closed Athena''s path with an enraged look.


    "Klad, what are you doing?"


    A purple-haired girl grabbed the boy''s arm, pulling him to the side, but the boy shook his arm, freeing himself from the girl''s hands.


    Athena looked at the boy and her group and remembered something she hated in the light novels she read.


    The boy was the typical harem protagonist in ''isekai'' stories. Black hair, sharp eyes, of medium height and accompanied by girls of different races as if they were collectible characters.


    "Tsk!" Athena clicked her tongue and sidestepped the boy. "Samy, what kinds of spells are there in the tower?"


    "There are all kinds." Samy said shyly as he looked at the boy named Klad.


    "Even spellsˇ­" Suddenly Athena felt a rush of mana down her back. "Ah~... Don''t do that boy."


    As soon as Athena said this, Klad attacked with his sword gleaming with an anticipated skill.


    Athena quickly took her unsheathed sword from the [Dimensional Bag] and blocked the sword after erasing Klad''s skill and then hit the boy in the face with her knee.


    The girls in Klad''s group ran to help the boy who fell backwards to the ground with Athena looking down on him.


    "Boy, you shouldn''t sell fights with people you know nothing about just to impress your girls." Athena pointed her sword at Klad''s neck. "What will you do if someone who is stronger than you, buy it?"


    "Not!" The purple-haired girl said and stepped in front of Athena, almost cutting herself. "Klad just has a tough temper. He didn''t mean to."


    Athena looked at the girl''s startled expression and then looked at the other four who had varied expressions and then backed away.


    "Thank your girls, Klad." Athena said as she threw her sword back in the air. "Well I''m in a good mood today because I made an interesting friend." She smiled at Samy and started walking away with the kindred.


    "So you''re a warriorˇ­" Samy commented.


    "I am not."

 Chapter 37 - Unholy War - Part 2 - Intercession

    *Now I''m going to use ( ) for thoughts instead of '' ''. I hope it gets better that way.*


    ----------------------------------------


    The next day, at the restaurant of a charming inn called ''Fairy Rest'', a group had breakfast quietly.


    "What was that woman?"


    The only boy in the group complained as he massaged his already healed nose.


    Seeing this, one of the girls in the group, a hyena-type beastman, held back a laugh that forced its way through her mouth.


    "Pfft"


    "What are you laughing at Mifa?"


    "Pffffffffft!!!! Wahahahahaha! You didn''t stand a chance against her!!"


    "K-Klad wasn''t okay yesterday..." Shyly said the half elf.


    "Don''t console him, Sura. He was completely defeated last night." Said the draconian firmly.


    "I agree with you, Mhia." Said the purple-haired human girl. "He shouldn''t go out there wanting to fight everyone."


    "Who are you on whose side?" Klad complained.


    "Can you guys speak lower?" Complained the pale girl.


    "Yes, keep it down. I''m not a morning person today..." Athena said from the other table.


    People looked at Athena and Samy at the other table with surprise stamped on their faces.


    Seeing Athena, Klad stood up, slamming his hand on the table hard enough to shake the dishes and overturn the bread baskets.


    "So you''re staying here too..." Klad stared at Athena''s back, who didn''t turn around.


    Athena took another sip of her juice, ignoring the boy. Athena had rolled over half the night without being able to sleep.


    It had been nearly two weeks since she''d run away to find herself, and missing Anemus and Foti¨˘ made her mind roar and her heart restless.


    But Klad didn''t know that, and even seeing the woman downcast, he didn''t care. The boy didn''t accept last night''s defeat and wanted a rematch.


    "Hey! Are you going to ignore me?" Klad put a hand on Athena''s shoulder.


    "Athena, don''t mind him." Samy said upon seeing Athena''s scary expression.


    "Stay out of this, dwarf!"


    "Huh? I''m not a dwarf!" Samy protested with his arms up.


    Athena set her glass down on the table calmly.


    "I''m talking to this bitch." Klad glared at Samy. "Stay out of this or I''ll kill you."


    "Klad!" the purple-haired girl complained.


    "[Hew]" Athena said monotonously and placed two fingers on Klad''s wrist, using her nails as razors.


    At that moment blood painted Athena''s hair, shoulder and dress, but the blood was not hers.


    Klad''s hand was still on Athena''s shoulder, but Klad was screaming in pain as his wrist spurted blood all over the place.


    "Samy, I lost my appetite." Athena said looking at her food covered in fresh blood. "I''m going up to my room to clean me up."


    Without waiting for an answer from Samy, Athena stood up calmly as the girls tried to stop Klad''s blood and walked towards the stairs, being stopped by Mifa.


    The restaurant was almost full and seeing Klad''s blood spurt everywhere, they abandoned their plates and walked away from the group, watching from the corners of the place.


    Mifa, who was facing Athena, was a thief and used her claws and fangs as weapons, and at that moment she had her ''weapons'' aimed at Athena.


    "What?" Athena had a cold look as she looked at the girl.


    Beastmen are people with good natural instincts and even without being able to see Athena''s mana, Mifa felt an overwhelming oppression as she looked into Athena''s eyes.


    Mifa recoiled with her ears down and her claws retracted, feeling a fear she had never felt.


    "W-why did you do that?" She screamed the purple-haired girl.


    "K-Killa..."


    Athena looked at the beastman girl and followed her gaze to the purple-haired girl named Killa.


    "Why?'' Do you really need to ask that?"


    Athena looked at Killa the same way she looked at Mifa, but the human wasn''t intimidated.


    "You could just push him away!" Killa had fury on her cute little face.


    Athena looked at Klad who was having his wrist closed by some kind of bloody magic the pale girl was using.


    "Thank me." Athena said as she wiped the blood from her jaw. "Now he''ll think carefully before messing with someone who''s quiet."


    "Who do you think you are?" Mhia complained with blue flames escaping her red lips. "Who do you think you are to do this to Klad?"


    "Hm..."


    Athena thought for a while looking at the wooden ceiling of the place and then looked at the girls with a friendly smile that became tenebrous with all that blood in her body.


    "I am Athena. A knight?" Athena introduced herself and turned toward the stairs again. "So, good bye."


    And just like that they watched Athena disappear upstairs without doing anything.


    Aside from the girls and Klad''s moans of pain, the place didn''t have a noise at all.


    The people there left the place in silence and Samy would do the same if Killa didn''t stop him, wanting revenge on Athena''s friend for what she did to Klad.


    However, Samy was a kindred and making enemy such an abominable creature was a mistake.


    The moment Killa raised her fist, glowing with the use of some attack skill, against Samy, Killa''s entire arm disappeared along with Samy who was in front of the girl.


    "Huh?" Killa looked at his armless right shoulder, not understanding what had happened. "Huh? My arm..."


    The group looked at Killa as if they had seen a haunting.


    One moment the gentle looking boy was standing there in front of Killa, and then in the blink of an eye the boy disappeared, and along with him, Killa''s arm.


    "Aah... Sorry!" Samy said from behind the group. "I only intended to put a curse on your arm so you can never use it again, but you scared me and..."


    With the girl''s bloody arm in his hands, Samy walked back to Killa, who still had a stunned expression on her face.


    Samy returned the girl''s arm and patted her shoulder consolingly.


    Killa had a shallow, pale look on her face just like her party as see Samy walk away.


    The girl wasn''t bleeding, so she wasn''t in danger of her life, but the shock of having her arm amputated in that eerie way left her in a semi-catatonic state.


    Samy look to the group, smile charmingly and then walked away while he wiped his bloodied hands with a handkerchief.


    ***


    In Basilian, the king sent emissaries to all the guilds and legions of mercenaries that were scattered all over the floating islands.


    That''s because the number of soldiers of the kingdom that fell in combat had already surpassed the estimates, while it was not even possible to even see the apex of the war.


    The king visited Serien every day now, but Serien didn''t even respond to his taunts anymore.


    Every day she cried when she heard the news about the death toll and blamed herself, knowing it was lives she could save.


    Serien prayed all the time, asking Lhia or any other god who would hear her cry, that she would send a light to the end of this useless war.


    But she didn''t know that even though the gods could freely interfere in the world, they were just as selfish and greedy as their believers.


    The gods watched everything and saw everything, but they paid no attention to war or wars in the world. They liked to see simple things like the life of a random woman who simply gained the attention of a capricious goddess like Death.


    ***


    After bathing, wearing off her armor, and fastening the belt of her sword sheath around her waist, Athena left the inn, not caring about the weeping and angry vows of revenge that came from the restaurant.


    Athena looked up at the tower that rose majestically in the middle of the city as guards rushed into the inn.


    (I think I''ll buy some spell learning scrolls first...)


    The tower had several layers like a wedding cake and streets that curled into its outer walls, where people who just wanted to buy magical items could find the thousands of stores with millions of items available.


    Athena had already walked two entire floors and it was past noon and she hadn''t found a learning scroll at all.


    She begins to consider the non-existence of such items when she enters a store at the end of the second floor.


    The store had several shelves of scrolls stacked neatly by elements.


    Athena looked at that place marveling at its contents as she walk in it. It felt like magic paradise to her.


    They had spells from the first through the tenth cycle and also quite curious magic items like a forearm that had green runes carved into its bones.


    Athena admired the place when she heard a soft, mellow voice from behind a pile of parchments.


    "Can I help you?"


    "I want ten spells from each cycle." Athena said without looking for the owner of the voice.


    Upon hearing what Athena wanted, the shop owner got surprised and knocked over the pile of parchments that was in front of her.


    "Y-you said what?"


    "I want ten spells from each cycle, that''s a hundred scrolls." Athena said and looked at the attendant.


    To Athena''s surprise, the person speaking to her was not a grown woman but a girl who looked no older than thirteen.


    She wore an open black tunic with a frilly dress underneath, her long, silky, silver hair flowed down her shoulders and back like waterfalls, and her startled eyes were also silver.


    "You... do you know how much this is going to cost?" the girl asked with noticeable suspicion on her face.


    "Congratulations, you will be very rich.." Athena scoffed with a cheerful smile.

 Chapter 38 - Unholy War - Part 3 - Magical Understanding

    The shop owner watched Athena admiring the scrolls on the shelves with a certain suspicion after what the woman said earlier.


    She did the math on a papyrus and her distrust only increased. Athena''s armor showed that she had some resources, but not enough to buy so many scrolls at once.


    "Hey miss, you said you want to buy a hundred scrolls, right?"


    "Ten of each cycle." Athena reconfirmed without looking at the girl.


    The shop owner looked at the papyrus again with calculations of how much this purchase would cost Athena.


    A scroll from the first cycle, which contained beginner spells such as {Fire Lightning} and {Ice Knife}, cost a thousand gold coins, and each cycle the price tripled regardless of the spell contained in the scroll.


    Being a magic user through money was an expensive path to follow, so people who followed this path often learn by study. And because of that, the stores selling learning scrolls like this one were always full of stock.


    The exorbitant value of such a purchase was hard to swallow even though it was exciting to see the seed of so much frustration bearing such tempting fruit.


    "Do you know how much this is going to cost you?"


    "No, but I imagine a few million..." Athena stared at the first cycle shelf and noticed the constant ripple of some sort of barrier. "Is this some protective magic?"


    "Yes." The girl responded monotonously. "It''s to prevent thieves."


    "Hmphˇ­" Athena looked at the barrier with disdain. (But I could easily erase that... Lucky for you I''m not a thief.)


    "Can you tell me what your magical affinities are?"


    Hearing the word ''affinities'', Athena turned and strode to the counter where the shop owner was.


    Athena didn''t remember Anemus ever saying anything about magical affinity and that got her interest because until then she just used magic automatically without any real understanding.


    The formulas were in her mind and that alone was enough to use her spells, but understanding the workings of the world was something Athena also sought.


    "Affinity? What is it?" Athena asked, her eyes gleaming with genuine interest.


    "Huh? You want to buy all these spells and don''t know what magic affinity is?" The girl looked at Athena, incredulous that she got it right.


    "I spent many years isolated." Athena tucked her bangs behind her ear awkwardly. "I knew some spells, but now I can''t use it anymore."


    "And what were these spells?"


    "Dark spells..."


    "Huh? Y-you used d-dark magic?" the girl asked in a shaky voice.


    Dark magic was a vile magic that used demonic energy mixed with mana to conjure devastating effects on the target and it was common knowledge that if someone used dark magic, that someone was hopelessly evil.


    Looking at the girl, Athena saw the terror in her small face and immediately threw her hands in the air.


    "Ah! I won''t do anything to you, I can''t use dark magic anymore. I''m not evil."


    "H-how am I going to be sure d-that?"


    "Hmˇ­Honestly, I don''t know." Athena said with a smirk. "I swear I won''t do anything. Can you explain to me how ordinary magic works?"


    The girl put some distance between Athena and her and then took a deep breath to calm herself.


    "Okay, but don''t get out of there, yeah..."


    "Athena. Just Athena."


    "I''m Naphe Hisagh."


    "Death?" Athena tilted her head with an expression of puzzlement.


    "Not ''Naph''! Naphe!" Naphe corrected, accentuating his lips. "Why is it always the same thing when I perform?"


    Naphe walked to a short ladder and climbed the structure until he reached a web-covered shelf.


    "I can''t believe I have to teach after so many yearsˇ­" Naphe complained as he opened an old parchment that contained diagrams of magic cycles.


    After stretching the fully open parchment across the counter, Naphe began explaining from the first spell cycle to the tenth cycle and the special spells that couldn''t be classified.


    A spell is a magical effect that distorts reality with the use of mana and fills it with an effect desired by its caster.


    Casting a spell, the caster who does not have the formula engraved in his mind by a learning scroll, be he wizard, sorcerer, witch, cleric, elementarist, bard or druid, that caster will have to complete some processes before acquiring the effect that wish of the mana.


    The caster will have to carefully harvest invisible strands of the raw mana that fills the world, molding them while mixing with his own mana transformed into an elemental trigger.


    Then creating a pattern specifically required by the spell you wish to cast, warping reality, then releasing them to trigger the desired effect.


    "... And in a few special cases, all in a matter of seconds."


    Athena listened intently to every word and mentally thanked her past self for spending years saving money while causing hell in the lives of ordinary gamers who just wanted to have fun.


    Naphe sighed heavily and Athena noticed that when she did, the girl looked a little older than she looked.


    She rubbed her eyes, thinking she saw something, and then Naphe spoke again and Athena turned to pay attention, forgetting what she saw in seconds.


    "Spells can be versatile tools, weapons or shields..."


    They can deal damage or undo it, impose or remove conditions, drain life energy, like the third cycle dark spell {Dranar}, or heal something considered incurable, like the seventh cycle holy spell {Divine Heal}.


    "...Countless spells have been created over the course of world history."


    Some still remain unknown in old spellbooks, scrolls forgotten in some drawer and in the possession of gods who refuse to teach the world.


    "How I wanted to find one of those spellsˇ­" Naphe said in a pained voice.


    Still others are born with the wisdom or malice of some wizard out there who is delving into the world of magic while.


    Each spell in each cycle has its own element. So beyond cycles, spells are separated by elements such as Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Holy and Dark.


    And as each spell has its element, each person has its own, which indicates their affinity with certain spells. Usually a person will have an affinity with two elements, but there are rare cases where a person can have an affinity with three or more.


    "I, for example, have an affinity for four elements." Naphe said creating a water bubble, a spark of fire, a ball of light and a small tornado in the palm of his hands. "Of course, there are the secondary elements. That joining two primary elements like water and wind to create ice or fire and earth to lava, but that doesn''t matter now." Naphe waved his hands as if she was throwing something away. "Now let''s go to cycles."


    Each spell belongs to a cycle that goes from the first to the tenth.


    The spell cycle is an indicator of how powerful the spell is and how much mana the caster will spend to cast that spell.


    "The higher the spell cycle, the more the caster needs to "pay" to use it. And this is where we enter the caster''s mana levels." Naphe rubbed his temples, frowning. "Anyway we''re done."


    "I''ll pay a little more for the spells as a thank you for the class." Athena smiled persuasively.


    "I will cling to those words." Naphe complained. "Come on. Ah! This part is according to the tower of magic. A person who wants to use magic doesn''t need to follow this to use magic. Well, it''s a way to prevent young people from ''venturing'' unprepared."


    The first cycle caster must have 10 mana level to be recognized by the tower as a mage or any other class and use magic.


    "At 10 mana level, the caster will gain the title for the first cycle. Which is beside the point, as you don''t seem like the type to want titles." Naphe said and Athena nodded.


    A first cycle caster can cast up to ten maga per day without running out of mana entirely.


    "I guess I didn''t say what happens when a person runs out of mana completely, huh?"


    "Didn''t say, but I''ve experienced close to that."


    "Serious?"


    "But now I''m curious. What happens?"


    "It''s not a big deal to worry about. You''ll only die if that happens." Naphe said nonchalantly.


    "Oh sure, it''s no biggie..." Athena snorted with laughter.


    "Let''s continue..."


    Naphe continued the class until the end of the scroll, leaving Athena''s eyes gleaming with excitement as she said she was going to test how much mana she had and her affinity.


    This was a clich¨¦ in the light novels Athena read and she wondered if she would be like the protagonists of those stories that always exceeded the limit of the meter and made it explode.


    "Here it is." Naphe placed a colorless metal sphere on the counter. "That''s the meter. You just need to touch it and nothing else, don''t inject mana on it!" Naphe warned as she dusted off the object with the long sleeve of her tunic. "After you touch it, it will glow in order in the colors of the elements you have affinity and will show a number that is your mana level. Remembering that the mana level is not the exact amount."


    After Naphe finished cleaning and gave permission for the test, Athena placed her hand on the sphere and after ten seconds, which Athena counted impatiently, the sphere began to glow.


    First it glowed red, representing fire, then blue for water, then yellow for earth and green for wind.


    Naphe was slack-jawed as if he had a broken jaw, impressed to find another person with four elements, but then her surprise grew.


    The sphere continued to glow, but the color was blurred and fluctuated between white, black, and then a pale, smoky gray.


    A lifeless color that Naphe had never seen before.


    Surprised by the fifth element, Nasphe looked at Athena and saw the displeased expression on her face.


    The moment she saw the color, Athena sulked.


    That was the color of Death, she was painted that color and it made her angry. She didn''t know what this weird goddess really wanted and this color reminded her that she needed to go to her who-knows-where to talk to this goddess.


    Athena was automatically in a bad mood.


    "What''s up? It''s a new element, shouldn''t you be happy?" Naphe asked not understanding the reason for such a bad mood.


    "No. And you wouldn''t be either if you knew who that color belongs to."


    "Huh? Who?"


    Athena leaned over the counter and approached the curious Naphe''s ear.


    "I''m not telling." Athena said with a boyish smile. "What about my mana level? Now I want to know what cycle I can cast spells for."


    "Put your hand on the sphere again." Naphe said, and now she was the one sulking. "Stingy."


    Athena laughed and placed her hand on the sphere again making it repeat the previous effects and then the number 68.


    "Sixty-eight?" Athena tilted her head in dissatisfaction. "Not long ago I could cast up to the fifth cycle twice a day..."


    "And are you able to cast up to sixth, almost reaching seventh? Do you have any idea of ??your growth? If you could cast two fifth cycle spells a short time ago, it means you were at level 40 at most." Naphe stunned after screaming. "Ah! I''m tired of dealing with you..."


    "Well...whatever, it doesn''t change my plans. I want ten scrolls from each cycle. It can leave unclassified spells out.." Athena said and Naphe practically melted on the counter.

 Chapter 39 - Unholy War - Part 4 - Troubled Mind And War View

    Naphe collected the scrolls Athena picked from the shelves while complaining about Athena''s mana level.


    "How does someone so young have such a high level of mana?"


    "Hm... I don''t know, how old would a normal person be at that level? Ah! I''ll want the meteor one."


    "Usually? That would be around seventy... How about this one?"


    "Stopping time? I don''t need that. This must take a lot of mana to keep time down."


    Athena was sitting on the counter as she watched Naphe pick up the scrolls. She tried to see through the magic that covered Naphe without having to rely on [Erase].


    "You know that all of this is going to make almost 20 million gold coins, don''t you?" Naphe asked as she walked down the stairs.


    "I''ll give you forty if you undo the magic that''s covering you." Athena provoked.


    Naphe froze for milliseconds at the sound of Athena''s proposal and then let a breath escape her lips.


    "So you noticed..."


    "Well, it must be hard to maintain a spell like that..." Athena jumped down from the balcony, making her armor jingle loudly.


    "Not so much." Naphe placed the scrolls where Athena was, and then when she turned to Athena, the girl disappeared.


    In the place where the little girl was, an exuberant and sensual magician appeared.


    The red dress that fit young Naphe perfectly, was just a babydoll dress on this new Naphe, stretching to hide her big breasts.


    Her long silver hair fell to the floor, her eyelashes were long and made her eyes even more attractive.


    "Satisfied?" Naphe asked, her voice soft and husky, leaving the whole set like a bomb of sensuality.


    Athena looked at Naphe with a bewitched smile.


    Naphe was a woman in her forties, so beautiful and sensual it would make any man or woman go wild.


    "Why do you turn into a brat when you''re so cute?" Athena asked as she approached like a lioness surrounding her prey.


    "Because people always look at me the same way you''re looking at me now." Naphe said in a low voice.


    Athena licked her lips and then nibbled at them. Her heavy breathing and racing heart increased her body temperature and she felt something wet trickle down her thighs.


    "After all, what are you?" Athena asked, trying to hold on.


    "I''m an undine. An elf variation with a strong natural charm that bewitches people." Naphe showed her ears which were the size of human ears but pointed.


    Seeing Naphe''s white neck, Athena advanced on the woman, backing her against the counter.


    Naphe looked like she wanted to say something, but all that came out of her mouth were moans caused by the hickeys Athena gave her neck, making her roll her eyes with the excitement that made the heat of the place rise.


    "Th-this is your faultˇ­" Athena whispered in Naphe''s ear as she licked next to his knuckles.


    "Ah... H-how is that... Hgrnph... my c-f-blame..." Naphe moaned loudly as Athena stroked between her legs.


    "I didn''t know youˇ­" Athena growled at the thought of Anemus. "[Erase]!" Athena screamed as she threw herself away from Naphe.


    A wave of energy shot from Athena and hit Naphe, but it didn''t erase her charm, it only weakened it.


    Athena was panting as if she''d just come back to the surface after diving for too long, and Naphe fanned herself with a papyrus and massaged her scarred neck.


    "S-shifts back. The charm d-hasn''t been erased, it''s still getting to me." Athena said through her teeth.


    "W-what was that?" Naphe asked as she tried to concentrate.


    "It''s a skill. I won''t say more than that." Athena said as she took the gauntlet from her left hand.


    The charm of an undine was something powerful against people of either sex and that charm still permeated Athena''s mind even after it was slightly erased.


    The appearance of Anemus in Athena''s mind at that moment was something that saved and hurt Athena. She was starting to feel just as dirty and horrible as Luana, even though she had nothing to do with Anemus.


    Athena had fled Anemus'' confession, hurt the nymph, and then fled again.


    Maybe she was worse than Luana, she was a coward and indecisive with an identity problem?


    No, Athena didn''t accept that thought and dug her nails into her thigh to help resist Naphe''s charm that hadn''t yet returned to her childlike form.


    "Naphe, not yet?"


    "Ten seconds." Naphe said while drawing runes on her palms. "And now... Done! {Jarqwetar}"


    As soon as Naphe returned to her child form, Athena managed to breathe again.


    However, even being free of the charm, Athena was not calm anymore. Her mind was still working against her and her thoughts lingered between Anemus and Luana.


    The pain of being betrayed, the pain of being alone, the pain of betraying someone''s trust. Athena was experiencing all of this and felt a bitter taste on her tongue.


    "Hey, are you alright?" Naphe stared at Athena''s bloodied thigh.


    "Not." Athena said with her head down. "But I''ll stay if you''ll give me a few minutes."


    ***


    "It was a pleasure doing business with you. Check back often." Naphe said as she watched Athena walk down the street in silence.


    In one of the many avenues of Tarna, Athena walked while using one scroll after another, drawing the attention of some magic users who felt a certain envy of what Athena did.


    Athena still felt a little depressed, but felt that this was something necessary for her to find out what she wanted and what she should do.


    Anyway, that was also starting to be put aside for the time being when her stomach started to complain.


    (I think I''ll eat something first...)


    It was long past lunchtime and Athena hadn''t eaten since morning, and the smell of food that came from every tavern she passed whet her appetite.


    Athena walked into some tavern and sat at a table beside a group of armored women in silver armor celebrating something Athena didn''t care about.


    Athena helped herself from the pitcher left under the table, perhaps by the tavernkeeper himself or perhaps by the previous customer, it made no difference, she was thirsty and also with a bitter mouth and wanted to get rid of it.


    She was drinking the red liquid when she heard a deep, loud voice.


    "Your request?"


    Athena looked to the side and saw a crotch covered in dark leather pants and then looked up.


    The man was big on all sides. He had calm black eyes, long straight hair tied back in a ponytail, and his long, thick black beard covered the entire lower part of his face like a mask.


    "Your recommendation?" Athena said, feeling small.


    "The duck is great today." The man said, smiling with his eyes, making Athena relax.


    "Alright, I''ll have the duck." Athena smiled back.


    Seeing the man walk away, miraculously not bumping into anything, Athena took a deep breath and let a tired look out of her mouth and her shoulders loosen their tension.


    At the other table, the women continued to cheer loudly. They talked about the war somewhere in the south and another war somewhere in the northeast and made plans to go to them.


    "Who knew there would be two wars involving religion in two totally different places..."


    The woman with strong defined muscles said excitedly lifting the mug into the air in a sort of celebration.


    "Which one will we go to first?"


    The woman who looked like the youngest of the group asked with a smile that never seemed to go away.


    "We can go to Basilica first since it''s closer and then head northeast."


    The prettiest one said with a serious and decisive face.


    "I hear the king has sent very interesting contracts to many legions and mercenary guilds everywhere."


    The woman with an orange mane for hair said.


    "Did we get one?"


    A woman with very short black hair asked.


    "Yes. We did."


    The woman with a tribal tattoo all over her arm said as she placed a sealed scroll on the table.


    "Ooooh!" All them said.


    "Then it''s decided. We''ll kill the religious rebels in Basilica first and then we''ll go to Ethers and kill some heretics."


    The prettiest woman in the group said with a laugh and Athena who had just received her food turned to the women.


    "Are you going to Ethers?"

 Chapter 40 - Unholy War - Part 5 - Valkyries

    "Yes, we will go to Ethers, but after the war in Basilica." One of the women said, answering Athena''s question.


    "You all are?"


    "We are mercenaries, a legion called the Valkyries. I am Lobana, the leader of this legion arm."


    Lobana was a big woman with toned muscles, honey-colored eyes, red hair, and a radiant, gentle smile.


    "I am Dria." She introduced herself to the woman with a tribal tattoo covering her entire arm.


    Dria had blue-black hair, dark skin, dark blue eyes and reserved features.


    "My name is Nijha." The woman who was always smiling said.


    Nijha had brown hair pulled back in a Victorian bun, eyes covered by a white blindfold, and a mysterious smile that never left her face.


    "Hale here." A woman with an eye patch said as she blows out smoke.


    Hale was fierce looking with a serrated grin and black, catlike eyes and his long, tangles of orange curly hair that looked like a mane.


    "My name is Sahari." Said the prettiest of the group.


    Sahari had long, pale red hair, almost pink, a calm, composed face, serene sparkling purple eyes and delicate thin lips.


    She was the one who behaved more like a lady than a mercenary.


    Finally, the younger one nervously got to her feet and introduced herself as if she were part of a military barracks.


    "I, I, m-my n-name... m-me, K-Kaize, c-call!"


    "Huh?" All the women said in one voice and Kaize cringed in her place.


    Kaize looked no more than fifteen or sixteen and had long wavy hair pulled back in two ponytails and his large eyes were a unique blue-green.


    "My name is Athena." Athena introduced herself with a refreshing laugh.


    "And then, Athena, why did you ask her if we''re going to Ethers?" Lobana asked and took a sip of her frothed drink.


    "I''m on my way to the temple of all the gods and that''s in Ethers. At least that''s what a certain old man told me."


    "Old man? Who?" Dria asked with interest.


    "A friend. The desert druid, Gion."


    "Heh... Someone who knows the desert saint." Lobana said in awe.


    "So can I go with you?"


    Athena took the frothed drink offered by Kaize.


    "But Athena, we will go to Basilica first." Sahari said.


    "I heard you guys say there''s a war there. What''s going on?"


    "Actually, no one really knows." Said Nijha. "Apparently High Priestess Serien was accused of treason on the place of someone using dark magic and she did nothing."


    (Ah! It''s my fault.) Athena thought the moment she heard what Nijha said. "And what happened to her?"


    "Apparently the new high priest tried something stupid and a war broke out, but no one knows what happened to the high priest after that." Hale replied.


    "Hm..." Athena crossed her arms and tilted her head with a thoughtful expression. (It was me who used dark magic and I kind of owe her one...)


    "I think we''ve gained another Valkyrie, girls." Lobana said excitedly.


    "Thanks for accepting me?" Athena said.


    They celebrated for the rest of the day, ending up with more than half of them drunk.


    At nightfall, before parting, Sahari arranged a meeting place with Athena and Athena returned to her inn and one more night she was tormented by her thoughts.


    ***


    In a strange shipport, Athena waited, seated on a wooden box, staring at the ships floating in the air like balloons.


    The harbor was like a square tower with several ships around it, Athena was on the eighth floor of this tower, from where she could see how big the city was.


    However, the size of the city didn''t matter a bit to the woman who only stared at the floating ships with a confused and mesmerized expression.


    (Another thing I didn''t have in the game. Maybe they put it in the game after I stopped playing?


    Stopping to think about Gion she told me... The entity that called me, Death blocked her it seems, but why did she bring me here?


    I have to know that and how Death got into it, she''s the one who will have to answer my questions.)


    Athena was thinking deeply when she heard Lobana''s voice.


    Lobona wasn''t a woman Athena would find pretty, but she had her own charm that was her uplifting charisma.


    "What are you thinking so deeply about?" Lobana asked with a happy smile.


    "These ships... What magic do they use to make them float?"


    "I do not know." Lobana said with her chest puffed out.


    (Is this something to be proud of?)


    "Anyway, we''re leaving. Follow me, our ship is on the other side."


    Athena followed Lobana to the north side of the harbor, where she found a white wooden ship adorned in silver and with the prow of a silver warrior holding a spear to the top of her head.


    The ship had plain and side sails, making it look like the ship had wings and twelve cannons on each side.


    A perfect battleship.


    "Wow!" Athena said, impressed by the architecture.


    "Beautiful is not it?" Lobana said with the same air as Athena. "She is called ''Glory of the Goddess Ertala'', the goddess of war."


    The two women stood there, admiring the ship for a while as workers loaded boxes onto the ship.


    And then Athena and Lobana heard an enraged voice coming from behind them and turned to face this person.


    At the same time, Athena''s face squirmed at the sight of Klad and his girls.


    Klad was still without his hand and a girl was missing from their group, leaving Athena a little disappointed.


    (The girl called Killa isn''t here... Too bad, she was the only sensible one in this group besides the beast-man girl.)


    "Do you have any idea what you caused us?" Klad asked in a voice laced with anger and regret.


    Not only Klad, but the entire group had red and puffy eyes and dark circles under their eyes like they hadn''t slept an hour even last night.


    "Hmˇ­.I have no idea." Athena said innocently.


    "Athena, do you know these brats?" Lobana asked with mild interest in what was going on.


    Athena looked at Lobana with a clean expression and in a monotone voice she denied.


    "I have no idea who they are."


    "How dare you say that after causing Killa that?" Klad asked.


    "What are you..."


    "Yesterday afternoon Killa killed herself because of what your friend did to her!" Klad yelled angrily.


    "Huh?"


    "If it wasn''t enough my hand you took, after you left, your friend took Killa''s arm and..." Klad cried, followed by the girls.


    After the incident at the restaurant, Klad and his group were taken by the city guards for a kind of deposition, but nothing more was accomplished thanks to the empire''s law system where a person had three chances to do something bad without being penalized.


    After that the group looked for healers and clerics to reattach Killa''s arm in place and they all said something about a kindred curse placed on the severed arm and that it would be impossible to reattach the arm to the body.


    They had sought help from the Tower of Magic, but through Klad''s fault, they had been evicted from the place two days before they met Athena.


    Finally, late in the afternoon of the day before, Killa had left a letter on her bed and hanged herself in the inn room.


    In the letter, Killa blamed Klad and cursed her fate of having known and loved him and she blasted her hatred against all kindreds.


    However, it said nothing about Athena. But Klad wanted, no, he needed someone to blame, not just him, the whole group did.


    That someone was Athena, who was oblivious to most of the story.


    "It does not matter anymore." Klad said as he drew his sword. "I will get revenge by killing you and show your head to your friend."


    "Huh? Athena, what did your friend do to him?" Lobana asked not understanding anything.


    "I also want to know..." Athena said, unconcerned. "Boy, if you don''t want to die get out of here. I really wouldn''t want to kill someone that young."


    Despite Athena''s warning, Klad moved forward, but alone. The girls hated and blamed Athena, but they knew and accepted that they were weak.


    Athena sighed and looked at Lobana who simply gave space to the duel with an analytical expression on her face towards the girls.


    "Don''t ignore me!!!" Klad screamed and made a common attack.


    "Heh! Aren''t you going to use skill?" Athena scoffed as she dodged, causing Klad to stumble and nearly fall into the space between the tower and the ship. "Lobana, there''s something I''ve always wanted to do in situations like this."


    "Mmm... And what would it be?"


    "Fight someone weak with a proper weapon. Lend me that dagger from your waist." Athena said with an amused smile. (I''m going to be Miha** and he''s going to be Zo**. I''m so excited.)


    Lobana threw the dagger to Athena not understanding what Athena wanted with such a useless weapon in a sword duel and started to watch Athena fight with the foolish boy.


    Well, if you can call something like that a fight.


    Athena brandished the dagger like a sword and dodged and blocked all of Klad''s attacks with ease.


    "H-how dare you underestimate me!" Klad complained.


    "Ah! Sorry, I don''t have anything smaller than that." Athena said mockingly, making Lobana laugh out loud. (Yay! I managed to say that sentence!)


    Klad gritted his teeth as anger choked in his throat and without saying a word made his sword glow brightly with the flow of mana.


    As soon as they saw what Klad was about to wear, the girls started to protest.


    "No, Klad, you''re going to destroy the harbor if you put so much mana into it!" They said that and other things that were omitted by a sharp metallic sound coming from Klad''s sword.


    "Die!!!!!" Klad yelled as he thrust his sword at Athena who waited.


    "[Erase], [Hew]" Athena said, the light and sound faded and Athena walked by Kled calmly and handed the dagger to Lobana with a smile. "Thanks."


    "What? It''s over?"


    "Yes."


    "But the boy is still- Ah! Forget it."


    As Lobana said, Klad dismantled in pieces of meat while high-pitched screams rang out all over the place along with crying and Athena felt that flow of energy, which she hated, in her body.


    ***


    It hadn''t even been half the day since Athena could see Sigma''s desert in the distance and felt like going to see Anemus, Foti¨˘, Lunnia, Eun, Neu and maybe even Gion, but she pushed that thought away.


    (I''ll come back when I''m whole.)


    Athena thought as she listened to Lobana yell at the late Klad''s old companions, asking them to clean the deck properly.


    "Is this how the Valkyries gain new members?" Athena asked Sahari that she was at the wheel.


    "Sometimes yes, sometimes we adopt and sometimes they are like you."


    "How do I? How do you mean?" Athena asked while tilting her head.


    "Lost, Athena." Sahari said, leaving Athena speechless. "I was like you and I met the Valkyries."


    "Hmph...." Athena looked back to the distant desert and prayed her girls would do well without her.

 Chapter 41 - Unholy War - Part 6 - A Mans Greed

    War is something grotesque in any world. Men and women always go to battlefields with a single goal.


    They don''t want to see their loved ones suffer at the hands of the enemy. It''s always to protect something, someone or yourself.


    If you ask a soldier why he fights, the answer will almost always be the same.


    "I want to protect my family."


    "To protect my loved ones."


    "To protect my home."


    The motif is always beautiful and honorable. It is always the strong desire for peace that moves the soldier, it is always the incessant quest to be the shield of his loved ones.


    They leave their homes, arm themselves, say goodbye to their loved ones, march for something alien to them and die without protecting anything.


    Honor? Let that be for the lords.


    A soldier is not useful for that. All they want is to go home and what keeps him in this sea of ??death is his duty to the people he left at home.


    At least it was supposed to be that way.


    What is a soldier defending in a religious civil war?


    God is?


    No, gods can fight their own wars.


    So what would a soldier be defending in a war between a religion and a kingdom?


    They rise up, armed against their countrymen, their brothers, for what reason?


    The soldier in this type of war does not know the answer to this question. But the answer is always the same, greed.


    No matter the world, greed will always move armies.


    Whether for good or for bad, men and women fought and died in someone''s greed war.


    Those who moved an army for this reason were now the high priest of a religion that preaches peace and salvation.


    Poston was always a greedy man. He came from a bankrupt noble family and turned his back on her to become a servant in the temple of light at age ten.


    His journey was difficult, but he endured it and at the age of thirty he became a bishop. That''s when it all started.


    Poston used his position as bishop to divert donations to a personal fund which he used to rebuild his family and in doing so lived a life of luxury with the excuse that his family had risen.


    The bishop also used his position to ''discipline'' young girls who came to the temple to be servants.


    Poston''s life was perfect until Serien showed up. At first, Poston tried to do the same to Serien as he did to the others, but...


    On the night of the day following the princess''s arrival at the temple, Poston called her into her room.


    "Take off your tunic and kneel down."


    Serien looked at him with lifeless, swollen eyes.


    The young princess had been discarded by her beloved father and her mother had been sold by the queen on charges of theft, she had nothing left and no one else.


    However, she still had her pride and her purpose.


    Serien burned in her heart the promise to find her mother again and win her father''s love no matter how long it took.


    Serien cried a lot on the way to the temple and continued crying when she arrived, she was a child who was separated from her mother and father she just didn''t see her, she cried not to lose her feelings, to remain human.


    And that would keep her strong.


    That child would not bend easily even if he were to be broken in half.


    Serien looked at Poston, a man too thin and wrinkled for his age, and saw the corruption of the temple.


    The young princess was used to seeing men like Poston and being seen by men like him, she would recognize a corrupt one even if he were disguised in the humblest robe.


    "Not." Serien replied in his scratchy voice. "Never, you pervert."


    That night Serien took the first beating of her life and this was repeated several times until she reached the position of priestess after the test of magical affinity and then went to war.


    Poston hated Serien and yearned to have her, but she was moving out of reach of her as she collected prowess on the battlefield, even being called a saint by the people.


    When Serien returned from the war, she was already in a higher position than Poston who had then become an archbishop and had to obey Serien who was then a matriarch.


    Serien was beginning to change the temple from the inside, starting with the low-ranking members of all the churches in the temple of light.


    "Women will be chosen by women and men by men."


    The temple was changing little by little, the corrupt who were proven corrupt were punished according to their sins and Serien tried his best to punish Poston, but he silenced victims and witnesses with various methods and so was never accused or sentenced to anything.


    However, this did not stop Serien from punishing him, with her authority, she barred any promotions or awards that Poston should receive or would come to receive and also closed any loopholes and donation diversion routes that Poston might use.


    Poston had stagnated and even though he was a high-ranking bishop, he barely had authority while Serien quickly climbed up and became the High Priestess, leader of the entire temple of light.


    So all Poston could do was wait. He patiently waited for Serien to make a serious mistake in which he could glue her under her feet and subdue her as he wished.


    A greedy man started a war for revenge against someone he could never subdue.


    Men and women died because of him and all he saw was the real chance to have Serien in his domain.


    With her in her possession, he could even start a war against Elsna''s empire that they would win while Serien had the mana to heal the soldiers.


    At least that''s what he was told.


    At the same time Serien was increasing his fame and prowess in war, Poston was visited by someone, no, something attracted to his corrupt soul.


    This one taught Poston powerful dark spells, promised him fortunes, and encouraged him to continue on his path to a total downfall.


    "All I want in return is for you to get rid of this girl who could be a problem for my future plans."


    That''s what this one told Poston that he agreed without flinching.


    Their plans were moving in the same direction and Poston had a lot to gain if he pleases that.


    A month after the beginning of the war, Basilica''s army was basically composed of mercenaries, from the original army there were only three orders of knights who served the king directly and would only step on the battlefield if the king was.


    Meanwhile, the army of the temple of light was holding strong and advancing towards Basilian after massacring the few troops who fought for the king, nay, for the kingdom.


    From a ship in the sky, Athena and the Valkyries could see the battlefields going farther south and the soldiers marching in their white armor leaving corpses as they passed.


    "This war may be harder than I thought.." Lobana said when she saw the squad on the left wing of the army.

 Chapter 42 - Unholy War - Part 7 - Valkyries And Vultures

    In Basilian''s square, where not so long ago children ran laughing and couples met, hundreds of mercenaries gathered in front of a platform where King Rerian Aust Basilica stood with two knights on his side.


    "I appreciate that you all answered my call." The king began with his deep, dry voice. "The enemy is the temple of light. The man in charge of the temple, Poston, tried to use dark magic against me and fled when he failed. before we could do anything."


    "That doesn''t matter! We''ll fight as long as our payout is guaranteed." shouted a man from somewhere in the crowd and a chorus of voices agreed.


    "Is the promise of ten thousand gold coins for every mercenary real?"


    "Yes. As written on the parchment sent to you all, each mercenary will be paid ten thousand gold coins and whoever brings me Poston''s head will gain something more."


    The king continued his speech and informed the mercenaries of the enemy''s numbers and where the next and perhaps last battlefield would decide the course of the war, while Athena and the Valkyries played with the new young members.


    During the trip to Basilian, Mifa, Sura, Mhia and Lera, the girls who were part of Klad''s group, talked to Athena with Lobana''s encouragement and their anger subsided, but it didn''t disappear.


    They still resented Athena for killing Klad, but they didn''t hate her. They understood, no, they knew that for the most part, it was Klad''s fault and that''s why they didn''t hate Athena.


    "Athena, you said you came from this kingdom, aren''t you going to visit your family?" Mifa asked in Athena''s arms.


    Mifa was the one who liked Athena the most and that''s why she received scolding and disapproval from the other three, but it was already impossible to make Mifa dislike Athena.


    They trained together, talked about various things that happened to them until they met in Tarna, ate together, showered together and slept together.


    For Athena it was as if she had gained a younger sister and for Mifa something else blossomed.


    Athena looked at Mifa and stroked her grayish brown hair.


    "No, I only have one daughter and one..."


    "Huh? Athena has a daughter?" Everyone around Athena asked at the same time with faces full of surprise.


    "Where is she?" Sahari asked.


    "What is her name?" Lobana asked with bright eyes.


    "How old is she?" Hale spat out the beer she was drinking.


    "Aha, ahaha..." Athena laughed awkwardly. "Her name is Foti¨˘, she''s at Sigma with Gion and she''s three- No, four."


    "Eh~... Athena, you are so young. I never thought you were married." Mifa said in a shaky voice.


    "I''m not young and I''m not married."


    "You had a daughter without getting married? You were a..." Lobana said lowering her voice without completing the sentence.


    "No, I wasn''t a whore. I just happened to have a daughter, guys."


    "What''s her birth story?" Nijha who had been silent until now, asked with noticeable interest.


    Athena looked at the blindfolded woman and noticed the pink in her white cheeks. Athena smiled at Nijha''s surprising interest in romance and began to think of a quick story.


    She could tell the truth and get their surprise, fear and doubt, but she could also mask it all with a beautiful story and satiate their curiosity with a little romance.


    "Well..."


    Athena started to tell the story of Romeo and Juliet with some modifications where Juliet doesn''t try to kill herself along with Romeo because of the new life emerging inside her.


    The girls listened attentively to the story, forgetting the fact that they were there to talk about war and the girls'' relaxed atmosphere drew the attention of mercenaries, tense with the possibility of not coming back alive.


    "And that''s it." Athena concluded the story.


    The reactions of the women and girls were varied, from surprise, satisfaction and sadness.


    Mifa hugged Athena tightly and comforted the woman as if this were the saddest story she had ever heard.


    Feeling slightly guilty, Athena patted Mifa on the head and hugged her back.


    ***


    Later in the evening, Athena, Lobana, Mifa and Sahari went to the nearby tavern where the Glory of the Goddess Ertala was "anchored".


    The place was built entirely in wood, standing out from the stone buildings of the city, which caught the attention not only of Athena''s group, but of other mercenaries as well.


    This was a night to mentally prepare for what was to come the next day, with the temple army being less than a day from the capital.


    Some chose drinking, others chose sex, and there were those who used gambling as an outlet for tension.


    As they entered the noisy tavern, a chair flew toward them and shattered against the wall.


    "But why do we have to fight the war with you if we''re hiring you?"


    The scream that came from a table where men in black armor were sitting, made the place fall into a momentary silence.


    Everyone looked at the girl with short black hair and dark blue eyes who threw the chair without caring who hit.


    "We accepted your request, but I didn''t say when we will." Said a tall man with long white hair and a cynical smile. "I''ll take the Vultures where they can make more money. You promised us five thousand coins each, the king promised ten thousand. It''s nothing personal, it''s just money."


    The man said, everyone in the tavern laughed and Athena shrugged at the situation.


    "There''s an unoccupied table over there." Athena said as she led the group to a table next to the men who called themselves vultures.


    "Why do you want to go to Ethers, Athena? You never said." Sahari asked as they settled into their seats.


    "Um...There''s someone that I need to find who might have the answer to me find myself." Athena said without much reservation. (It''s not like they''ll believe me if I say the person I want to meet is a weird goddess.)


    "What was the reason you got lost?" Lobana asked with curiosity in her eyes.


    Athena looked at Lobana with a dry smile, but before she could respond, Athena was hit by something and hurled against the wall.


    "It was really you!"


    "Vitia, stop!"


    "If you''re not going to fight, Den, stay out of it. I''m going to avenge Horx!"


    Athena rose from among the boards and pieces of chair and looked at the table where she was standing.


    Lobana, Sahari and were with their swords drawn pointed at the girl who threw the chair earlier and Mifa was with her hair and tail hair ruffled, with her claws and fangs showing for the girl.


    (What the hell was that? I didn''t notice any mana flow... Unless... But that also uses mana, so how? Well... It doesn''t matter now, she attacked me.)


    Athena pushed the thought away, drew her sword, covered herself with the [Death Aura] and when Lobana and the others were going to attack Vitia, a blue ray went through them and hit the girl in the chest making her fly towards the table of Vultures.


    "Vitia!" Den yelled when he saw Vitia thrown on the other side.


    "Lobana, Sahari, Mifa, this fight is mine." Athena said with her sword electrified and pointed to where Vitia was.


    Lobana and Sahari looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, but just as they were about to sheath their swords, the Vultures were standing with twisted expressions.


    "Look what you did." The white-haired man said with the same cynical smile as before.


    As Vitia flew across the table, food and drink washed over the men, leaving some with wet and dirty clothes or armor and others with their faces smeared with sauce and dripping with beer and or wine.


    "Now you have called us all to fight."


    "Is it? So come on." Athena said.


    As soon as she finished speaking, the Vultures drew their weapons, the white-haired man disappeared from the Valkyrie''s field of vision, and a crash occurred behind them.


    In a matter of milliseconds, before the man even drew his sword, he slammed into Athena, blowing a hole in the wall at the back of the tavern.


    Again Athena could not understand. The man didn''t use mana and she didn''t feel him approach.


    All she could do in that short moment was place her sword between her and the man''s sword and be pushed against the wall, no, through it.


    "I see you have a lot of mana, but that doesn''t mean you''re strong." The man said and then felt his cheek burn. "Huh?"


    A line of blood ran down his smooth face and dripped from his chin to the floor.


    At the ends of Athena''s hair, blood dripped as they swayed vividly like snakes.


    "Interesting skill." The man said in a smile for the first time genuine and licked the blood off his finger. "What is your class?"


    Athena took a deep breath, regaining her stance, and stared at the man with attention to each movement and his flow of mana.


    (He can''t be using brute force, can he?) Athena felt her mouth go dry. "Why would I tell you?"


    "Hum... You''re right. You don''t have to give an enemy an advantage." The man studied Athena''s posture and smiled crookedly. "That''s a good stance, but back to your class, it''s weird that you use magic and use a sword."


    "Really? It''s pretty common where I come from." Athena smirk. (A lot of idiots were trying to force the creation of the ''magic swordsman'' class in the game. It was a good idea, though.)


    "Enough talking. But before I kill you, let me tell you the name of the man who will make you meet the creator god."


    "There''s no need for that!" Athena said and moved forward. "[Hew]"


    The moment Athena streaked the air with her stay, the man''s slightly red eyes widened and dodged the thin line of mana that cut the air toward her.


    However, Athena wouldn''t let him get away so easily and followed him, slashing through walls and floors and anything in her path, like barrels and alley rats.


    "This is another interesting skill! I''m even more interested in knowing what your class is before I kill you." The man said and licked his lips as if seeing something juicy.


    The man looked amused as Athena began to get annoyed at not being able to cut him. She wanted to use [Eradication], but she held back from thinking that she could kill one of the girls.


    "Tsk! Argh! {Shooting Star}!" Athena said in a voice full of power and anger.


    The night sky lit up with a radiant fireball that descended toward where Athena and the man were fighting.


    In extreme speed and overwhelming power, the sixth-cycle magic hit the ground, hitting both Athena and the man and others near the alley, covering the place in dense dust.


    Athena used [Hew] to cut everything that came her way while the [Death Aura] protected Athena from what passed through her cuts in the dust.


    "Athena!" Lobana yelled in a worried voice.


    "I am fine."


    "What was this?"


    "Magic."


    "Was that guy a wizard?"


    "I do not know."


    Athena heard Lobana''s voice more relieved and felt relieved to know that she had time to worry about her.


    This meant that nothing much was happening on Lobana''s side.


    Well, the damage was much greater than the situation allowed Athena to see, but Lobana saw a part of the damage and so asked, worried about Athena''s condition.


    Athena summoned ten stars in the capital and the damage was far greater than she could have imagined.


    Athena didn''t know that, and if she did, she wouldn''t care, though.


    Amidst that dense dust and darkness, only the sound of clashing swords was audible and it seemed that the number of people fighting had increased.


    Athena thought about what to do now and then heard footsteps.


    "I am not a wizard."


    "Tsk!" Athena clicked her tongue and frowned.


    This was the second time she had gone to so much trouble to kill something in this world.

 Chapter 43 - Unholy War - Part 8 - King Dead...

    The three moons glowed enchantingly in the night sky. However, this light did not reach where Athena was.


    In addition to she being in a dark alley, the place was now under a cloud of dense dust caused by the fall of a star summoned by Athena.


    Amidst all this dust, Athena faced the leader of the Vultures, a tall, young man with long straight white hair, slightly red eyes, and an irritatingly cynical smile.


    Athena didn''t like him for not being able to cut him, but now she hated him for not being able to kill him.


    "I must admit. A shooting star? I didn''t expect this." Said the man covered by dust. "But you didn''t think it would kill me, right?"


    "Being frank? I thought so." Athena said with a crooked smile.


    "Then let''s put an end to this." The man said an air blast happened, sweeping all the dust away.


    When Athena entered a defensive stance, she was already being hurled across a wide avenue and her armor streaked across her chest.


    "Hoh... Your armor is very good." The man said.


    Athena looked down, saw the diagonal streak on her breastplate, and for the first time thanked Death for the [Death Aura].


    Athena realized that if not for the skill, her armor would have snapped and she died in that blow.


    But that was the least of it at the moment, Athena had again been overwhelmed and still didn''t understand how her opponent was so strong without using any mana.


    Athena rose and looked for the unseen man on the ground, then she heard a flutter of wings and looked up at the sky.


    "Serious?" Aten asked with a dry smile.


    "What? Everyone has their perks." The man mocked.


    "So that was it. Haha... How did I not notice this before?" Athena slapped her palm to her forehead. "White hair, red eyes, strong without using any skills or spells. It was so obvious!"


    The man looked at Athena with a pitying look.


    "Does it matter that you know my race?"


    "Do, now I don''t need to worry anymore about why you are strong without any skills or spells." Athena looked at the man with a refreshing smile. "Tell me one thing?"


    "??"


    "That girl in there. Did you her a servant?"


    "You mean Vitia? No... She accepted my blood, but she''s not a vampire."


    "Then?" Athena asked with a confused expression.


    "Who knows... I''ve never seen anything like her." The man shrugged nonchalantly.


    Athena was more excited to know the source of her opponent''s strength, but she was still tense.


    The man she refused to know the name of, was a vampire and he hadn''t even started using his skills.


    Athena regretted not having bought skill learning scrolls in Tarna and began to feel the pressure of that man''s presence when she remembered something.


    In Reiden, when she was fighting with the men who kidnapped Foti¨˘, she used [Hew] just because she remembered the skill that was a torment for her in the game.


    (What if...) Athena smiled and her heart pounded with anticipation. (A skill that helps me against this guy...)


    Athena started rummaging through her memories, but it wasn''t like the fight was going to stop as she thought and she dodged and reflected as many attacks as possible.


    "I don''t know why you''re smiling, but I feel like you''re up to something." The man said and swing his sword horizontally.


    If his sword were an ordinary sword, it would have already splintered from the times it had hit Athena covered by [Death Aura], but the crimson-bladed sword seemed to regenerate every time a crack appeared in it.


    "What is this energy around you?"


    "There''s someone who likes me and gave it to me." Athena said and this time, was she who advanced on the man. "[Fortification]"


    Athena''s muscles expanded and hardened, making her attacks heavier, however she slowed down and the man defended the attack with a confused smile.


    Athena had just used warrior skill and it should be something that would consume martial energy, but it was Athena''s total mana that decreased.


    The Vulture leader was about to ask again what she was when Athena used another skill.


    "[Acceleration]"


    Now with her speed increased twice, Athena advanced with more determination in her attacks that matched her opponent''s in speed and strength, but Athena didn''t just stop with that.


    "Now assassin''s skill?" The man asked with wide eyes in surprise. "What are you anyway?"


    "I am your executioner!" Athena said as she cut the man''s neck, which made him flinch.


    "I think now I can take this fight more seriously."


    After saying this, the man cut his wrist with his sword and bathed it in his blood.


    Blood ran down the blade but it didn''t drip onto the ground, it was as if the sword were drinking the man''s blood.


    After a few seconds, the wound on the man''s arm closed and the sword grew twice its size, becoming a big, heavy red sword.


    "Get ready." The man warned and attacked.


    In a matter of milliseconds, Athena and the man exchanged twenty blows that were either reflected or deflected or redirected.


    The man''s attacks had grown heavier and Athena''s hands were beginning to ache, but she didn''t flinch.


    The two were the only ones who continued to fight.


    In the tavern, Lobana and Sahari had already defeated all the Vultures and now they and the others who were in the place were watching the fight while placing bets.


    They no longer had any use for words, all they wanted was to kill each other and they continued to attack each other.


    They didn''t even remember how it all started, but they wanted each other''s heads separated from their bodies.


    The man swung his sword diagonally in an attack on Athena.


    The sword covered in a dark red aura with the use of an ability had a sinister and menacing color.


    Seeing it made Athena shiver slightly.


    (If this hits me, I will die for sure.)


    Athena felt she shouldn''t defend that and with no room for evasion, she arched her back backward, seeing the sinister blade pass before her eyes.


    When the sword hit the ground beside Athena, the ground shook, cracks spreading through the place as a wave of earth and rocks flowed to the other side.


    This caused the man to take too long to regain his posture and Athena did not waste the opportunity to try to kill him.


    Taking advantage of that millisecond, Athena brandished her sword using the skill [Moon Slash] of the ''Samurai'' class.


    Her sword glowed radiantly in an intense and menacing black light, a shrill sound was heard coming from the sword and Athena thrust the blade toward the man with a victorious smile on her face, but...


    When Athena had just released that massive amount of energy, three men in dark blue armor appeared.


    One of them changed the trajectory of Athena''s sword to the sky and the others restricted the leader of the Vultures.


    "Aaah...!" Athena cried out her complaint as she saw all that massive energy fly into the sky and disappear into the vastness of the night.


    ***


    "What were you guys thinking?" Screamed a man with nearly gray black hair and a huge scar across half of his bearded face. "Do you have any idea of ??the damage in the capital?"


    Athena and the leader of the Vultures, who Athena now knew the name, Trigan, were standing in front of the king in the throne room.


    "Not counting the main avenue and the ten craters in the city, you caused the death of more than ninety people in a tavern brawl!"


    "No, no. She was the one who cast that spell, not me!" Trigan said.


    Athena looked at him with a disapproving expression. "Whistleblower."


    "I''m just telling the truth here. It all started with this crazy woman."


    "Silence!" The king shouted before Athena could say anything else. "Both are guilty. You have two choices, imprisonment or giving up the reward and fighting the war."


    Athena and Trigan looked at the king with a cold gaze and the king stared back at them without a shred of fear.


    "King of Basilica, I will not be imprisoned and you will pay the Valkyries. I may be tired, but I have enough strength to kill you all here." Athena said in a steady, calm voice.


    The king looked down at Athena and laughed. "Try." The king mocked. "You could not resist my knights." The king looked at the man with a scar on his face.


    In dark blue armor and a white cloak embroidered with two griffins and a halberd on his shoulder, the deformed man drew his sword at the king''s signal.


    Athena looked at Trigan, who had a murderous look on his face, and gave him a gentle smile.


    That kind of smile you would normally give when you say goodbye to someone you like.


    "Looks like in the end, I''m really going to kill you." Athena said without moving a feet as the knight came towards her with a menacing expression.


    Trigan looked at Athena with a puzzled look and then he felt like an instinct, the air quiver and without a second thought, fled as fast as he could.


    "[Eradication]"

 Chapter 44 - Unholy War - Part 9 - Queen Set.

    It was still early evening when the fight at the ''Drunken Bull'' tavern began, shooting stars rained down on the city, the captains of the king''s orders of knights appeared and the fight was over.


    And it was still early evening when the main wing of the palace, which rose majestically at the end of the city, shuddered and disappeared in a cloud of dust.


    The citizens did not know what was happening and hid thinking that the attack of the army of the temple of light had started.


    Those without fear of war, or who had no choice but to work to avert hunger, watched in disbelief as the millenary construction collapsed in a matter of seconds.


    In the middle of what used to be the throne room a few seconds ago, Athena watched with an interested gaze as the walls melt into sand and the ceiling crack, fall apart and turn to sand before falling to the ground around her.


    "This is the first time I''ve seen the real power of this skill..." Athena monologued. "Death can only be crazy for delivering something like that to a mortal..."


    Athena turned her back to where had a king and started to walk away when she heard a moan and ran to where the sound was coming from.


    In the middle of the sand where it was a corridor, Trigan... No, half of Trigan was lying, covered in sand.


    Athena looked at the half-less man and laughed.


    "Didn''t go too far, huh?" Athena scoffed.


    Trigan looked at the beautiful woman and smiled.


    "You monster."


    "The pot calling the kettle black." Athena sat on the bench in the part of the hallway that wasn''t hit by the skill. "Now what? Will you live like this, in half?"


    "I can recover if you give me enough blood."


    "Hm..."


    "You''re not going, are you?" Trigan


    "But of course." Athena responded with a wry smile as crossed her legs. "I''m going to watch you die."


    Trigan craned his neck back to look at Athena.


    "You''re forgetting something."


    "Hm?"


    "The war." Trigan snorted. "This kingdom no longer has a king. Will you watch the people being slaughtered for taking sides with their king?"


    Athena looked at Trigan with disdain, she didn''t care what happened to Basilica, but she had a great sense of paying her debts and remembered why she had come with the Valkyries to this war.


    "I need to do something." Athena got up and started walking away, only to stop and turn around. "Don''t go too far."


    "Haha, ha..."


    ***


    Not knowing what was happening, the mercenaries had assumed they were under attack and those who were still sober had equipped themselves and rushed to the palace.


    The Valkyries were no exception, they were worried about Athena being taken to the palace because of the exaggerated tavern brawl.


    "Lobana, are we under attack?" Mhia, the draconian girl, asked.


    "I don''t know. And why are you coming when I told you four to stay on the ship?"


    "I go where Hale goes!" Mhia replied with a pout.


    "Own! Isn''t she a cutie?" Hale said and kissed Mhia''s cheek as they ran.


    "Forget about it, we need to hurry." Sahari and Nijha complained.


    ***


    After searching for half of what was left of the palace, Athena was standing in front of a wooden and iron door with a bolt secured with a heavy padlock.


    "Princess?" Athena called.


    Inside the room, Serien had heard all the noise that echoed through the corridors to her room and as well, as those who were hiding in their homes, Serien thought that the army of the temple of light had invaded Basilian and taken over the palace.


    The princess was determined to die if she were to fall into Poston''s hands and so she had prepared a knife, which she kept hidden until the day it would be necessary to use it.


    She was about to impale her neck when she heard Athena''s voice. However, she didn''t know it was Athena on the other side of the door, it had been over three months since she first spoke to Athena and her voice had been lost in her memories.


    "Princess, are you there?" Athena asked again, but Serien didn''t respond.


    Serien was determined to die, but her hands shook as tears streamed down her face.


    Being determined to die and wanting to die were two different things.


    But hearing the door creak, Serien steadied her hands, took a deep breath, and when the door shattered, Serien closed her eyes and used all her strength with the knife against her neck, only to be stopped by Athena.


    "You were going to kill yourself before I paid my debt?" Athena asked with disappointment in her voice and face.


    "Huh?" Serien opened her eyes and saw her hands laced with Athena''s hands and the woman crouched in front of her. "Saint Athena?"


    "Saint?" Athena made a confused face and then remembered what she had read in the soul''s scroll in Juefu. "Ah! Yes, it''s me."


    "W-what are you doing here?"


    "Hm... Long story? Leave that for later." Athena got up and pulled Serien up. "In short, the king is dead and we have a war to fight. You need to take control of the situation with the soldiers."


    "My dad died?"


    "Yeah, but leave the mourning for later." Athena said but she saw no sign of regret on Serien''s face, but relief. "You''re pretty weirdˇ­" Athena chuckled. "Go bathe, you stink! And put on some presentable clothes. I''ll wait for you here."


    "No, wait!" Serien said as Athena cast water magic in the bathtub in the corner of the room. "What about my brothers? I have older brothers and sisters who can do what you want about taking control of the situation."


    "Nah! They don''t fit." Athena frowned. "Besides, I owe you and not them."


    ''But what do you owe me?'' Serien asked in a low voice, which Athena didn''t hear.


    ***


    Minutes later, Athena followed Serien, who now dressed not like a priestess or prisoner, but like a princess, in a white dress and her long silvery black hair blowing in the wind.


    Their destination was the courtyard of the palace where soldiers, knights and mercenaries began to gather fully equipped to fight a possible enemy.


    A thin sheet of dust still covered the place when Athena and Serien appeared in front of the crowd.


    The knights and soldiers contorted their faces at the sight of Serien and the mercenaries had the most confused and surprised expressions Athena had ever seen.


    "Silence." Athena said as she stepped in front of Serien. "I must communicate that the king is dead and his next ruler is Serien." Athena said looking at the men who had anger on their faces. "Well, that''s just for you little soldiers of Basilica."


    "Who says this one is the next queen?" Shouted one of the dark blue armored knights.


    (Is this guy part of that deformed guy''s order...?) Athena glared at the man from above. "Well, the other princes and princesses are too scared to leave their rooms, so you''ll have to accept the princess right here."


    "And who killed the king? It would be very difficult to kill the king with the three masters in the throne room."


    Athena was already at her limit of patience.


    They were soldiers, what right do soldiers have to opine in the line of succession to the throne of the king they serve?


    It is what Athenas was thinking.


    She looked up at the naughty knight with eyes so icy it made it seem like Athena''s green eyes were actually blue in the moon light.


    Why did she have to answer someone like them when not even the princess questioned her?


    "One more word before you hear the princess and I''ll kill you." Athena threatened, the man opened his mouth to protest and his head flew off before he could say anything. "Somebody else?"


    The soldiers looked at the woman with a sword in her hand and wondered when she had drawn it.


    Athena looked at Serien, who started to speak, drawing the attention of the place to her.


    "As everyone already knows, I''m Princess Serien..."


    Serien began by talking about the hundred years of war they lost to Elsna Empire, leading to Basilica''s empire being reduced to a small kingdom on the edge of the mainland island.


    The older soldiers, who had fought at the end of the war, made a sour expression and the mercenaries an expression of not caring what the girl was talking about.


    The king had died, they wanted to know if the reward would remain the same with the new queen.


    However, Serien didn''t talk about it, she weighed the soldiers'' hearts, reminding them of their bitter defeat.


    But that was just to encourage them to fight now that the kingdom faced another crisis.


    Serien talked about her time in the temple of light and her perseverance to keep moving forward and reach the top of the organization, only to be stabbed in the back by her own father.


    "The king might have been a wise man when he was young, but he change and died like an old fool..." Serien said, raising some angry glares at her.


    The king was a man loved by his people, that''s because he helped to end a war that was only bringing disgrace to the kingdom, but that didn''t mean the man remained the same.


    The king had a lot on his back and in his heart, but that''s another story.


    Finally, the princess talked about how the kingdom was weak to the point where a religion could take over and how she felt ashamed of being royalty without being able to protect her people.


    "That''s why." Serien went down to where Athena was. "I, Serien Aust Basilica, renounce the crown and give it to someone who is strong enough to protect the people."


    Athena looked around her, blankly, as Serien knelt in front of her.


    "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Athena asked with a shaky voice.


    "That person is saint Athena. A strong person worthy of loyalty." Serien said, ignoring Athena''s despair. "Long live Saint Queen Athena!"


    "Huh!?" Athena complained and in the back, Lobana and the Valkyries had the same reaction.


    "Long live Saint Queen Athena!" The soldiers and knights said in a single voice.


    "No! Wait, I''m not queen!" Athena screamed. "I-"


    Athena spoke, but no one listened as they repeated their reverence as if they were praying to Athena.


    Head down, Serien smiled a victorious smile.


    At the end of her discourse, as she spoke, Serien used her authority skill as royalty to pass the crown to Athena and thus bind the kingdom to her.


    This wasn''t dark magic, but it was still a type of hypnosis'' skill that only worked with the Basilica''s people.


    (Now the kingdom will be safe and the people will not suffer..) Serien''s heart felt lighter.

 Chapter 45 - Unholy War - Part 10 - The Spear And The Shield

    Athena, Serien and the Valkyries were in the palace''s conference room in a heavy atmosphere.


    Athena was in a bad mood and her beautiful face twisted in anger.


    Serien had simply thrown an entire kingdom over Athena without even asking if she wanted to be a queen.


    "Queen-" Serien was about to say, but Athena cut her off.


    "Don''t call me that." Athena glared at Serien with angry eyes. "You set me up."


    "Athena, calm down, let the princess explain." Lobana asked.


    "Explain what, Lobana? You were there, she used some kind of magic or skill to make me queen. And I don''t want to be queen, I don''t even know who and what I am. How am I going to take care of a kingdom?"


    "It wasn''t magic, it''s a skill that everyone with Basilica''s royal blood has." Serien explained.


    "Much better." Athena scoffed. "What are you going to do when I leave after the war?"


    "Huh? Are you leaving?"


    "Oh! Look Lobana, she asks me things now." Athena quipped. "To think I felt indebted to a snake like you."


    Serien had her head down, listening to everything, all the anger Athena had to get out.


    She didn''t count on the woman''s reaction to be like that. After all, who doesn''t want to be on top of a kingdom?


    The princess thought that like most people, Athena wanted to have her own kingdom, but that didn''t seem to be the case and now she was in danger of Athena leaving and never coming back.


    It was a miscalculation she didn''t foresee, no, she ignored that possibility.


    Lobana saw the desperate expression on Serien''s face and the fury on Athena''s and thought about what to do with a shadow on her face.


    "Wait!" Lobana said with a bright smile. "I have an idea!"


    Athena looked at Lobana as well as the other people in the room.


    "Athena, be their queen!" Lobana said laughing and Athena frowned again.


    "Lobana..."


    "Wait! Listen to me. You just need to be their queen during the war. Then the princess will just use that skill again and become the queen!" Lobana said and saw Athena starting to consider. "Think Athena, with you being queen, those soldiers and knights out there will have to obey you. That will make the line of command easier on the battlefield."


    At that moment Serien broke out in a cold sweat.


    "There''s only one problem with that idea of ??yours." The princess said.


    "Hm? And what is it?"


    "The skill, I can''t use it anymore."


    "Huh? Why?" Athena asked in a shaky voice.


    "It''s a skill you can only use onceˇ­" Serien explained, but before Athena could complainˇ­ "But there are my brothers and sisters!"


    "Aaaaargh!!!" Athena complained.


    "What is it, Athena? If we have the other princes and princesses, the plan still works." Sahari said.


    "Let me tell you something. I kill the brave ones who try to kill me, but I respect them in my own way." Athena said holding her head between her forearms. "But I despise cowards."


    At that moment, tears streamed from Serien''s eyes. She immediately understood what Athena meant.


    "I killed the older princes and princesses because they were a bunch of cowards." Athena said and the Valkyries dropped into their seats with a blank look.


    "Well then, congratulations. You are permanently the queen of this kingdom." Lobana said in a dry voice.


    The room fell silent for a while until Sahari raised her head again with an inquisitive expression.


    "You said you killed the older ones... So there are younger princes and princesses?"


    "Yes, we were in ten brothersˇ­" Serien said in a rueful voice. "If his majesty killed the oldest ones, it means that the three youngest ones are still alive. But, they are still too young to be able to use this skill."


    "In the end, will Athena have to remain queen for a while?" Hale asked.


    "But then Athena has just wait another five or ten years and she''ll be out of it." Mhia said and then sneered. "Here you reap what you sow. Well done."


    "Mhia!" Hale scolded.


    "What? I''m just stating facts." Mhia stared at Athena. "She''s a cold-blooded killer. What''s going on is much better than she actually deserves."


    "Okay, okay! I already know you don''t like me." Athena said and threw herself on the couch in the corner of the room. "Ten years..."


    ***


    Later, in the garden, Athena stared at the moons with a melancholy face beside Serien.


    Serien had a morbid expression on her face, she accepted the death of her father and most of her brothers, but among the dead there was a sister a year older than Serien whom she loved for being a kind and loving girl.


    While she resented Athena, she blamed herself for the same reason.


    "I won''t ask you to forgive me for killing your family, but..." Athena said but realized that there was no ''but'' in that sentence and snorted, irritated with the situation and with herself.


    They stayed there in silence until early morning as they heard voices throughout the palace.


    There were cries, laments, orders to carry this or that.


    It was a turbulent night the day before a final decisive battle for the kingdom''s future.


    "What was this?" Athena looked in the direction from which a loud noise came and again a thunderous rumble occurred.


    "Athena!" Lobana appeared in the garden. "Started!"


    "Huh? But we still didn''t have time until they arrived?" Athena asked as she ran to Lobana.


    "Looks like they''ve advanced through the night."


    Bells began to ring all over the city, waking the mercenaries, alerting the citizens, and warning that the invasion had begun.


    ***


    From above the walls, Athena could see the thousands of army troops from the temple of light, dressed in white armor with a large gold star on their chest.


    "Like I said. It''s going to be a tough war." Lobana said as she looked at the squad in the distance, dressed in shining white-golden armor.


    "What are they?" Sahari asked as the wall shook with the impact of another halberd, which glowed a golden light, was thrown with absurd speed and force against the building.


    "I don''t know, but they''re strong." Athena said and a piece of the top of the wall gave way. "Very strong."


    "We don''t have time to admire." Nijha complained. "Athena, decide, in or out of town?"


    "Huh? Why me? Ah! I''m the queen of this shit." Athena looked at the hundreds of troops and felt a euphoria when she remembered a movie she had watched about a Greek war against some people she didn''t remember at the time. "Open the gates for those who can''t jump off the wall and those who can, follow me!" Athena ordered and without waiting for anyone, she jumped.


    "Athena!" Lobana protested, but it was too late. Lobana looked at the army behind her. "Your queen left command with me. Open the gates and follow her to death or victory!"


    The soldiers, knights and mercenaries roared loudly. Those with shields raised their guards, came forward, and advanced as soon as the gates opened.


    Halfway through the fall, Athena pulled her helmet and shield from the [Dimensional Bag], strengthened her body with [Death Aura], [Fortification], and used [Acceleration].


    As soon as she scratched the ground, she disappeared from view of the troops, leaving only a cloud of dust where she stepped and then reappeared in front of the shields of soldiers who contorted their faces in surprise.


    Due to the surprise, the men didn''t have the moment to react and when they started to understand what was going on, Athena was already using [Hew] and shredding everyone near her.


    With each soldier shredded, Athena felt a current of energy invade her body and at the same time she felt that she was getting stronger, she felt overwhelming nausea.


    The feeling wasn''t nearly as pleasant, it was like she had someone with their arm through her body and that person was turning her organs with a hand warmer than her own blood.


    Athena staggered momentarily and this gave the soldiers an opening to attack.


    The soldiers brandished their weapons at Athena from all sides, piercing her shield defense, but not her armor and [Death Aura] which destroyed the weapons like shattered glass on the ground.


    When the gates opened, the soldiers of Basilica advanced through the gates while others jumped from the walls, the soldiers of the temple split, as if they were making a path.


    At the end of this path, a black-haired man in great golden armor, had in his hand a spear that shone much brighter than the others hurled at the walls.


    Athena looked back, and among those who had jumped off the wall, the Valkyries were one of the groups advancing farther.


    Sahari, Nijha, Hale, Kaize, Dria, Lera, Mhia, Sura and Mifa advanced while Lobana and Serien kept the command line above the walls.


    Athena didn''t care when someone she didn''t know or hated died, but she always had this weight in her chest, this fear of letting someone she liked die.


    Athena prepared her shield and waited for the man to make his attack.


    In the distance the man saw the woman raise her shield and smiled arrogantly.


    This man was Arladele, the leader of the Divine Swords, a group of warriors who were always scattered across the floating islands, facing powerful monsters and demons in the name of the light of creation, Lhia.


    The man put more holy power into his skill, making the spear glow an almost orange light and released the weapon that made its way to Athena in the blink of an eye.


    Athena gritted her teeth after screaming the skill [Sacred Shield] of the ''Paladin'' class and pushed the shield against the spear.


    The [Sacred Shield] took the attack and cushioned the first impact and then cracked as it deflected the massive energy to all sides, hitting the temple soldiers, destroying the ground where Athena stepped and making the air vibrate as a bass sound of explosion was heard all over the battlefield.


    Athena looked back, people were running sideways, fleeing the direction and range of the attack, Athena laughed as she saw that Serien and Lobana was still in the same place and Mifa was dragged by the other Valkyries and held out her hands to Athena as she said something inaudible to Athena.


    (Those fools...)


    Athena pushed the shield further and her [Death Aura]-covered hair attacked the spear incessantly, but that spear was somehow different and was unaffected by the power of Death.


    Athena took a deep breath and braced herself as the [Sacred Shield] cracked even more, looking like roots had grown all over the energy shield and the spear''s energy was beginning to pass through chinks.


    "Aaaassaaagrh!!!!" Athena screamed unheard and pushed further as she started to be dragged backward and then the [Sacred Shield] shattered.

 Chapter 46 - Unholy War - Part 11 - The End Of The War

    The spear hit Athena''s shield, pierced the metal, and Athena thought that was enough for a test of strength.


    "[Erase]" Athena said and all that power disappeared like it was a lie. "Wow! That''s too much power to be in a little church..."


    The people around her were looking at Athena as if they saw a ghost, amazed and incredulous at what they had just seen.


    Serien and the Valkyries had their mouths open as if they had dislocated their jaws and Arladele had a stunned furious expression.


    Athena looked around and all she had was dirt churned with blood and the corpses of soldiers wearing white armor.


    The woman looked at Arladele with contempt for him killing his own soldiers as if it were nothing.


    Athena took the white spear attached to what was once her shield and examined the weapon. She could feel a power almost like Death''s presence in it and looked again at Arladele.


    "I''ll keep this." Athena said, but it was only audible to those close by.


    When Arladele saw his weapon disappear into thin air, the man drew his sword and advanced at a heavy run.


    Athena smiled. "Back off!!" She screamed.


    Mercenaries and soldiers who had already left the city were confused when they heard the order and Lobana from the wall scolded them.


    "Your queen has ordered you to retreat, obey!"


    Athena smiled at Lobana, who didn''t see the smile, and ran with her sword in her hand towards the man who ran like an enraged ogre.


    The temple soldiers, seeing the enemy retreat, advanced as if their lives depended on it, and then a shock wave of energy occurred when Athena and Arladele met halfway.


    "Return my sacred treasure!" Arladele demanded. His voice was both low and squeaky.


    "I don''t think so! You going to die anyaway." Athena said in a hearty laugh. "[Eradication]"


    Arladele felt something bad coming from Athena and then he saw that around them, in a circle where there were soldiers and a plain, had become a lake of white sand.


    "Huh? H-how?" Athena looked at the man with disbelief just as the man looked at her.


    Around Arladele was a clear yellow bubble that seemed to be resisting something trying to crush it.


    "Heh..." Athena laughed as she realized what was going on. (The armor is probably made of the same thing as that spear.)


    "I don''t know what unholy power you used, but it seems to have no effect on me." Arladele said, full of self-concept.


    "Let''s see then." Athena said while crossing her arms and then speaking in a powerful voice. "[Eradication]"


    The air vibrated again and this time Arladele''s bubble screamed a sharp sound of metal being dented and soldiers who were stepping on the sand circle disappeared and the amount of sand in the place increased.


    "Can it handle a third? With how much I''ve killed today, I can use it three more times without too much trouble." Athena bluffed, at best she could use it one more time.


    Arladele sweated cold as he felt the overwhelming energy trying to hit him as if he were her only target.


    He felt he needed to get out of there, took a step back and then several cracks quickly spread through the bubble.


    "No one escapes Death." Athena laughed at her own joke as she watched the bubble that protected Arladele break and the man disappear into a mound of sand. "Ah! I forgot to ask his name... Tsk! Screw it."


    There had nothing scarier than Athena on that battlefield.


    The temple soldiers made way for the woman, unwilling to fight this beautiful woman who now had a terrifying presence even to the other Divine Swords.


    But this did not mean that the war was over, they ignored Athena and advanced against Basilica''s soldiers.


    The Valkyries fought with skill and ferocity and the soldiers, knights and mercenaries were not far behind.


    The war only ended when one of the sides gave up or lost their leaders.


    What few soldiers in the temple army knew was that the leader and queen of Basilica had already advanced beyond their lines and faced their leaders now.


    "Valkyrie, retreat to the ship! Let''s use the cannons!" Lobana said and Sahari and Hale covered the back of the others. (Looks like this war is going to be easier than I thought.)


    The terror of the religious was just beginning.


    At the enemy base, Athena was surrounded by other Divine Swords, nine to be exact, as she faced the temple leaders.


    Poston and his bishops trembled with twisted expressions of fear as Athena smiled gently as a sinister aura covered her body.


    "Youˇ­" Athena looked at the Divine Swords. "Disappear or I will kill everyone here."


    "How can you speak like that with the swords of the goddess Lhia?" Poston scolded Athena and shivered again when Athena looked at him.


    "I came here to talk." Athena said without look at him and then beyond the men, Athena saw the Glory of the Goddess move, she laughed and look back to Poston. "You even have until the cannon blasts to decide if it''s going to be surrender or death."


    "Surrender?" Poston questioned indignantly. "We will not surrender!"


    "I thought you were smarter..."


    "Just because you have a strange power and managed to kill Arladele, that doesn''t mean we''ll lose. We''ve come too far to give up now!"


    "So it''s decided? You still have time." Athena asked and smiled as she got the name of the man she had killed. (So ??his name was Arladele...)


    "Swords, kill that unholy bitch!" Poston ordered.


    At once the men and women drew their golden-bladed swords and hacked at Athena, who dodged by jumping into the air.


    Athena looked at the mana of the Divine Swords and saw that she had no chance to fight and win with the remaining mana she had and would have to finish it quickly and then Gloria''s cannons exploded in unison.


    Athena smiled, activated [Eradication] without being heard and saw everyone in that place turn to sand except for the Divine Swords who had the bubble around them like Arladele.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t move too much. You know? Arladele moved and... Well, you know what happened." Athena said grimacing and signaling with her hand, her neck being cut.


    Athena turned to the battlefield that rained fire from the sky and explosions happened there and here with the use of spells and skills and then she looked at the soldiers that were left in the enemy base.


    "What are you doing? Hurry up and blow the damn trumpet of your defeat!"


    ***


    The battle started in the middle of the night, didn''t last even an hour and ended.


    However, the death toll was not something to be overlooked.


    There were seven thousand troops in the temple army, but now it was just under four thousand.


    The soldiers were just believers who had been persuaded to fight the war by faith and the goddess Lhia.


    They were ordinary people who lived to support their families and pray to their goddess and not actual soldiers.


    Of the seven thousand soldiers, two thousand were holy knights and clerics, who had their greatest casualties against Athena, and another fifteen hundred were soldiers of Basilica who chose faith over duty.


    Athena sat on a improvised throne and saw all these people unarmed from above the city wall.


    "What are we going to do with them?" Lobana asked.


    "There''s not enough space in the dungeons and prisons..." Serien said.


    "I have a skill that I''ve never tried before..." Athena said, her voice uninterested. "Have them dig their graves."


    Lobana looked at Athena with amazement and Serien with dread.


    Lobana understood what Athena was trying to say. She had seen many war outcomes in her mercenary career.


    The losing side was the sinner to be punished and in the case of rebels, it was almost always death.


    However, Serien saw the end of just one war and the most the empire demanded was that Serien heal his soldiers as well.


    "They surrendered, your majesty." Serien said in a shaky voice.


    "No. We made them surrender." Athena replied. "They are a danger to the kingdom and as you said, there is no room to imprison them all."


    "But your majesty, they are for the most part low-ranking members of the temple and commoners. Those people down there are only ordered around."


    "I''m sorry to tell you that as of today there is no more temple of light." Athena said as she got up. "Order them to dig their graves and those who don''t, tie them up and torture them. Lobana, come with me for a bit? I need to ask you something."


    Athena and Lobana talked for a while, Serien looked at those people with a heavy look and with a hurt heart.


    ***


    At noon that day, on the left side of Basilian''s main road, thousands of graves were open with their residents standing beside them.


    A crowd had come to see the execution of the thousands of rebels, which Athena decided to execute even after Serien suggested slavery.


    It didn''t take long, it was a matter of seconds, when Athena ordered them to stand at the foot of the graves and when everyone was in place, it happened.


    Athena didn''t say a word whether as a speech of the motive for the execution or presented herself to the people, it wasn''t necessary.


    She simply reached out over the damned, channeling mana to each of them and when she felt everyone was within her reach, she used the skill in a flat, cold voice.


    "[Harvest]"


    In seconds, one after another, the condemned fell backwards into their graves, whitened and lifeless, while their souls were visibly and darkly ripped from their bodies.


    The souls traveled from their bodies in a line to Athena''s palm and formed a white ball of energy that seemed to struggle to escape.


    "With that, the execution is complete." Athena said and then, as if she were mesmerized, she took the souls to her mouth and sucked them one by one.


    The people there. Mercenaries, citizens, soldiers and knights felt an icy chill and a shiver on their skin.


    That was fear.


    The vision of a beautiful woman in an elegant black dress, devouring souls as a sound was heard, almost a lament, coming from each soul before it was devoured.


    This war was as short as the battle that day, but it became famous to the four winds as the ''Unholy War'' where the ''Queen of Death'' ascended to the throne.

 Chapter 47 - Government And Feelings On Board

    A month has passed since the end of the war and Athena, as the new queen, has implemented several changes.


    "First of all, religion would no longer have any power in the kingdom."


    People could carry on with their faith, but if the new religious leaders wanted property, they would have to buy the land, build it themselves and pay taxes.


    Athena took all the temples of light and other minor religions, which paid no taxes and still owned property, and turned them into schools.


    A person who wanted to enroll would only need to pay a monthly fee of thirty copper coins and would receive an education in any area they wanted.


    People who didn''t understand how magic worked and were worried about the end of the holy classes were calmer when Athena gathered the more experienced spellcasters, who explained to the people how magic worked.


    A person didn''t need a temple or faith to be a cleric, paladin, or holy knight, they needed an affinity with the sacred element of magic.


    Faith only helped to focus these classes, which made them mostly religious fanatics.


    Athena also made the nobles, lords of territories, reduce taxes according to the security and development of the territory.


    "The poorer territory, the lower the taxes."


    In this way, she forced the nobles to invest in the development and security of the territory.


    Athena had changed a lot in the realm in a short time and then threw the entire final process into the hands of Serien who now lived around mountains of documents.


    The plan was to do as much stuff for the kingdom as quickly as possible and then get back on the road.


    "Your majesty, you cannot do this." Serien followed Athena as she practically ran out of the palace with the Valkyries.


    "Serien, it was really cool to be queen for a month, but I have things to do, people to apologize to and things to find out about myself." Athena stopped and faced the princess. "I''m coming back, so don''t be fretful. In the meantime take care of the kingdom, I decided that I will keep the kingdom for myself."


    Those words were enough to quiet Serien''s heart.


    Athena was far from being a good ruler.


    She took advantage of people''s fear of her, and made changes that didn''t take people''s opinions into account and killed those suspected of corruption without giving a chance to defend themselves, but the people were somehow satisfied.


    The economy of the kingdom, which was stagnant, was boosted with the treasures of the temple of light and those who wanted to work found jobs in the construction of the new city, forts and the harbor of floating ships.


    Theres also had the option of working on plantations and the new organization created by Athena to help clean up the kingdom''s monsters, the adventurers guild.


    "Well that''s it then." Athena said as she turned to the Glory of the Goddess. "I hope to find everything in order when I get back. Until then, you will be the Princess Regent."


    And with those words, Athena left the same way she arrived, to a war zone.


    ***


    Three days of travel passed and Athena was sitting on the edge of the deck, looking out over the landscape as her hair was blown in the wind.


    But she wasn''t just looking at the landscape, she was talking to Foti¨˘.


    "Mommy, where are you? Foti¨˘ misses you."


    Foti¨˘''s melancholy voice echoed in Athena''s mind like knives pricking her heart.


    "Mom doesn''t like Foti¨˘ and Anemus anymore?"


    "But of course I like you, my dear. It''s just..."


    "So then why didn''t you take Fotia and Anemus with you?"


    "I..." Athena had no words to explain to Foti¨˘ her reason for leaving. "It''s complicated, my angel."


    Foti¨˘ had not yet developed her mentality and as a child, she did not understand what was complicated for an adult, as the adult herself did not understand.


    "Athena." Sahari called. "What are you doing?"


    Athena said goodbye to Foti¨˘, ended the mental connection and looked at the woman, who for the first time since Athena met her, wore a dress instead of armor.


    "I was talking to my daughter." Athena said with a grin. "You look beautiful."


    Sahari raised an eyebrow at Athena with a crooked smile and sat down beside the woman.


    "You can get your horse out of the rain. You don''t stand a chance with me." Sahari joked.


    "Tsk!" Athena pouted like she was disappointed and they both laughed.


    "How is she?"


    "Missing me and probably annoyed that I didn''t explain anything."


    "I don''t blame her, her mother ran away." Sahari jabbed where it hurt the most.


    "How am I going to raise a child when I''m so lost?" Athena leaned against the side of the ship. "If I told you everything, you would probably call me crazy..."


    "Not that I think you''re normal..." Sahari joked. "But there''s something you can do now."


    "And what would it be?"


    "Make peace with Mifa." Sahari looked at the beastman girl beside Lobana. "She keeps stealing glances from you all the time, but she doesn''t come close. What did you do?"


    "Why does it have to be me doing something?" Athena sulked. "Since the end of the war she hasn''t looked at me and runs away from me."


    Just like everyone who saw what Athena did in the execution, Mifa was very scared of Athena.


    No other skill or dark magic did what Athena did and the scene, for those who saw, it was a mixture of beauty and dread, where Death herself had descended into the mortal world to devour the souls of those miserables.


    This caused two reactions days after the event, absolute obedience and adoration from some eccentric cultists.


    Athena looked at Mifa and the girl quickly looked away, making Athena sigh.


    "It doesn''t matter that she keeps avoiding me." Athena look to Sahari. "We''re going to split into Ethers anyway."


    "Coward." Sahari said in an almost angry voice.


    "Huh?"


    "Are you going to run away from her too?"


    "She''s the one running away."


    "But of course she is. She''s scared." Sahari emphasized. "Even I was scared of you after I saw you eat those people''s souls."


    "If you know that, why ask what I did then?" Athena scratched her head irritably. "And there''s no need to compare what I did with Foti¨˘ and the others to that..."


    "Athena, wait!"


    "... Mifa and I are traveling companions at best."


    "Athena!" Sahari complained.


    "What?!"


    "Tsk!" Sahari clicked her tongue with an annoyed look.


    "Traveling companions..." Mifa repeated behind Athena.


    Athena turned in fright and saw Mifa''s eyes filled with tears.


    Athena tried to say something, but without listening to the woman, Mifa ran to the rooms below deck.


    "Aaargh!" Athena screamed in complaint.


    "You really haven''t noticed?" Sahari had a disapproving look.. "She loves you more than a ''traveling companions'' you idiot."

 Chapter 48 - A Promise For Tomorrow

    Mifa was an ordinary girl in a far west village, located on a floating islet called Eltas.


    Eltas was like a great forest surrounded by small hills and right in the middle of it, the village Mert.


    One day, Mifa found Klad and Killa on the edge outside of Eltas, they were lost, hungry and injured.


    Mifa had two choices, abandon him or save them.


    The hyena girl was always very lonely, even in the hospitable village that was Mert, so when she met Klad and Killa, Mifa helped them.


    After a few weeks, the other three also showed up and Mifa heard the most diverse stories about the world outside Eltas and desperately wanted to see it with her own eyes.


    On the day of the departure of Klad''s group, Mifa joined them, said goodbye to her homeland and left to see the world.


    Mifa and her friends went through several situations together, hunger, cold, thirst, dangers and defeats, but in the end, they always ended up laughing.


    This continued until they found Athena.


    Due to the adventures she had lived and the experiences she had accumulated, Klad had become convinced that she was strong.


    The truth was bitterly painful for them.


    After the death of Klad and Killa, Mifa learned that the world was much wider than she had ever seen it, and after traveling fair to her, Mifa learned more about Athena.


    She saw in Athena, in addition to her strength, a sweet, affectionate, mysterious person, at the same time clumsy and skillful.


    Mifa admired her, but this admiration soon grew and changed shape and had become some form of love, which the girl only came to discover when she felt jealous of Athena when the woman was talking to Lobana in a more intimate way.


    But in the end, that love was impossible.


    Mifa was curled up in her blanket in her room when she felt someone sit on her bed.


    The girl stuck her nose out of the blanket and quickly identified the person when the rainbow rose scent.


    "Youˇ­ don''t need to say anything." Athena said. Her voice was withered and hesitant. "Just listen to me."


    Mifa curled up in bed and waited for Athena to speak, but the voice didn''t come for a short, long time and the girl, thinking that Athena had left without her noticing, looked back.


    Athena had her head down, her hair falling in her face and her hands covering her eyes.


    She didn''t know what was going on with Athena and jumped on the bed when Athena sobbed and then took a deep breath.


    "The story I told in Basilian about my daughter''s birth is a lie." Athena started. "Foti¨˘ is a nymph born from my mana, so yes, she is my daughter...


    I''m telling you this so you can understand the story I''m about to tell. A part of my story.


    A long time ago, longer than you can imagine, I loved someone in a way I never loved anyone. She had become the most important thing to me and I lived for her.


    For her, I left a lot of things and many other people important to me. I loved her so much, I would kill the world if it would make her happy, but... I was betrayed."


    They were silent for a while longer, Athena feeling her mouth bitter and a lump in her throat, and Mifa simply stunned by the story.


    "...After that, I abandoned her and closed my heart in fear and hating, hating and hating for a long, long time.


    But then one day I woke up and there were my reasons for living again. My little innocent Foti¨˘ and the fragile, strong, intelligent and lovable Anemus.


    But one day Anemus told me she loves me and I realized my fear and hate for love, and so I ran away like a coward, leaving Anemus furious with me and Foti¨˘ alone.


    I am so grateful that you love me, but Mifa, I am by no means the person you imagine me to be.


    I am cowardly, hateful, selfish, lustful and in this new phase of my life, lost and impulsive."


    "That means..." Mifa was now sitting and having heard everything Athena had to say, she felt like Athena was asking to wait, but...


    "I mean I can''tˇ­ no, I can''t answer your feelings." Athena looked at Mifa and on her face there was only regret mixed with anger.


    Athena was angry at Luana for betraying her, she was angry at herself for betraying Anemus'' trust, and she was angry for not being able to go on with her life even though she left the world where the woman who did her so badly, is or he was, and regretted hurting Mifa.


    "I can''t ask you to wait for me to solve my problems. I don''t-"


    "Then ask!" Mifa buried Athena when she saw a chance for her love to come true. "Ask me to wait."


    Mifa took Athena''s surprised face in her hands and leaned her forehead against Athena''s.


    "I''ll wait if you ask me. I''m still young and I have another four hundred years to go. Can I wait?"


    Athena looked into the girl''s eyes and because she was so close, she could hear Mifa''s desperate heartbeat.


    Athena smiled at Mifa''s courage, courage which she lacked and feeling ashamed of her cowardice, Athena nodded.


    "Wait for me." Athena smiled sweetly. "But if you don''t understand, I''m really, really old. Do you still want to wait?"


    "How old could a human look like you be?"


    "I''m not human." Athena said and Mifa jumped to the corner of the bed.


    "What are you then, demon?"


    "Worse, I''m a high human." Athena said and Mifa laughed.


    "What are you talking about? High humans were extinct millennia ago."


    "As you can see, not everyone." Athena rose. "There is one more I know who is alive."


    After that, Athena and Mifa made peace with an unsecured promise as the basis for their new friendship.


    After a week of travel, the Goddess Glory entered imperial territory again and continued their journey through the hot winds of the Sigma desert.

 Chapter 49 - Athena, Something And Death

    Ethers, an island in the far north where the holy city was located, the last city a god ever set foot on the mortal world.


    With a small population, the city could also be called a village around a large temple surrounded by several statues of gods.


    There was a statue of a man with a large ax and a dead deer on his shoulders, a naked woman with long hair who carried a sword, a girl with a large book in her hands and others.


    Athena looked at it with total disinterest. She couldn''t care less about the gods who sat in their comfortable seats somewhere in the world, watching so much misfortune happen in the world.


    "Aren''t they beautiful?" A priest asked.


    Athena looked at the old man beside her with the same disinterest as she looked at the statues.


    "I''ve seen better..." Athena replied thinking of the Greek sculptures.


    "Athena, let''s go! It''s about to start!" Lobana yelled in the distance.


    "Go without me. My problem is with these guys." Athena responded by pointing to the temple and heading into the building.


    Inside the temple, on the walls were several paintings depicting the gods acting in the world a long time ago.


    Hija, the god of calamities, throwing plagues, diseases and natural disasters on a kingdom.


    Asha, the fertility goddess, with a baby in her arms and surrounded by several other children.


    Ertala, the goddess of war, delighting in the show that mortals showed her with their wars.


    Rugar, the god of dragons, towering over a mountain with several other dragons, of different colors, flying around him.


    Verika, the earth god, molding mountains and dividing valleys with his hands.


    The gods dotted the painting on both walls. There were so many that if Athena started counting them, it wouldn''t be over until the end of the day.


    Athena made her way to the altar without paying much attention to the painting, but then she was forced to fix her eyes on the art.


    On the wall behind the altar, the painting on both walls was completed in one and in the middle of all gods there were three entities with their faces covered.


    A man, a woman and a child stood among the gods as if they were supervising everyone else.


    "This is the trinity." A soft voice echoed off the walls.


    Athena looked around, looking for the source of the voice and rested her eyes on a black man with long braids and black eyes without light. He wore a long white blanket wrapped around his body and had two gold bracelets on his arms.


    "Trinity?"


    "Yes." The man walked to Athena calmly. "They who gave life to the other gods."


    Athena stared at the man, wondering the way he looked at her, not looking at her, as he smiled.


    "And who are they?"


    "The woman in white on the right is Neph, the gentle-looking man on the left is Viha, and the child in the middle is Meno."


    "Death, Life and Time?" Athena stared at the image of Neph, of Death.


    The woman with a veil covering her face was nothing like Athena imagined.


    Neph conveyed an air of elegance, maturity and serenity as she guided souls.


    Dirty and tormented souls passed through Death''s hands and came clean to Viha like a bow of veil.


    Viha, in turn, guided the souls around the world with gentleness, while creating more and more with the help of Meno, who like a dictator, limited the time of the newborns and watched over their destinies.


    (Hahaha...) Athena mentally laughed and dismissed the image she saw.


    The Death she knew wasn''t nearly the same as in the painting.


    For Athena, Death was selfish, jealous, controlling, and at the very least, crazy. A child who had found a new toy, she, and didn''t want to let go.


    "How can I talk to them?" Athena asked the man who accompanied her in her moment of silence.


    "Talk to the trinity?" The man smiled. "My child, they are listening to us right now. We are at their house after all."


    (This man...) Athena looked up with a serious look.


    Athena never liked priests, whether in this world or the other, they always seemed to want something from you, but this man, even without seeing it, seemed only to look at your faith.


    "Right... Your name?"


    "I am Hecius, one of the temple priests of all the gods."


    "Well then, Hecius, I am Athena. I came to talk to Death."


    "Feel free. I''m sure she''ll heard." The man said and disappeared into the temple just as he appeared.


    After watching the man leave, Athena sat on the altar step without any respect or reserve and faced the door.


    Athena didn''t know how to pray, so she just urged Death''s presence into her mind and calmly waited.


    ***


    After an hour of looking at the entrance to the place, Athena saw someone approaching slowly.


    From the silhouette, Athena could tell the person was a woman, but there was something odd about that person.


    With every step she took, Athena''s skin prickled as if she were cold.


    (Huh? Scared? Am I scared?)


    Athena trembled as see that wicked aura around the silhouette, that was different from Death or demons.


    The thing was less than ten feet from Athena, but she still couldn''t see what and who it was.


    Athena couldn''t even get up and was sweating to the point of dampening her dress. She was breathing hard as if there was no air in the place, her nose started to bleed and her mind couldn''t focus.


    (Ah... Aaaagh...)


    A sinister smile suddenly appeared in that sea of ??evil and then Athena felt an icy blow to her chest and something warm trickle down her legs.


    "Kurgh!" Athena couldn''t even cry out in pain from the dread. "Argh.."


    Slowly Athena''s vision became more and more blurred and when she could no longer see anything, she heard a fragile, dead voice.


    "That doesn''t belong to you."


    Athena''s heart, which had been racing, had now stopped and her body was rapidly losing heat.


    "Go your own way..."


    Athena felt something leave her already weak body and felt even weaker.


    She felt empty.


    "The time... Athena, come quickly... I''m waiting..."


    ..


    ...


    ....


    "Aaah...~ Why is that?" Someone complained in a misty place. "It was so fun to see a mortal become a god... Who spoiled my fun?"


    The person squirmed like a child, but everything was so cloudy that couldn''t see who was complaining so much.


    "Oowaah! Did you wake up? If you woke up, say you''re awake!"


    Suddenly large, wicked eyes appeared.


    Dark eyes, with deformed pupils that looked like a beam of darkness dancing freely in the eyeballs.


    "I was waiting for you to wake up." The person approached, but it was not possible to see her face or what her body was like.


    There was just something like a white shadow, or maybe a blur.


    "You know how difficult it was to interfere to bring you here? Frankly... Gods aren''t omnipotent, you know?"


    The person continued to complain.


    Couldn''t tell what time it was or even if time existed there.


    "So what? Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to look like a scarecrow who lost his arms?"


    The person leaned forward, getting very close.


    "Me? Not me..."


    Nothing came to mind... Maybe a memory loss?


    "I don''t know... I was..."


    A pain in the chest bothers and the heart seems to stop.


    "I died?"


    "Huuuh? Hell, no!"


    The person looked stunned by the question.


    "I don''t understand why you look so angry..."


    "First of all, is this aˇ­dream?"


    Why a question?


    "Second, of course I''m pissed!" The person threw it''s arms in the air in contempt. "I''m a goddess, you know!"


    "AND?"


    "And I''ve never encountered anything that could interfere with a god''s powers, but even so, I can''t control your class anymore."


    Suddenly everything was clear and the memories kept coming back.


    "Death?"


    "What you want?"


    "What was that?"


    "Did you go deaf after I brought your soul here? I don''t know, okay? What? Why that face?"


    "Death, I came here for two reasons."


    "Huh? Isn''t it because I brought you?"


    "Not here! Here, in the temple of all the gods." Athena sighed. "First, get this thing off of me. Second, I need to know who brought me into this world."


    Death paced and then stared at Athena with haunting eyes.


    "First of all, the first question wasn''t a question but an order. Don''t order me around." Death narrowed its eyes menacingly and then relaxed, floating on its back in the air(?). "All I know about you coming to this world is that I couldn''t get your soul three times and that''s why it took my interest, but first..." Death made an awkward silence and then pushed the thought away. "Neither Meno and Viha know who brought you, but we know one thing."


    "And what would it be?"


    "Do you know the difference between you and the other mortals in this world?" Death spun in midair as if rolling on a bed. "Ah! It''s not immortality. You''re not the only one after all."


    Athena frowned, thinking about the difference and several things came to her mind, but even before saying, Death denied it.


    "No, that''s not it either. There have been others who have been reincarnated... Although you haven''t been reincarnated..." Death narrowed her eyes again thoughtfully and then threw the thoughts away like a paper ball in a dumpster . "Well, whatever."


    "So what? Are you going to say it or are you going to keep it up until my body gets old?"


    "The difference is your soul." Death''s eyes smiled. "Your soul is one step away from being like a god and one step away from being a mortal. Your existence is unique. A demigod wouldn''t be right, but it''s not wrong either."


    "I still do not understand..."


    "The mortals of all the worlds have to work hard to be strong like you. But you and your nymphs... What are your nymphs anyway?" Death looked interested for a second and then continued talking. "You feed on what you kill and make it your strength." Death spun and turned upside down. "Like the gods, but more efficiently because you can kill all the time. Apart from special existences like me, Viha and Meno, the other gods need sacrifices and offerings to get strong."


    "Got itˇ­" Athena narrowed her eyes in thought. (That means my body and the girls still work like we''re still in the game...)


    "You seem to know something..."


    "No, I don''t know anything." Athena shook her head and stood on what she believed to be the floor. "Alright.... Now, get rid of the class you imposed on me, please?"

 Chapter 50 - Extra

    At the request of a reader, I have written here the physical characteristics of the characters presented so far, with the exception of the less important, dead and those who have only been mentioned.


    If you have any idea what else to add to the descriptions, just comment on that paragraph.


    Well, the first one has to be our problematic protagonist.


    ============================


    Athena (342)


    Race: High Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Pale blond


    Eye Color: Emerald Green


    H: 176 B: 105 W: 87 H: 112


    Fun Facts: She has a pink spot beside her navel that looks like a medieval British shield and three dots lined up behind her right shoulder. She doesn''t know of their existence.


    I couldn''t find anything better than the cover photo to illustrate her face, besides, Athena was born because of this art. Zoom version of the cover: https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/030/655/673/large/ya-lun-.jpg?1601270844


    I love the arts of Ya Lun.


    ======================


    Anemus (Current) (543)


    Race: Nymph of the Wind


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Green (Influence of her feelings for Athena)


    Eye Color: Greenish Golden Blond


    Wings: Six yellow feather wings with green tips


    H: 143 B: 90 W: 71 H: 98


    Fun Facts: Normally, after evolution, nymphs don''t gain as many wings, Anemus evolved into an existence close to a real fairy.


    It was this art that inspired the appearance of the current Anemus: https://mitologiagrega.net.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/mitologia-grega-ninfa-hermia.jpg


    ============================


    Foti¨˘ (342)


    Race: Nymph of Fire


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Reddish black


    Eye Color: Red


    H: 104


    Curiosity: Foti¨˘ managed to breathe fire, but she doesn''t because it hurts.


    Her appearance wasn''t based on anything and I didn''t find anything like her, so imagine. :3


    ============================


    Charles (60~)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair Color: Black with some gray streaks.


    Eye Color: Black


    H: 182


    Fun Facts: Charle has elven blood, so he''ll live a little longer than normal humans. I think up to 180.


    (I don''t think anyone remembers and cares about him, but I like him. haha)


    ============================


    Serien (19)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair Color: Silver black


    Eye Color: Purple


    H: 167 B: 95 W: 77 H: 103


    Fun Facts: Serien has an affinity for all elements, but her affinity for the sacred element is stronger.


    If I''m not mistaken, her appearance came from a League of Legends character or maybe Tera Online, but it could also have come from Soul Worker. :v


    ============================


    Nimo (4,621)


    Race: High Elf of the Mist


    Skin Color: Pale White


    Hair color: Gold


    Eye Color: Sapphire Blue


    H: 181 B: 118 W: 98 H: 125


    Fun Facts: At the beginning her community, Nimo didn''t want to be undressed.


    ========================


    Lunnia (312) (Without ring)


    Race: Human and Demon Hybrid (Unique)


    Skin color: Tan white


    Hair color: Black


    Eye Color: Yellow


    Horn color: Dark red


    H: 171 B: 101 W: 83 H: 108


    Curiosity: Her horns come out of her temples and go down around her face to her chin, opening out to the sides. All her teeth are sharp. She has something near her ass, at the base of her spine, where a tail existed.


    ========================


    Gion (4,215)


    Race: ???


    Skin color: Light brown


    Hair Color: Purple


    Eye color: Sky purple


    H: 189


    Fun Facts: Gion has eleven fingers. That''s all I can say so as not to risk giving out important information.


    ==========================


    Eun (3,988)


    Race: Homunculus


    Skin color: Pale white


    Hair Color: White


    Eye Color: Black


    H: 151 B: 79 W: 61 H: 87


    Fun Facts: She can''t show affection, but she loves Gion for not dismissing her as a failure, just as Ytria ordered.


    ======================


    Neu (3,988)


    Race: Homunculus


    Skin color: Pale white


    Hair Color: Black


    Eye Color: White


    H: 151 B: 79 W: 61 H: 87


    Fun Facts: She can''t show affection, but she loves Gion for not dismissing her as a failure, just as Ytria ordered.


    ======================


    Yrio (20~)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: Black


    Hair Color: Orange


    Eye Color: Pearl Green


    H: 176


    Curiosity: ??


    ==================


    Hein (??)


    Race: Nymph of Fire


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Crimson


    Eye Color: Yellow


    Curiosity: ??


    ====================


    Den (10~)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Black


    Eye Color: Blue


    H: 142


    Curiosity: ??


    ======================


    Vitia (20~)


    Race: ???


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Dark brown


    Eye Color: Dark Blue


    H: 164 B: 95 W: 78 H: 104


    Curiosity: ??


    Can''t say anything about her and Den right now.


    ======================


    Samy(??)


    Race: Kindred


    Skin color: White


    Hair Color: Orange


    Tail color: Orange with dark brown tip


    Eye Color: Light Blue


    H: 143 T: 34


    Curiosity: ??


    ======================


    Mifa (16)


    Race: Hyena-type Beastman


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: grayish brown


    Eye Color: Reddish Brown


    H: 156 B: 98 W: 77 H: 105 T: 45


    Fun Facts: Her claws grow very fast and she has to cut them all the time or she could end up injuring herself. Her face and body is human, but she has hyena ears and tail and is physically stronger than a normal human.


    ========================


    Sura (17)


    Race: Half Elf


    Skin color: White


    Hair Color: Green Blond


    Eye Color: Gray


    H: 168 B: 94 W: 68 H: 94


    Fun Facts: She is so shy that I don''t know anything about her.


    ======================


    Lera (14)


    Race: Dhampir


    Skin Color: Pale White (Almost Sick)


    Hair color: Pale blond


    Eye Color: Coral Red


    H: 149 B: 82 W: 64 H: 90


    Fun Facts: Despite being a dhampir, she is as weak and frail as any other human girl her age. She is always sleepy.


    ======================


    Mhia (17)


    Race: Draconian


    Skin color: White


    Color of scales: Blue


    Hair color: Bluish black


    Eye Color: Dark Blue


    H: 172 B: 103 W: 88 H: 114 T: 109


    Fun Facts: Hale was the first woman she fell in love with.


    ======================


    Naphe (40~) (Transformed)


    Race: Undine


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Silver


    Eye Color: Silver


    H: 112


    Curiosity: She is married. (O_O )


    ======================


    Lobana (30~)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: Black


    Hair Color: Red


    Eye Color: Amber (Honey Color)


    H: 177 B: 102 W: 84 H: 107


    Curiosity: Lobana hates the fact that Athena has abandoned Foti¨˘.


    ======================


    Dria (20~)


    Race: Werewolf


    Skin color: Brown


    Hair color: Black with blue streaks


    Eye Color: Dark Blue


    H: 181 B: 117 W: 97 H: 122


    Fun Facts: She wasn''t always a werewolf.


    ==================


    Nijha (20~)


    Race: Human and Lamia Hybrid


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Brown


    Eye color: ?? (Covered)


    H: 160 B: 90 W: 72 H: 98


    Fun Facts: Her eye powers are so strong that it works even on women.


    ======================


    Hale (20~)


    Race: Human Hybrid and Lioness-type Beastman


    Skin color: Tan white


    Hair Color: Orange


    Eye Color: Black


    H: 164 B: 96 W: 78 H: 107


    Fun Facts: Hale is quite passive despite her wild appearance.


    ====================


    Sahari (20~)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Pale red


    Eye Color: Shimmering Purple


    H: 174 B: 97 W: 79 H: 105


    Curiosity: I don''t know anything about her... All I know is that she was lost, a total mystery. But she is J''s favorite.


    ======================


    Kaize (15)


    Race: Human


    Skin color: White


    Hair color: Black


    Eye Color: Blue-Green


    H: 163 B: 93 W: 75 H: 101


    Fun Facts: She has several scars on her back.

 Chapter 51 - A Step To The Future

    "But what are you talking about?" Death frowned in confusion.


    "From the class, Death Knight, I don''t want to be that!" Athena protested restlessly.


    "But didn''t you hear anything I said? There''s nothing like that anymore. You don''t have my powers, you don''t have the class, and I can''t interfere with your existence anymore until you die." Death sulked.


    A wide smile spread across Athena''s face. She was finally free of the mad goddess and now she could follow her new path whichever she decided.


    "Now get out of here...but let me give you some advice first." Death floated around Athena.


    "Ah! Huh? What? What do you want?"


    "You should drop the past life." Death hovered in front of Athena. "Why do you keep clinging to something that''s been over ten millennia ago?"


    Athena''s eyes widened.


    "You should live as you like. Why are you afraid? What are you afraid of? There are people who love you here and now. Leave your resentments and fears behind and live your new life."


    Athena backed away from the goddess, but Death grabbed her face and the woman felt an unexpected heat.


    "B-but..."


    "What''s more? Are you afraid that nymph won''t accept you? You didn''t give her a chance. You didn''t give You a chance. Think about it, now get out of here. I lost interest in you."


    Athena was about to say something, but then her eyes opened to stare at the temple ceiling painted with the painting of the sky.


    Athena desperately checked her chest and all she had was the dried bloodstain on her mouth and nose.


    She was alive.


    Athena smile and then laughed out loud, making her laugh echo wildly through the temple.


    She didn''t understand why a trivial thing like feeling her heart beating made her so happy, but here she was, reveling in happiness without caring about the yellowish liquid at her feet.


    Suddenly she felt an enormous desire to see Anemus, Foti¨˘, Lunnia, the Valkyries, Serien and even Gion, but then...


    The fear of not being accepted by Anemus silenced her. Athena understood what Death meant, but the fear of being rejected was something common to anyone.


    Athena got up, opened the [Inventory] and entered the place. She took off her clothes, bathed in water of magic, and dressed without much of a rush.


    As she was leaving, Athena saw two soul''s scrolls, she took one and walked out of the inventory wearing a blue knee-length dress.


    (Let''s see what I am now...) Athena impregnated the scroll with her mana and then opened it.


    ==============================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High Human


    Class ? None


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 342 years old


    ?Magic?


    Magic Missiles; Ray of Fire; Ice ray; Ice Knife; Wind Blades; Lightning; Fire Ball; Fire Spear; Ice Spear; Lightning Spear; Wall; Meteor...


    ?Skills?


    Hew; Inventory; Dimensional Bag; Fortification; Acceleration; Sacred Shield; Moon Slash


    ?Features?


    Saint of Massacre ? A saint who became a cold genocider. There is no evil in its killing and its cause is murky. Due to the large amount of mana absorbed while committing a genocide, its existence as the Saint of Massacre was strengthened to the point of being permanent.


    Distorted Soul ? A soul that has absorbed other souls and strengthened its path to be a god.


    Loved by the Wind ? Due to the love of someone who will be a fairy, the wind refuses to hurt you.


    Immortal ? Time doesn''t matter anymore.


    ================================


    As soon as Athena finished reading the parchment, she was speechless. She was furious at not having any class after losing so many class scrolls, confused by the "Saint of Massacre" and "Distorted Soul". But that all ceased to matter when she read the "Loved by the Wind" feature.


    Anemus loved her and that fact erased everything else.


    This strengthened Athena''s desire to see Anemus and she ran to leave the temple with a big smile.


    She was still scared, but she was going to listen to everything Anemus had to say and then hug her, make up and live together again.


    Athena made several plans as she left the temple, only to hear the noise of battle.


    As she approached the exit, the screams, explosions, and the sharp sound of clashing metals grew louder.


    Athena pulled her sword from the [Dimensional Bag] and ran out as fast as possible.


    The city was in chaos, Athena did not understand how all that happened in such a short time.


    Men dressed in black robes chased priests and killed them in droves as well as the citizens of the city.


    Women, men, children and old people, no one escaped.


    All were cruelly killedwith stabs, spells that broke your bones to pieces, torn in half, and other cruel means imaginable. It was a real hell. All while the Valkyries and other mercenaries fought hard against men who wore blood red armor.


    However, they weren''t just humans, demons that should only be in the downland, they flew through the skies and ran across the land causing destruction.


    Athena ground her teeth and pointed her sword at the sky.


    "{Lightning Storm}"


    A mass of mana passed from Athena''s body to the sword, making the blade glow an intensely azure blue and then burst in a beam of light to the sky.


    The sky darkened with stormy black clouds with the use of seventh cycle magic and for every demon in the sky that Athena aimed her sword at, it was hit by a thick lightning that hit the ground and other demons and nearby heretics.


    She ended up hitting innocent people too, but that didn''t matter now. Athena continued her attacks while keeping her eyes on the Valkyries so that nothing happened.


    Athena didn''t mind killing, much less who was dying there.


    Ever since she''d come to this world, killing or dying had become some kind of routine.


    So as long as it wasn''t someone she liked, she''d just watch dozens or hundreds of deaths without lifting a finger.


    She wasn''t fighting because she wanted to defend the city, she was fighting because the Valkyries were.


    In the distance, Lobana led the warriors in a fierce and dark bloodbath.


    Athena did not see the war happening in Basilian, she fought on the front lines, tore up many people and decimated others, but she did not see the war.


    She was amazed at how fierce and strong the Valkyries were, with the exception of Mifa and her friends who fought against people in robes while trying to save as many people as possible.


    Athena rated Lobana, Sahari, Hale, and Nijha as people with powers almost at her level.


    The women were strong to the point that if the level of their powers were measured on a ladder, the four women would be just two steps below Athena.


    (I don''t think I need to worry about them...)


    The moment Athena thought this, Dria fell at her feet, without an arm and with her body bruised.


    "Huh? Dria?"


    Athena lowered her sword, crouched beside the woman and checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the woman was still alive.


    She placed her hand on what was left of Dria''s right arm and squeezed.


    "This is going to hurtˇ­" Athena said and laughed at herself. "But I don''t think you''ll mind that now. {Ray of Fire}"


    Athena''s palm glowed an orange light, and along with the smell of blood and death, the scent of burning flesh rose to her nostrils.


    Dria, who was unconscious, woke up in excruciating screams of pain as she writhed and bit Athena''s forearm.


    "H-hang on..." Athena growled through her teeth and then let go of Dria''s piece of burned arm.


    Dria looked at Athena with her exhausted dark blue eyes and thanked her in a husky, cracking voice and warned her of the enemy in the sky.


    Athena smiled a loving smile at the woman, took her in her arms and when she was taking her inside the temple, a shadow covered the whole place and a strong current of wind caused demons and people on both sides to be thrown anywhere.


    A giant black wyvern hovered over the city as it spat acid into any corner of the battlefield.


    Over the winged reptile, a dark blue-skinned demon with long black hair laughed, reveling in the destruction.


    "THAT, THIS! KILL IN MY NAME! DIE IN THE NAME OF FAENA! HAHAHAHAHA!" Screamed the demon in a shrill voice.


    Athena''s face twisted at the scream of what appeared to be a woman and then she turned her back and hid Dria in the temple.


    After putting on her armor, Athena used [Fortification] and [Acceleration], and ran outside.


    "It''s time for this lizard to start crawling!"


    In a flash, Athena leapt towards the wyvern and with her sword made eight big slashes with [Hew] in the animal''s left wing that roared and fell on the red army.

 Chapter 52 - Power Of Sacrifice 1/2

    It was all very fast, in exactly 3 seconds, Athena jumped, cut the animal eight times and landed on the roof of a building.


    No one but the demon could see Athena''s action. He followed Athena with his eyes as she jumped and cut the animal.


    He hadn''t expected a human like Athena to appear out of nowhere on that battlefield.


    But that didn''t shake him, quite the contrary, it made him very happy. Now he had the perfect gift for the goddess of destruction, Faena.


    The demon rose, still on the back of the wyvern that was in an uproar, attacking the army it was to defend, and looked at Athena who looked down at him with cold green eyes.


    "Say..." Athena was the first of the two to speak. "What''s all this for? In the short time I''ve been here (In this world), I''ve known that demons don''t come up to floating islands anymore."


    "Did you have to come here (On this island) to know that?" The demon leapt from the wyvern''s back to the ceiling where Athena was stepping. "What kind of bubble have you been living in and still getting so strong?"


    Athena walked away from the edge while keeping her attention on the demon who, despite looking like a woman, was a man.


    The demon had dark blue skin, yellow eyes with pink flecks and two short horns that grew from its forehead.


    "Besides, why would I tell you my plans?" The demon mocked. "You will die!"


    A sinister smile spread across the demon''s face, Athena clicked her tongue at the memory of Lunnia and the fight began when she disappeared.


    Athena was on the demon''s back in an instant and without giving him time to react she used [Moon Slash]. The demon flew like a shooting star to another corner of the city and the building where Athena was stepping collapsed with the impact, along with other buildings in the path of the skill''s energy explosion.


    Away from Athena, the demon, with his body torn in half, rose as its flesh regenerated grotesquely as it spewed black blood from its viscera, veins, and flesh.


    (Is it?)


    The demon kicked a piece of the wall in disappointment. The piece of wall exploded with the kick and the demon was not there anymore.


    He jumped at a speed that allowed him to reach Athena in milliseconds. Athena, who was regaining her stance amid the rubble, could only see a blue palm with black nails and was then dragged to another corner of the island.


    The demon dragged Athena by the head through trees, rocks and ravines creating a completely new path through the forest that surrounded the island.


    In a matter of seconds, Athena was in a totally different place and had her left arm bent in a weird way and blood was pouring out of her mouth and nostrils.


    "When you took down the wyvern, I thought you were strong, but..." The demon said and threw Athena to the ground in disdain. "What a disappointment. You can''t be my special gift to Faena like that..." The demon turned his back on Athena. "I think I''m going to have to go back to the original plan and look for the scroll with the information about the location of where Faena is sealed."


    ***


    Seconds after the demon returned to the city, Athena woke up. She was in pain all over her body and the dented helmet was suffocating her.


    "Argh!!!"


    Athena tore off her helmet with difficulty, took a deep breath as she grabbed her back-facing arm, and when she turned it in the original direction, a high-pitched scream echoed.


    "Fuh! W-why is there n-no healing skill?" Athena complained, irritated that she couldn''t use magic from the holy element.


    Athena got up leaning on a tree and began to hobble back toward the city. In her mind she started passing out various skills that could help, but none seemed good enough.


    (If only I had a paladin-class scroll...) Athena thought with regret at having wasted so many scrolls for nothing because of Death.


    To be a paladin required an affinity for holy element spells, but the class scroll circumvented that need and she would gain the holy element without bringing in her affinity.


    (No use crying over spilled milk...)


    ***


    In the city, after the wyvern had dwindled the invading army from within, the mercenaries were gaining the upper hand in the battle.


    Lobana was fighting a man twice as tall as she was, Sahari was facing two knights, Nijha was more advanced and cut a knight with a sword on the right and defended a attack with the other sword on the left while dodging a frontal attack.


    All the Valkyries, with the exception of Dria, who was out of combat, displayed formidable skills and strength, but the one most surprising was Kaize.


    The young, shy little mercenary was no longer so small and shy. Kaize had a rare skill that allowed her to grow ten times her size and thus, she subjugated stronger demons that no one else could handle.


    "Lobana, go help Kaize! She''s been in giant form for a long time!" Hale screamed as she decapitated a knight and was defended by a horse-sized blue dragon. "Thanks Mhia, but I told you to help the girls."


    In another call over there, Mifa protected a group of children along with Sura and Lera, and had fur covering more than half of her body while maintaining the bestified form of her race.


    The beastman slashed and bit heretics and demons while Lera covered herself and the children with a shield of blood, and Sura with her archery missed no targets.


    Her aim was perfect, she aimed, breathed and hit. No matter how fast the target moved, if she saw, she hit, but she hit who she shouldn''t.


    The demon that had defeated Athena was hit in his chest and looked at Sura, who was suddenly headless and the demon in her place.


    "NO!!! SURA!!!" Lera screamed desperately, getting Mifa''s attention.


    When she saw Sura''s head with eyes open in the bloody hands of the demon and the body still spasming on the ground, Mifa''s mind was filled with fury, hatred and a maddening bloodlust.


    The beastman race was a race that the more furious, the stronger their beast side became, bringing them closer to their wild origins.


    Mifa''s fur grew coarser, her fangs stronger and her claws sharper. Her muscles bunched, ripping her clothes and her wild appearance grew even wilder, resembling a werewolf.


    Mifa ran wildly towards the demon who smiled as if she was a cute thing coming towards him.


    "First a fake, then a mutt and now a wild puppy... I''ll play with you until I see you beg to die when you regain your consciousness."


    Mifa attacked the demon in the chest with her claws and then bit and tore off a piece of the man''s neck that didn''t even move.


    The demon swung his arm as if swatting a fly and Mifa flew against a building, destroying it and crashing through the wall where it hit.


    But Mifa didn''t stop. The girl got up and stepped forward again as she shattered anything in her path.


    With her claws and fangs, Mifa continued to attack, being thrown, being wounded and attacking again.


    This kept repeating until Mifa was exhausted and didn''t even have the strength to speak and only tears and blood rolled down her little face.


    "It was more fun than I thought and that''s why I''m going to kill you as fast as I killed your friend." The demon said as he grabbed Mifa naked by the neck and lifted her hand full of razor-sharp nails.


    Mifa looked at the demon''s hand, her face a mixture of fear and anger and closed her eyes as she listened to the noise of battle and Lera''s screams around her.


    She thought of Klad, Killa, Sura, Lera, the Valkyries and then her love. She thought about her promise to Athena and sobbed that she could never see her again.


    "Urgh!!" She felt the grip on her neck tighten and then braced herself for the death.

 Chapter 53 - Power Of Sacrifice 2/2

    After a while limping through the woods and she remembered what Lera had done to Klad''s arm and snuck through town looking for the girl to be healed at least a little.


    She avoided fights and the sight of demons, heretics using assassin''s stealth skill and then heard Lera''s screams calling for Mifa and mourning for Sura.


    Athena limped as fast as she could as she felt her organs loosen inside her and a sharp pain in her right leg, not to mention her left arm that was dangling by itself and gnawing at her head.


    When Athena, through an alley, arrived on a street farther from the center of the battlefield, she saw Sura''s decapitated body, Lera crying inside a red barrier, and Mifa at the demon''s feet.


    "Mifa?" Athena saw the demon grab the girl from the ground by her neck. Her heart got even faster when she saw Mifa about to die. (What do I do? What do I do? Think, think!!) Athena urged her brain for a solution.


    On the way there she had already thought of several skills and spells that could be useful in a fight against the demon and she knew the answer, but then the rush was too high and now she knew she could make peace with Anemus, she didn''t want to to die. Not now.


    The skill in question was [Mana Drain], in the game it was the only skill a mage, wizard or sorcerer could use.


    When used, this skill would drain the surrounding natural mana and give the mage, wizard or sorcerer a pseudo-invincibility.


    HP would stop being reduced for a few seconds, spell cooldown would be halved, and the caster would have unlimited MP for forty seconds as the skill would be activated.


    After the skill''s effect wore off, the side effects were not being able to use magic for one hour and there had one in ten chance of dying.


    The effects were powerful, but the side effects were severe and therefore it was a skill considered as a last resort by mage, wizards and sorcerers.


    However, Athena didn''t know the limitations and side effects of the skill in this world and if it lasts less than forty seconds, the chance of the demon surviving was high.


    Anyway, Mifa was about to die and suddenly nothing else mattered. Athena mentally apologized to Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Lunnia and took a deep breath.


    "[Mana Drain]"


    The instant Athena said the skill in a calm voice distorted with mana, the flow of mana across the area changed and the woman''s body glowed with a white aura that rippled and whipped wildly like a storm.


    Athena''s eyes that were green turned blue, veins pulsed violently in her neck, her skin turned glowing white, her blond hair became a veil of white light that floated as if underwater and the ground where Athena stepped cracked and trembled. .


    The aches that Athena felt disappeared as the mana ran through her body and put things in place and her body felt lighter and hot.


    Athena moved the broken arm as if it were still whole, checking its functionality and swung her right leg, ascertaining the pain that no longer existed and with that action the ground tore like a cloth to the demon''s feet.


    The man turned his face back, feeling his skin tremble as if warning him of danger. He ignored his instincts and moved his arm toward the girl in his hand.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" Athena asked in a distorted voice as she appeared beside the demon, with the man''s arm in her hands. "Let her go."


    The furious look on Athena''s face didn''t match the calm in her voice and even so, it made the demon tremble, let go of Mifa and jump away.


    At least he thought he had walked away.


    All this in a matter of milliseconds. The moment the demon released Mifa, Athena threw his arm anywhere, took the girl in her arms and then kicked the demon in the ribs which made a loud cracking sound.


    "You overreacted..." Athena said in a voice full of affection, as she brushed the bloody hair from Mifa''s face.


    Athena laid Mifa on the floor, pulled one of her dresses from the [Dimensional Bag], covered the Mifa and cast {Absolute Barrier} on the girl who opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of Athena''s face.


    Leaving Mifa there, under the protection of the tenth cycle magic that was now possible with an unlimited mana source, and did the same with the group of children with Lera.


    "Athena... Sura is..." Lera said and Athena looked again at the Half-Elf''s body.


    Athena took the head and put it to the body and with {Shape Earth} she covered the body with a box of hard earth.


    "I''m sorry... Death is something irreversible." Athena said in a mournful voice and Lera cried louder.


    Meanwhile, inside a building, where the demon was after being kicked, the man felt his ribs come back into place as he caught his breath and coughed up black blood.


    For the first time in his life he was feeling his heart racing with fear, and for the second time that day, he was overwhelmed by the same woman.


    Feeling fear, anger and shame, still inside the building, the demon began to gather miasma and called the lesser demons within a hundred yards to him.


    The surrounding demons rushed to answer the man''s call and circled the building in the sky and on the ground, and then they all disappeared in a stormy, dense red-black aura that hid the place.


    The demon laughed, snubbing the sacrifice of the lesser demons and feeling the newly acquired power, he laughed heartily as he devoured all the miasma in the place.


    "Now no one will be able to oppose me and when I get the location of the seal, the demon lord Mammon will reward me with a real name! Fufufu..."


    The demon was beginning to revel in his new possibilities when he felt someone''s piercing eyes on his back.


    "Pleased?" Athena asked in a calm, menacing voice.


    The demon turned to Athena who seemed to have even more mana than before and laughed wildly.


    "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Now you are a gift! I''ll-"


    Athena didn''t wait for him to finish, she didn''t have the patience for it anymore. With a sword that wasn''t her own, she ripped out the demon''s jaw.


    There, unlike what the demon thought, there began execution through endless torture. Athena cut and he regenerated, Athena plucked and he regenerated.


    Every time he was cut and or torn, Athena would wait for him to regenerate and repeat it all over again until he began to shake and cry.


    "No! Please! That''s enough! I don''t want to di-"


    Athena cut off his head and waited. His head melting into miasma and swaying on his kneeling body.


    The demon lunged at Athena and in response, she slashed him into large pieces. Athena did not intend to make his death easy and she also did not intend to allow his soul to return to hell. So she covered the place with mana, making an eternal cocoon so that when she gave the final blow, his soul was trapped in an eternal prison.


    When the demon stopped resisting, reacting or begging, Athena decided it was enough and destroyed the man''s body by burning it with white flames.


    That wasn''t magic, it was pure and condensed mana with {Hellfire} magic properties. Athena called it "Flame of Punishment".


    The demon''s soul flew, trying to escape to hell and Athena trapped him in a pure white colored mana crystal, just like her current mana was and then threw him into her [Dimensional Bag] to never leave.


    ***


    With the mana of the area having an owner at the moment, no one on the island could use powerful spells anymore. So heretics who only knew how to use magic were quickly subdued and only those who knew how to use swords or any other weapon remained in the battle.


    The mercenaries and enemy soldiers, who used skills, still had their powers to use and kill each other. It because skill didn''t need the world''s mana to create some phenomenon.


    But anyway, the battle was about to end.


    The sky darkened again, just like earlier, but this time it was different. Amidst the black clouds, a ring hole was present.


    "Whoever doesn''t want to die, leave!" A powerful voice echoed across the battlefield.


    People looked back and standing in front of the temple of all the gods, Athena spewed mana into the sky like a reverse waterfall.


    Red rays appeared from among the black clouds and small balls of fire rained down all over the place, igniting the forest and wooden buildings.


    The mercenaries, defending themselves, looked up and their jaws dropped as they saw the massive meteor descend where there was a gap between the clouds.


    The warriors disentangled themselves from their opponents and hurried to where Athena was.


    The enemy tried to chase them, but it was useless. Halfway between where the battle was still going on and the temple, Athena had raised a hard wall of mana that only allowed the passage of those Athena allowed.


    After all the mercenaries fled, there were still hundreds of people there. These people were either crushed or burned alive by the flaming meteor that burned and destroyed a third of the island.


    "You could have won the war in Basilian alone, couldn''t you?" Lobana asked as she wiped her bloodstained face, but she got no answer. "Don''t ignore me A-!!!"


    When Lobana looked back at Athena, the woman was breathing hard on the ground.


    "Athena!"

 Chapter 54 - Outcome 1/2

    Athena had greatly exceeded the forty seconds that should have been the skill''s time limit in the game.


    But this was the real world, it wasn''t a game. The only rule in this world was "the strongest survive" and as long as Athena had the strength to keep the skill active, that''s how it would stay.


    When she finally got rid of the demon, her body burned from the inside out and the air was heavier, but she couldn''t stop...


    Athena advanced through the city exterminating the enemies she saw until she reached the temple of all the gods and then had a better view of everything.


    She cast {Storm} and {Meteor} with authority and power in her voice. The two ninth and tenth cycle spells merged and the sky darkened.


    The torrent of mana that swept through her body and inched toward the sky seemed to want to drag her along.


    Athena felt her insides throb with violence and her skin pull without releasing her flesh.


    The world darkened for a moment and Athena staggered, but then she gritted her teeth in a snarl and held herself upright.


    "Those who don''t want to die, leave!" That was the last thing Athena said and heard.


    After that, she couldn''t hear anything else, let alone speak. And if her blood hadn''t been practically replaced by mana, it would have been gushing from her orifices.


    When it was all over and Athena canceled the skill, she was breathing, no, she was trying to breathe. But her lungs weren''t working right, her skin, now reddened, steamed and her hair still emanated light.


    Intense pains spread through Athena''s entire body, but she couldn''t scream.


    The people around her were still stunned by the sight of part of the island burning alongside the heretics and did not see that Athena, their savior, was in a critical state


    As the pains intensified, Athena was hit with heavy weariness. Her lightless eyes closed and then her awareness fell silent as her body fell to the ground.


    ***


    On that moonless night, the flames from the hundreds of pyres crypted. The people there wept and said goodbye to their dead with grief on their faces.


    The Valkyries were all with their heads down in front of two pyres.


    Mercenaries were always prepared to die, but never to say goodbye. They all cried, some louder than the others, but all with the same sadness.


    "I hope we can meet in our next livesˇ­" Lobana said in her choked voice. "May they be happy and the world be better when they reincarnate."


    There weren''t many words to say, words were unnecessary there.


    The emptiness of the hole left in the heart, the loneliness of being left behind, the longing that will never disappear. This was something that would mark them forever, until their deaths.


    They stayed there in weeping and silence until the flames were extinguished and there was nothing left of the two people who were lying there.


    ***


    Everything was white.


    The world was like an endless sea of ??mist.


    Even if looked around, looking for a way forward, everything would look the same, nothing different.


    She was alone.


    It wasn''t possible to hear anything, but even if it was, there was nothing to be heard in that place.


    She crouched down.


    Cringing in her loneliness and waiting for someone to save her from that place.


    But nobody came.


    Athena looked at that scene with a complicated expression.


    She wanted to run over there and say she wasn''t alone, but every step she took was a futile action and even if she tried to say something, in that place there was no sound to be heard.


    The girl remained there, with her back to Athena, unaware of her presence.


    Athena did not understand what and where that place was. She had woken up there, but it was like she had been there for a long time.


    (I...) All she could hear were thoughts of her and Athena had gotten very good at talking to herself. (...I must die...)


    *Let''s get things pretty messed up now...*


    (What are you talking about, me? We can''t have died. Anemus and Foti¨˘ wait for me.)


    (To be realistic, we kind of fried my body, so the chance I''m dead is pretty high.)


    (High? Realism is pessimism. I hate pessimists.)


    (We all know you hate us.)


    (Hate? Come on! I don''t hate anybody, I love everybody!)


    (So ??it must have been your fault that we were in this state.)


    (How could I? It was our part of the decision!)


    (For the love we feel for our precious girls. Shut up!) Athena ordered and all voices fell silent. (I have to find a way out of here or at least find out where I am.)


    ***


    Lobana was sitting alone in a clearing near a hut when she saw Sahari leave the hut.


    Before Sahari closes the door, Lobana could see the white glow coming from the dark building.


    "How are the two?"


    "Mifa is recovering well. Lera''s magic is quite efficient, as Athena... Lobana, we need a more powerful cleric, healer or shaman." Sahari said with a bitter expression.


    "What about the temple priests?"


    "They''re not spellcasters at all, they''re just people who like to serve the gods..."


    "Then we have no other choice."


    "Yes, but will the Gloria of the Goddess hold until then?"


    Lobana looked thoughtfully at the ship hovering above the city and sighed.


    "If only we had black iron chains... We could have her suspended on the two masts without touching the ship."


    They talked about the state of Athena.


    The mana that still resided in the woman''s weakened body, without a mind to control, was like a weapon that destroyed everything it touched.


    Even the ground where she rested was being slowly destroyed.


    However, that didn''t mean that this mana was protecting her. Athena suffered from mana poisoning, it made her natural mana mix with the surrounding mana, bring it in and expel like needles from the inside out.


    "Then I''ll send Hale and Mhia to go buy it. The town of Hekta is just over a week away. We just need to make sure Athena survives until we reach Basilian." Lobana said as she got up from her seat.


    ***


    As instructed, Mhia in her dragon form flew with Hale on her back to Hekta and the others did their best to take care of Athena.


    Hale and Mhia had been away longer than anticipated and it had been three weeks before they returned with thick black chains.


    "We had to come back little by little because of the chains." Hale said and no one questioned.


    Black iron was the only metal that resisted anything involving mana and also inhibited the use of any spell or skill.


    This had been an arduous journey for Mhia. Neither Hale nor Mhia had the skill [Dimensional Bag] and because of that, Mhia always had her draconic strength undone when her mana was maxed out by the chains.


    The Valkyries wrapped Athena in chains and hung her on the two masts in a way that prevented the woman from touching the deck or any other part of the ship, and flew south, back to Basilica.


    ***


    (It''s been so long that that girl has been there... Who the hell is she?)


    Athena was still "alone" in that unfamiliar and misty place.


    (She might be the key to getting me out of here...)


    The girl remained in her repeated routine. She would get up, look both ways, take futile steps, and then sit back down, lonely and with her head bowed.


    (If only I could reach her...)


    Athena rested her chin on her arms folded over her knees and sighed without making a sound.


    It was then that she heard a crying, desperate voice.


    (Help me! I don''t want to be here alone anymore... *sob*... I want to see Mommy! I won''t be a bad girl anymore... *sob*... I promise I''ll be good... *sob*...)


    Athena widened her eyes when she heard the voice filled with loneliness and regret. She didn''t hear the voice with her ears, but in her mind.


    (Huh? W-who? No, how? Am I finally going crazy?)


    (Hm! Who''s there?) The girl raised her head, looking forward and sideways, looking for the source of the voice.


    (You... Can you hear me?! I''m behind you!)


    As soon as Athena said that, the girl got to her feet and turned to Athena.


    The rosy cheeks that reminded her of Athena de Foti¨˘, made the woman miss her daughter.


    The girl had long white hair, long white eyelashes and white eyes, and she looked to be ten years old at most.


    (Who are you?) They both asked.

 Chapter 55 - Outcome 2/2

    A few weeks after Athena''s official coronation, the emperor of Elsna, Sued Tarna Elsna, summoned his right-hand man, saint Veta, to a meeting.


    "Now that Basilica is in the hands of a woman. It will be much easier to take her." Said the emperor.


    "Are you talking about another war?"


    The emperor smiled. "No, I''ll marry the new queen."


    "I see... As the empire is without an empress at the moment, if his majesty marries Princess Serien-"


    The emperor narrowed his eyes as Veta spoke and sighed. "Veta, didn''t you know? Rerian suffered a coup d''etat. The queen is now a woman nicknamed ''Queen of Death.'' They say she is beautiful and dark."


    "How can a person be beautiful and dark at the same time?" Veta asked, although he already knew about the rumors about the queen in the south.


    Veta feigning ignorance in front of the emperor, was something usual. He did the same when he killed the empress and let the imperial prince escape. All this for the emperor to keep his guard down around him.


    Veta, son of the saint archer Lanar, had spent thirty years serving the man who killed his father. During this period, he fought wars and proved his loyalty several times to the man he hated.


    Being a formidable warrior, at the age of 46, Veta achieve sainthood and became the ''Saint of War'' and time stoped for him as well as for all saints.


    However, that still wasn''t enough to accomplish his revenge.


    His plan was to bring the empire to glory and then wait for the prince to return, giving absolute happiness to the emperor, who thought his son was dead. Then, with the emperor watching from his cabin, he would destroy the empire from within and bury a sword into the chest of his beloved son.


    Only then would his revenge be complete.


    "I don''t know. But she will be perfect and then Basilica will be mine and with it, the Marquis'' dungeon and when we conquer the dungeon, the Marquis'' heart stone, I will finally be able to resurrect my Den." The emperor smiled a smile that bordered on madness.


    Veta smiled kindly at the emperor''s plan. (Fool...)


    ***


    During the trip back to Basilica, three days had passed and Mifa was still on the deck. Even though she was still recovering, she didn''t want to leave Athena alone.


    "Mifa, come inside, she doesn''t even know you''re there." Sahari said.


    Winter was approaching and the night lit by only one moon was cold, causing ice to form here and there.


    Mifa blamed herself for what happened to Athena. She thought that if she wasn''t too weak to deal with the demon, Athena wouldn''t have to go that far.


    As if reading the girl''s mind, Sahari sat beside her and stroked her hair. "You can''t blame yourself. Not even Dria..." Overcome with longing, Sahari was silent for seconds. "Not even Dria, who was as strong as Nijha and Lobana could defeat that thing... You are not weak, the enemy that was too strong."


    Mifa took a deep breath, filling her lungs with icy air, in a futile attempt to hold back her tears.


    Sahari hugged the girl and stroked her hair, which now, due to the metamorphosis, was long. They stayed like that until Mifa fell asleep and Sahari took her to the room below deck.


    Lobana, who was at the wheel, watched the scene and looked at Athena with a bitter expression. She felt useless for not being able to help Athena.


    (I''m not allow you to fucking die before you go back to your daughter.) Lobana thought as her fist tightened around the wheel.


    ***


    Athena looked at the girl and smiled, finally being able to talk to someone who was not part of her. (My name is Athena. And you?)


    The girl, with her cheeks flushed, smiled a beautiful and bright smile when she realized that Athena was right there.


    (I am Uran/End. Is Athena grounded too?)


    (Grounded? No. What is this place?)


    The girl made a sad expression. (We are in punishment...)


    Athena frowned. ''Punishment'' didn''t explain what she wanted to know, but then End continued.


    (Mom put me here after I tried to exercise my existence. You know, having two goddesses who have the same purpose doesn''t make a lot of sense, but Naph''s job should just be guiding the dead...)


    (Two goddesses? Death? Uran, are you a goddess?) Athena asked with surprise on her face and the girl gave a big wave.


    (I am the goddess of all ends.) Uran said, but then shook her head. (No. I was. A short time ago some mortals told me that I am now called the ''Goddess of Destruction''... I...) Uran sobbed (I... I didn''t destroy anything. I just kicked a human city... .)


    Athena couldn''t connect the dots of the girl''s story. She only knew a little about Lhia and Faena, but no goddess of destruction other than Faena appeared in the story, let alone a goddess of the end.


    Besides, Lhia and Faena weren''t even goddesses.


    But the divine problems didn''t matter at the moment. Uran had said that someone had spoken to her and that was a hope for Athena.


    (Has anyone come here before me?)


    (Here? No. I''ve always been alone.) Uran said as she bowed her head.


    (So ??who told you they called you the ''Goddess of Destruction''?)


    (It was Ytria and her friends. They created a key that opened one of the punishment seals.)


    (And why don''t you go through this loophole?)


    (I''ve already tried, butˇ­) The girl floated and then chain appeared on her ankles and wrists, pulling her back. (Mom put this on me.)


    (How long has that voice been here alone, Uran?) Athena asked with a bitter expression.


    The girl laughed the way only a naughty child would after being punished. (Hehehe... Only fifteen thousand years. Mom will soon forgive me.)


    Uran had spent fifteen millennia trapped, alone there. Thinking of the girl alone for all this time and seeing that awkward smile made Athena''s heart shrink in pain and her face harden in sadness.


    ***


    In Basilian, Serien was going through the building grant documents, which Athena had started and left for her to manage.


    It had been three months since Athena was gone and her workload still didn''t decrease.


    Serien dropped the documents onto the table and massaged her neck with her right hand as she pulled her hair over her left shoulder as the door echoed the knocks.


    "In between." Serien said in a tired voice.


    The door opened with a heavy creak and a red-haired woman dressed in men''s clothes, black coat and black pants with tall black boots.


    Her calm expressions brought relief to the princess, unlike her words.


    "Princess, an emissary from the empire awaits."


    Serien looked up tiredly, her face twisted in surprise and disgust.


    "What does he want?"


    "He didn''t said."


    Serien threw back her head and blew out her weariness as she rose from her chair.


    "Guide him to the throne room."


    "As you wish, princess."


    When Serien sat on the smaller throne to the right of an empty throne, the man who was dressed pompously tacky did not kneel in reverence.


    The man wore a tomato red suit, just like his hair and beard, with blue accents. This sight made the knights hold back their laughter.


    His disdain for the princess of a defeated kingdom was clear as day, but Serien didn''t mind his lack of education. Basilica was getting up again and her people were happier than they had been in the last hundred years. That was enough for her.


    Serien looked at the man with a sharp look. "What does an emissary from the empire want?" Serie said in a dignified voice.


    The man looked at the princess and clicked his tongue as he was seen from above.


    "I come to convey the words of His Majesty, Emperor Sued Tarna Elsna." The man looked at Serien with annoyance. "What are you doing?"


    "What do you mean?" Serien maintained her dignity as princess regent.


    "I just said that I am here to convey the Emperor''s words."


    "Well then, do it."


    "Get off the throne and kneel!" The man ordered.


    Serien raised an eyebrow at the man and signaled to the knights, who were beginning to pull their swords from their scabbards, not to.


    "And why should I? We''re not empire vassals and we don''t have any friendly relationship either."


    "Why your-"


    "Complete this sentence and you will spend a week in the castle dungeons." Serien rose from her throne and descended the stairs to the emissary. "Know that in Basilica, not killing the messenger is a courtesy and not a rule."


    Serien was shorter than the man and she had to look up to speak with his face, but her presence was greater, which made the man flinch.


    "Now, if you came here just to see me on my knees, I believe you wasted your time. Basilicans no longer knelt." Serien walked through the throne room, which was now dark due to the thick curtains covering the windowpanes, lit only by torches, as Athena had requested. "Speak. What does the empire want?"


    The man never thought he would be afraid in this mission he was given, but there he was, with his heart pounding and his hands sweaty.


    "H-His Majesty, Sued Tarna Elsna, wishes to propose to the queen of death, Athena, in marriage so that the kingdom of Basilica can join the empire and the people stop suffering."


    "Hmphˇ­" Serien snorted. "What if she doesn''t accept?"


    "Huh?"


    "I asked: What happens if she doesn''t accept?" Serien repeated as she opened one of the curtains a little.


    "I... I don''t know. I wasn''t told the consequences." The man replied.


    "I imagineˇ­" Serien turned to the man and smiled. "It''s a pity. This matter should be dealt with with her highness, as only she can answer."


    As soon as Serien said this, a knight entered the throne room.


    "Your highness, Queen Athena has returned." The man enunciated and Serien smiled with her whole face.


    "Looks like you won''t have to wait that long.." Serien said to the man and ran out the door.

 Chapter 56 - Promise And Delivered Feelings

    After talking for weeks or maybe years, they couldn''t tell, Athena and Uran had become best friends.


    Uran told everything she knew about the gods and also about the gift she gave to her visitors millennia ago and Athena told her adventures in this and the other world and even though she already had a way out of that place, the woman stayed there, keeping company for the goddess.


    (Athena, won''t your nymphs be worried if you don''t go back?) Uran asked with a sad expression.


    Athena smiled affectionately at the thought of Anemus and Foti¨˘, and then at the thought of Uran. (Yes, they will.)


    Uran bowed her head and let her shoulders slump.


    (Uran, I''ll get you out of here.) Athena said and the girl looked at the woman again. (We both know your mother won''t get you out of here and I don''t agree with that. She created you in the way she wanted and now discards you? I won''t accept it!) Athena said with an annoyed expression.


    Uran smiled with hopeful eyes and then laughed at the thought of Athena facing her mother. (Fufufu~... Athena, do you know that my mother is the creator of everything in this dimension and yet you want to fight her? Fufufufu~...)


    (What''s the matter? I''ll bring her to you by the ear!)


    (Fuhahahahaha!) Uran laughed. For the first time she laughed so happily.


    Asherah, her mother, was a woman embittered by being abandoned by her husband, and this made her be severe with her children, especially with Uran, who had an essence similar to her father.


    Uran never knew her mother''s love, not even once. Instead, Uran often met her mother''s wrathful side.


    But that didn''t make Uran hate her, she loved her mother more than anything, but now she had someone else she loved. Athena had quickly become an irreplaceable existence for her. She was happy.


    (Then Athena, I''ll help you.) Uran stood and raised her hands towards Athena. (I can''t do much with these chains on me, but with a part of the seal open, I can at least do that.)


    From Uran''s small hands gleamed and power reached Athena. It wasn''t mana, it was simply power, pure and simple. Athena closed her eyes, feeling the connection to her body and it was as if the wrong things fell back into place.


    (But how? Naph said that no god could interfere with me anymore.)


    (Perhaps the gods banished from the mortal world, but Athena, I''m trapped in the mortal world...) Uran''s voice grew fainter. (Looks like you can''t stay any longer...) The lonely girl didn''t look so lonely anymore. (Athena, I''ll wait for you down here.)


    (It won''t be long.) Athena told Uran and saw the girl disappear into that immense white.


    ***


    "Lobana, run here! Athena is no longer glowing!" Mifa screamed and all the women ran out onto the cold deck.


    When they looked at the woman trembling in the chains, their cloudy faces smiled.


    "W-wh-are you y-looking?" Athena asked and they cheered. "B-get me out of here...!"


    Lobana and Hale carefully lowered Athena from the masts, but Athena was too tired and hungry to walk and was carried by Lobana into her cabin.


    Athena told her what had happened to her while she was sleeping and all of them, but Mifa, listened with disbelief on their faces.


    Mifa was so happy that Athena was fine that she couldn''t stop smiling and hugging Athena. She only left the woman when Athena pushed her away and asked to be alone with her.


    "Mifa, I need to tell you something." Athena said and Mifa''s heart sped up. "What would you do if I told you I can''t just love you?"


    Mifa tilted her head with her ears up. "Huh?"


    "Let me explain..." Athena told how she felt when she saw Mifa almost die and told how she felt when she was fainting in the temple, thinking that she was going to die. "And that''s it."


    "You mean you love me too?" Mifa asked with hopeful eyes.


    "Huh? Yeah..." Athena widened her eyes in surprise. "Yes, butˇ­ aren''t you angry?"


    "Why? You love me!" Mifa said with a big smile. "Honestly, I thought it would take a lot longer." Mifa got up from her chair and sat on the bed.


    The truth is that Athena only realized that she was starting to love Mifa when she saw the girl almost die and when she almost died herself, she also realized her feelings for Anemus and felt that she needed to put her feelings into words.


    "Aren''t you jealous?" Athena asked just pull Mifa closer.


    "On the way to Ethers, when you explained to me that you ran away because you were afraid of Anemus'' love, I had already realized that you loved her. I was jealous and afraid that you would leave if you noticed and so I didn''t said anything, but if you love me too, I won''t take you away from her, who loved you first." Mifa said and moved closer.


    The two were already at a distance that it was possible to feel each other''s breathing. They looked into each other''s eyes as if they were hypnotized.


    Athena kissed Mifa''s face, caressing her face with her lips until it reached the girl''s lips. Athena gave her a peck, they faced each other again, with smiles on their moist lips and then kissed each other passionately.


    Mifa''s heart was pounding loudly, but it wasn''t just Mifa''s heart that was racing. Athena''s heart beat as fast as Mifa''s and together, they felt shivers at each other''s touch and their heads fluttered with each breath.


    Athena smiled at the kiss and then whispered.


    "I love you."


    Mifa smiled in a light, happy sigh and their lips met again, in a hot, passionate kiss, full of happiness.


    They no longer needed words. Just that warm kiss that early winter.


    ***


    When the Gloria of the Goddess reached Basilian, from above the ship, Athena could see black-armored troops camped outside the walls.


    "What''s that? I''ve barely left and we''re at war again?"


    "They are troops of the empire." Lobana said while narrowing her eyes.


    "Hm..." Athena made a cold expression. "I think I''ll go say hello to them."


    "Huh?" Lobana and Mifa reacted and looked at Athena who had already walked away from the two.


    "{Teleport}" Athena said and disappeared in a flash of blue light.


    Mifa and Lobana looked down again and there a small cloud of dust rose as the woman in white appeared.


    As soon as Athena appeared in the middle of the camp, the soldiers soon drew their swords and surrounded her.


    "Hey guys!" Athena said in a childish tone that didn''t match her simple, elegant appearance.


    "Who are you? Identify yourself!" Yelled a large gray-haired man who carried a large black sword.


    "I own this place. And who are you?" Athena asked, still keeping her tone childish and silly.


    "Owner of this place? Don''t talk nonsense! As long as the imperial troops are camping here, this place is ours." The man replied.


    Athena walked towards the man, standing in front of his sword with a smile on her lips.


    "Ah... Yes... So it was like Lobana said. And what does the empire want?"


    "Why would it interest an ordinary little girl like you?" the man asked, but then his face whitened as he looked right at Athena.


    After receiving Uran''s power, Athena absorbed and expanded her amount and quality of mana. Before the mana that escaped from Athena''s body was white with few blue pieces and was the height of a simple house, but now, her mana was pure white and was like a tower.


    The man broke out in a cold sweat and tried to apologize, but it was too late.


    ***


    Serien couldn''t wait for an escort, she took a horse and ran to the city gates. She was eager to see Athena again, but all that anxiety disappeared when she saw the empire''s camp, which looked like a crime scene with bodies strewn everywhere.


    "Ah! Hi Serien, I''m back!" Athena said with a bright, bloody smile on her face.


    Serien jumped off the horse with a terrified expression on her face and in a squeaky voice, she screamed. "Your majesty, what have you done!?"


    Athena let go of the man still in her hands and then walked over to Serien as the Gloria of the Goddess dropped its anchor in the middle of the camp.


    "Don''t worry, I didn''t kill any of them." Athena said while swinging her sword like a baseball bat. "I used the sword to defend and hit them like a club."


    Serien looked again at the scene that didn''t match what her queen said, but then she realized the men were moving and moaning in pain. This made the princess breathe a sigh of relief.


    "So what does the empire want?" Athena asked as she waved at the Valkyries coming toward her.


    "First of all, welcome back. I hope your journey has been fruitful." Serien bowed. "If I may, you''d better go bath first."


    The white dress Athena wore was completely ruined by the soldiers'' bloodstains. In addition to the dress, her face, hair and hands were also bloody. Serien could hardly believe Athena didn''t kill anyone in that place.


    "The emissary awaits you in the throne room."


    "Throne room? Didn''t I destroy it?"


    "We''ve already rebuilt it the way you asked it to be, but..." Serien looked away.


    "???"


    "...It looked like a demon king''s dungeon." Serien said in a disturbed voice and Athena smiled.


    "Perfect! A throne room instead of showing richness and luxury, it has to be cool." Athena said and Serien frowned and then laughed.


    There was no reason for Athena to follow the tendencies of other rulers, she was the only queen she chose and that''s why Serien tried hard even if Athena wasn''t around all the time.


    After regrouping with the Valkyries, with the horses brought there by the gate guard, the women went to the royal palace, which now had gray walls instead of white and resembled a fortified castle more than a palace.


    *There will probably be a timeskip soon....*

 Chapter 57 - Love And Education

    Athena''s room in the palace was a luxurious room with large windows, a balcony overlooking the rainbow rose gardens, furniture carved in detail to the point where it looked like works of art, and well lit.


    This room didn''t suit Athena''s tastes, but it didn''t go against it either. Athena just needed a comfortable place to rest and the bedroom met that requirement.


    And besides, at the moment she was too busy mapping Mifa''s body with her eyes as she watched her lover undress from inside the bathtub.


    "Are you going to meet the emissary today?" Mifa asked as she dropped her last piece of clothing to the floor.


    "Hm..." Athena looked out through the window of the door. Winter was already starting to show its colors in the garden. "I think so... But now..."


    It had been nearly a week since Athena''s return to Basilian. During this period, Athena postponed the meeting with the emissary for several reasons.


    On the first day, Athena decided she wanted to be alone. She spent the day meditating on her powers and used her last soul scroll.


    In the second, Athena spent the day with Serien, in the princess''s office, seeing what could be changed and what could be added or discarded about the reforms she wanted to put in place in the kingdom.


    The third day was the day the Valkyries left. The friends said goodbye with a big party at the tavern where Athena fought Trigan and because of that she ended up becoming queen.


    On the fourth day, Athena left everything to Serien and decided to spend the day with Mifa without paying any attention to the request of nobles or caring about whatever the empire wanted.


    Mifa joined Athena in the bathtub. With her back to Athena, Mifa lays her head on Athena''s collarbone and lets herself be embraced by her lover.


    "...Now I prefer to stay here in this warm water with you." Athena said as she kissed Mifa''s face and shivered when she felt something and made an embarrassed expression. "Hm..."


    "What''s it?" Mifa fluttered her ears curiously.


    "Your tail... is... Hmm..." Athena bit her lip. "... Encouraging me."


    Mifa''s face reddened and she jumped away from Athena without getting out of the tub.


    "S-sorry! It wasn''t intentional!"


    Athena laughed and then approached Mifa again. "Here, this way we''ll be fine." Athena slipped her legs under Mifa''s legs and hugged her so that the girl was on her lap. "See?"


    Mifa smiled and the two kissed.


    The emissary from the empire waited for hours until he received the news that the queen would not hear him that day.


    ***


    The next day, Athena was in the throne room. At Serien''s request, Athena was elegant, dressed in an almost black blue dress, her hair down and with some unique accessories and her new silver crown on her head.


    Sitting on her throne carved and forged with lions carvings, with a velvety red upholstery, Athena stared coldly at the men standing in the lower part of the room at the foot of the throne.


    The emissary, a tall man with close-cropped red hair and a thick beard of the same color, dressed in a brown fur coat that covered all the rest of her clothes. Beside the man, a fierce green-eyed knight in black armor more detailed and tougher looking than the armor of the knights Athena beat up earlier, outside the city walls.


    "So what? What does the emperor want to tell me?" Athena asked whether Serien had already told her the subject.


    Her voice was soft and echoed gently through the room.


    The emissary tried start to speak, but Serien, who sat beside Athena, spoke first.


    "I didn''t care when you didn''t bow to me, after all I''m just a princess, but now you''re before the queen." Serien''s voice was grim as her face. "Kneel!"


    The emissary''s face hardened and he was about to kneel when he felt the knight''s heavy hand on his shoulder.


    "And why should we?" The square-faced man asked with an arrogant smile. "We are from the empire and you are only from a small kingdom. You should kneel down and listen to the words the emperor wants to convey and heed his wishes without question."


    Athena narrowed her eyes in a sharp look and then rose. "Princess Serien, that thing I asked you to do when I gave you that spear of the late Arladele... Is it ready?"


    "Yes. I''ll get it right now."


    "Do it." Athena said and Serien rose from her throne, bowed to Athena and left. "Now, I believe that what the princess wanted is just formalities. You know? A matter of ranking? I am a queen and you are commoners." Athena said as she tied her hair into a ponytail. "Or perhaps in the empire this is not taught?" Athena scoffed.


    The knight shrugged his shoulders and grimaced, feigning ignorance. "They teach, but I don''t see anyone with a higher ranking than mine anywhere here." The man smiled at Athena. "All I see is the Emperor''s next bitch."


    At that moment, the knights dressed in dark silver armor, who guarded the throne room, drew their swords, but in a matter of seconds, all ten basilicans knights were defeated, and the imperial knight was not even armed.


    Athena sighed at the shame her soldiers were. "Looks like I''m going to have to make them train more..." Athena shrugged in regret. "Why did I go to kill the masters?"


    Athena slapped her forehead with her palm three times, as if she were punishing herself, and then Serien walked into the room carrying a sword in a gold and white scabbard.


    "Your majesty, Iˇ­" Serien''s eyes widened at the sight of the knights on the ground and frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"


    Serien dodged the passed out bodies, dodged the Imperials, and handed the sword to Athena as she reached her.


    "No need to be nervous, Serien. Ah! I won''t need this it seems." Athena returned the sword to Serien. "He didn''t kill any of our people, so I think it would be a lack of courtesy to kill him."


    "Who are you talking about?" The knight asked and ordered the emissary out of the way.


    The man in a luxurious coat gave a start when he saw the knight''s bloodied gauntlets coming towards his coat and walked away in the blink of an eye.


    Athena smiled at the man, ignoring him, and looked at Serien. "There''s still a cage left in the dungeon, right?"


    Serien smiled slightly and replied. "There''s one next to Trigan''s cage, across from Den boy''s cage."


    "These two will pass hmm...." Athena thought for a moment. "Is a year too long?"


    "I don''t think so, your highness."


    "What the hell are you talking about, you bi-"


    Athena disappeared from the front of the throne and Serien, and before the knight could understand, Athena pulled on her gauntlets and punched him in the stomach, sending him through the windowpane and the curtains, rolling through the snow.


    "Well then. Serien, send some guards to accompanyˇ­" Athena looked at the emissary with an inquisitive look.


    "Erna." The man said with wide eyes and then yelled aloud as Athena squinted. "Erna Guterio, your majesty." The man said as he bends over.


    "Right. Erna, you have no problem spending a year in my dungeon quarters, right?" Athena smiled a cheerful smile and the man shook his head violently. "And the name of that knight?"


    "W-with pleasure, it will be an honor to be your guest, your majesty." Erna bowed twice more. "And it''s Sir Fritt Seramph."


    "Serienˇ­" Athena said and Serien bowed her face in satisfaction and left, followed by Erna.


    "Argh! Erna, that traitorˇ­" Fritt said as he walked back into the room with his blond hair wet and disheveled, and blood in his mouth.


    "Heh~... You''re still conscious." Athena was impressed despite not having used all her strength.


    "Do you really think a bitch queen''s punch-" The man was saying, but Athena didn''t like the disrespectful way he spoke and kicked him out of the room again, through the same window.


    The man was flung across the garden, knocking down a tree, breaking the fountain and crushing plants.


    Athena left the room through the window, taking care not to tear her dress on the pieces of glass. She had liked the dress and wanted to show herself to Mifa later.


    After successfully passing through the window and preserve the dress, Athena realized that she was more feminine and that she cared less and less about things about masculinity. She smiled an almost sad smile and then breathed in the frigid winter air, pushing away and forgetting the past.


    The dress she wore, despite being pretty and elegant, wasn''t warm, and Athena rubbed goose bumps as she walked through the snow, following the trail of destruction Fritt had left behind.


    The man was lying on his back in an overturned mound of earth and snow. He was staring up at the cloudy sky with a pale, disbelieving expression as Athena came into view.


    "Are you going to lie there for how long?"


    Friit gritted his teeth and growled. "You bitch- Corgh!!!" Athena stepped on the man''s armored stomach and the man was still breathless.


    When Athena took her foot off of him, the imprint of her shoes had been stamped perfectly into the metal of his breastplate.


    "I advise you to be more careful with your tongue..." Athena said with a beautiful smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear and then Athena heard Mifa''s voice.


    "Athena, who is he? Enemy?"


    Athena turned and looked further to the east of the palace, her bedroom balcony door was open and Mifa was making a snowman in the place.


    "No, I''m just helping the empire to educate its citizens." Athena said, smiling even with her eyes. "More importantly, how am I?" Athena spun in place, making the skirt of her dress flutter.


    Mifa made a passionate expression and covered her hot, flushed cheeks with her cold hands. Athena appeared to be part of a painting. "Aaah~...." Mifa sighed meltedly. "You''re beautiful!" She said and Athena laughed happily.


    "Why do you look like lovers talking to each other?" Fritt asked as he caught his breath.


    Athena turned to the man still laying on the ground and responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It''s because we are."


    The man smiled and then something flashed in the sky.. "Two women? That''s the grossest thing I''ve ever heard!" And suddenly something fell from the sky and a wave of earth and snow came up where Athena was and the ground shook.

 Chapter 58 - The Darkness Of The Empire And The Ruler

    Four days ago, after Athena''s arrival, Serien and the queen had a brief meeting in the princess''s office.


    "What does the empire want anyway?" Athena asked as she sat in Serien''s chair and flipped through some documents in a disinterested way.


    "The emissary said that the emperor wants to marry her highness." Serien responded by taking the documents from Athena''s hands.


    Displeasure came over Athena''s face and she scoffed. "I will only marry if the emperor is a beautiful woman."


    "I believe he''s a man andˇ­" Serien suddenly froze and then looked at the queen in confusion. "Huh?"


    "What?"


    "No, nothing. It''s just that I thought I heard your majesty say that..."


    "Yes, I will marry him if he is a beautiful woman." Athena repeated.


    "Do you prefer women?" Serien asked in a low voice. She calculated the uproar this news would cause among the nobles, for or against Athena.


    Athena watched the princess and then asked in a serious voice. "Is it not okay with me liking women?"


    "Huh?" Serien snapped back to reality with her queen''s question and saw Athena''s cold gaze. "Ah! That''s not it. I was just thinking about how to deal with the nobles of the faction contrary to your highness, once they know this information."


    "Hmmm.... Is there a faction that''s against me?" Athena smiled with interest.


    Serien sighed and shook her head. "Please don''t do anything." Serien sat facing Athena. "They think they''re a secret organization, but I''ve known of their existence from the beginning. Let me deal with them. If I don''t get results in a year, your majesty is free to do whatever you wants with them."


    Athena stretched in her chair, then propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together in front of her face. "Back to the empire. If we arrested the emissary and the knights who came with him, how long would it be before the empire sends another emissary or declares war?"


    Serien''s eyes widened at the sound of Athena, but then she saw in the queen''s serious expression that she had a plan and smiled.


    "I think at least six months and at most a year."


    Athena narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and then, there they began to plan the retaking of the Basilica lands that the empire had taken during the war for the past hundred years.


    ***


    What they didn''t know was that they had a much bigger asset in their hands. The Imperial Prince had been trapped in the castle dungeon for months, along with Trigan, Vitia, and all the other Vultures.


    They were placed there by Athena herself when she found Den dragging Vitia through town while fleeing the mercenaries who wanted revenge for their captain''s arrest.


    "How long does that woman intend to keep us here?" Trigan complained.


    With the exception of Den, everyone there had the strength to flee if the cages was of common iron, but with black iron even on the ground, not even Athena could escape from that place.


    Additionally, Trigan''s cage had something special about it. By order of Athena, every day a guard came and bathed the cage of the red vervain.


    Red vervain was a very effective poison against vampires and related races. The effects were varied, such as muscle weakness, temporary blindness, loss of taste, hair loss and others... Athena did not intend to kill him.


    The queen had also ordered Vitia to be bathed, but the girl showed none of the effects other than a mild allergy.


    At the time, Trigan was suffering from blindness and loss of smell, as well as falling nails.


    The man stared at nothing, paying attention to every noise. It had been weeks since he had drunk a drop of blood and any rat was a banquet.


    "Ah~..." Trigan sighed regretfully. "If only I hadn''t met you..."


    Vitia was sitting on the floor, her back to Trigan, trying to think of a way out of that prison. She doesn''t remember how she got there. After being knocked out by Athena, she slept for two days and when she woke up, she was already locked in that dirty cage.


    "If you had seriously fought that woman from the start, you... no, we wouldn''t be locked in here. Now shut up I''m trying to think."


    Vitia said and then the rusty metallic noise of the dungeon door echoed all over the place and the princess appeared followed by two guards and a man dressed in a fur coat.


    As the group passed in front of Vitia and Trigan''s cages, Vitia''s eyes widened when she saw Erna and the same thing happened when Erna saw the girl.


    "Vitia?!" Erna squealed loudly in surprise and then fainted at the sight of Den.


    Vitia made a bitter expression and Den swallowed dry.


    "Do you know each other?" Serien asked, her eyes gleaming with interest for information.


    Vitia sat back down on the floor, sulking and snarling. "An old acquaintance..."


    "Hmˇ­" Serien smiled. "Throw him in that girl''s cage." Serien ordered and the spear-armed guards speared Vitia until she was cornered in the inner corner of the cage and threw Erna carelessly inside. "Have a good time." Serien said goodbye politely and walked back to the exit.


    Serien was leaving the dungeon when Trigan screamed. "When will you release me?"


    But his answer was just the sound of the door closing, Trigan yelled angrily.


    ***


    Upon hearing Fritt, the imperial knight, Athena made a cold expression and at that moment she decided that she would kill him, but then she felt a dense flow of mana coming from the sky and when she looked a hideous glow fell over her.


    The man smiled and rose from the icy ground as a snow mist covered where the queen was.


    "Hahahaha! Your majesty will have to forgive me for killing your new toy, I didn''t have a choice." Fritt said with a shrug.


    "What an interesting sword you have here..." Athena said, making the knight jump away, startled.


    The moment the light fell, Athena saw the sword within the purple light of the mana layer that covered it. Athena grabbed the sword hilt and dissipated all the energy to the ground, thus causing a wave of earth and snow to rise to around her.


    "H-how?" Fritt couldn''t understand how Athena had survived that attack.


    The main reason he left his sword in the camp was because he could call it whenever he wished and if necessary, the falling sword could be used as an attack. So he was never really unarmed.


    The man couldn''t believe his eyes. Until then, only Veta had defended that attack and there was Athena who received the attack and didn''t suffer a scratch at all.


    Athena smiled as she studied the sword in her hands. "Youˇ­" Athena looked at Fritt. "What did you put in here?"


    Athena felt something inside the sword, it was nothing like Arladele''s, already nonexistent, sacred spear, which emanated divine power. It was something more macabre, but it was not the miasma of demons.


    Fritt gave a dry smile and spoke. "Have you ever heard of live weapons? No, I bet you haven''t. Sir Veta who invented it after all."


    "And what is this?" Athena asked and dropped the sword to the ground. The sword gave her the chills. "What are these live weapons?"


    "And what are you going to do when you know?"


    "I don''t know..." Athena looked at the sword that even without someone hold it, emanated a threatening mana. "But I don''t like this sword."


    "If you don''t like itˇ­" Fritt held up his hand and advanced on Athena. "Then give it back to me!"


    The longsword skidded on the ground and flew into the hand of the man who spun his upper body and delivered more than twenty blows to Athena in the attack.


    However Athena dodged every attack easely, making the man laugh nervously and then the sword flashed with the use of a skill that didn''t come from the man.


    The surprise skill hit Athena like a cannonball, hurling Athena towards the balcony where Mifa was. Mifa looked at Athena who was unharmed but had a complicated expression on her face.


    "You are angry?" Mifa asked nonchalantly upon realizing that Athena was fine and looking at Athena''s expression. "Well, I would be really pissed off too if someone messed up such a beautiful dress."


    Athena''s dress had a hole in the abdomen region where the skill hit Athena, showing the woman''s pale belly.


    "It''s not that... I understand what that sword is..." Athena said and Mifa cocked her head. Athena got up from the icy mud and went to the balcony and kissed Mifa to lighten her mood. "I''ll be right back."


    Athena walked back to the man. Her full of contempt for the man, made her shiver with rage.


    "What''s with that expression?" Fritt asked in a chuckle, showing his teeth.


    "I found out what this sword is and it shouldn''t exist."


    Fritt shrugged at Athena''s words and then, frivolously, spoke. "If you''ve already found out, then you know you''re going to die!"


    "Do you think souls are something a human can handle like that?" Athena screwed up her face in disgust.


    "Oh come on! You''re famous for devouring thousands of souls! Dirty ones talking about the poorly washed." Fritt smiled. "Queen of Death."


    "Do you know this and still want to face me?" Athena asked in surprise as she took off her gauntlets. "I decided that I wanted to kill you slowly."


    "And how do you intend to do this?" Fritt raised his sword toward Athena. "My ''Orphanage'' is very unique even among living weapons, you know?"


    "Orphanage?" Athena asked with a pale face and Fritt smiled with madness on his face.


    "Exactly what you are thinking." The knight placed the blade close to his face as if petting a child. "Here is the soul of fifty orphans and guess what. They all loved me like a father."


    She didn''t need more words, Athena had already decided to kill that man, but now it was necessary to torture him and make him suffer.


    Torture was never to Athena''s taste, but Fritt, that monster in front of her, deserved it. Her hypocrisy of actions didn''t even shake her because killing thousands of people who knew what they were doing and were prepared for death was totally different from killing fifty innocent children.


    Fritt didn''t have time to react. Even unarmed, Athena was overwhelmingly stronger than the knight. With her bare hands, Athena lunged at the man and broke his right arm, taking the sword from his hand.


    Athena threw the sword into her [Dimensional Bag] and continued the beating as she spoke. "I''ll keep this until I figure out how to free the souls in here."


    Athena covered her hands with dense mana and punched the man''s armored ribs, producing a dull sound of metal bending and bones breaking.


    Fritt screamed at every broken bone. He had no idea that Athena was so strong.


    Earlier, seeing the amount of mana the queen had and linking it to her reputation, Fritt had thought the woman was some kind of spellcaster, but it was too late for regrets.


    The knight tried to react only to be overwhelmed again and again with new broken bones.


    When Athena was finished, the man who was taller than she was transformed into just a box of folded flesh that moaned in pain while unconscious.


    "Mifa, my love, could you call Serien for me?" Athena asked Mifa that she watched everything while she drank hot tea on the balcony.


    Athena was smiling gently with Fritt''s blood on her face and arms.


    The torment of the man who was once known as "the tenth force of the emperor" was just beginning.


    Mifa shivered with cold and fear as she remembered Athena from months ago, when the woman had devoured people''s souls as if it were the most common thing to do, but then smiled as she pushed the thought away with the new memories she had with her beloved.


    "I''ll be right back." Mifa said and disappeared into the room.


    "Take as long as you need..." Athena spoke and looked at the half dead on the ground. "He''s not going anywhere."


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the princess''s office, Serien was reading a soul scroll that she happened to find in the hallway.


    ==============================


    Name ? Athena


    Race ? High Human


    Class ? Ruler


    Gender ? Female


    Age ? 342 years old


    ?Features?


    Saint of Massacre ? A saint who became a cold genocider. There is no evil in its killing her and its cause is murky. Due to the large amount of mana absorbed while becoming a genocider, its existence as the Saint of Massacre was strengthened to the point of being permanent.


    Distorted Soul ? A soul that has absorbed other souls and strengthened its path to be a god.


    Ruler ? The one who governs all classes. By absorbing the world''s mana, Asherah granted you the honor of being the jury, judge and executioner in the world and then laughed that a mortal had access to so much power.


    Akashic Records ? Due to the receptacle being too weak, only a part of the knowledge in magic and skills was made available for use.


    Loved by the Wind ? Due to the love of someone who will be a fairy, the wind refuses to hurt you.


    Immortal ? Time doesn''t matter anymore.


    ================================


    "But what does it mean?" Serien wondered, amazed at what she had read.

 Chapter 59 - One Year

    That scroll came as a shock to Serien who thought Athena was just a saint.


    She couldn''t understand what that class was and who or what Asherah was.


    Plus, she had the fact that she never understood how Athena used magic like a spellcaster and still knew swordplay like some warrior or knight.


    But the fact that Athena didn''t have skills or spells and yet used spells and skills as she did, was even more surprising and surreal.


    Serien frowned, her head cocked, analyzing the soul scroll with inexplicable information.


    "What is a ruler class?" Serien asked without waiting for an answer and jumped, startled in her chair when someone knocked on the door. "E-enter!"


    Mifa opened the door with an expression of strangeness upon hearing Serien''s cracked voice, but then left it aside. "Athena is calling you."


    "Oh thanks." Serien dropped the parchment on the table, got up, and went to the door. "Let''s go?"


    "Let''s go." Mifa said with suspicion on her face upon seeing Serien''s wry expression.


    "What does her highness want?"


    "I think she wants you to heal the knight... He sure needs to..."


    ***


    After hours of repetition between torture and healing, Fritt''s mind went blank and he no longer reacted.


    However, killing him was too easy and so Athena cast {Absolute Barrier} on him and ordered to thrown the knight from the island''s edge to the world below.


    Downstairs, the knight would suffer from being consumed by miasma even though he was "broken", if he wasn''t eaten alive by a monster.


    Was after this that Serien bombarded Athena with questions while the queen combed Mifa''s tail hair, which had become her favorite pastime.


    "What is a ruler? What is Akashic Records? Why don''t you have magic and skill at the same time?" Serien paced, as if she walked, the answers would come faster.


    Athena and Mifa looked at each other and laughed at the hysterical princess.


    "Calm down, let''s go in parts." Athena said still laughing. "Sit down first and listen to me carefully without interrupting me."


    Serien took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming down and sitting up.


    Serien wasn''t like that just for having so many doubts, but for having witnessed a long and lingering torture and still having helped. This had been the first time the princess had done or seen anything like it.


    Her hysteria was plausible.


    "Well then..." Athena began. "Ruler, isn''t it? Apparently it''s a class that allows me to subdue any other class, but I don''t want it and I''m going to switch, I don''t need Asherah''s powers." Athena said with a slight anger in her voice. "Akasic Records..." Athena still had doubts if this was Uran who gave her or if she got it after absorbing the natural mana with the help of the Goddess of the End. "I''m still not sure how I got it, but it''s because of it that my spells and skills no longer appear on the scroll. I have them and don''t have them at the same time? I''m not sure, but what matters is that I can use the spells and skills."


    Serien narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Athena had the power to subdue other people, but she was going to discard it for not wanting Asherah''s power.


    Here was her next question.


    "Who or what is Asherah? And why would it give you so much power? And how did you absorb the mana from the world? I know that is possible to absorb the mana from the mana crystals, but that would be suicide."


    "Ah! I already did it." Athena said and both, Serien and Mifa, frowned in disbelief. "And about absorbing mana from the world... Have you ever heard of the ''Mana Drain'' magic?" Athena asked, not caring about the two people''s disbeliefs.


    Serien shook her head. "No, never heard of it."


    "I thought not." Athena got up and went to the table in the corner of the room, and with a feather soaked in ink, she wrote the formula and drew what the magic circle of magic would look like.


    The truth was, Athena didn''t really want to use the skill [Mana Drain] ever again, nor did she want to teach anyone how to use it.


    With that in mind, using the knowledge the Akashic Records provided, Athena formulated a new magic with similar principles, but on a much smaller scale.


    "Here." Athena handed the parchment to Serien. "This is the ''Drain of Mana''. Now, about Asherah, I won''t tell you yet."


    Serien looked into Athena''s serious eyes. (They say ''don''t insist''...) Serien sighed, followed by Athena.


    "Now there are two things I want you to do." Athena said as she climbed into her bed and hugged Mifa. "First I want you to go and invite the knights of the empire into the city and serve them with the best drink and feast to them." Athena rubbed her hands on Mifa''s bare thighs.


    Serien was beginning to wonder if she was doing it on purpose.


    Mifa was wearing a loose white shirt and black shorts, with bare feets and thighs.


    "And then?" Serien asked.


    "Once everyone is drunk and fed, kill them all and throw them at Basilian''s edge to the world below. We don''t want any traces. Instruct the knights to not take any possessions from the Imperials. Say it to them: If one of them take something and I know that, their will face the same fate the imperials knight." Athena said and Serien listened carefully.


    It wasn''t something Serien wanted to do, but as she wanted to remain faithful to Athena and wanted the woman to continue to reign, she would carry out Athena''s orders exactly.


    "And the second?"


    "..." Athena rolled her eyes as if searching her brain and then gave up. "No, no... It was just that."


    (Did she forget...?) Serien thought.


    (Ah... She forgot what she was going to say.) Mifa thought and laughed.


    ***


    "Anemus, I spoke to Mom again today." Foti¨˘ said while running into Gion''s library, where Anemus was.


    Since Athena''s departure, Lunnia had been taking Foti¨˘ to hunt frequently and as the nymph gained more power, more her mind developed and now she seemed to have the mind of a ten year old child, but the body still had the appearance of seven.


    "Stop calling her ''mom''! She''s not your mom." Anemus growled.


    It had been nearly a year since Athena left without a word. Anemus was ready to forgive her... No, she was ready to accept her, but when she sought her out, Athena was already gone.


    Anemus spent weeks in the library, crying, pretending she didn''t care, when in fact she was the one who cared the most.


    Foti¨˘ gritted her teeth at Anemus'' snarl and then gave the other a tongue. "You''re only like this because I talk to Mommy every day and you can''t."


    Foti¨˘ said with more intention to tease Anemus, but she just got what Anemus felt right.


    Anemus was always in a bad mood when Foti¨˘ spoke to Athena because she was jealous and envious of Athena with Foti¨˘.


    She also wished she could talk to Athena, but if they talk each other, Anemus was sure they would fight.


    Anemus was still hurt even though she wasn''t quite sure why. She had been angry when Athena had said that Hades and that body called "Athena" was just a character she had created in another world.


    And that Fotia and herself... were just characters that belonged to the woman.


    What''s more, the woman wasn''t really a woman... It was something so complicated and impossible to understand that Anemus needed too much time to digest all the information.


    But that nymph had already forgiven and accepted. However she couldn''t forgive Athena for running away.


    But that too was in the past.


    (Athena...) Anemus looked out the window of the tall tower where the library was, thinking of Athena.


    "Mommy said she misses you..."


    "..."


    "Ah! She said she became queen and that she is at war right now."


    "Um...good for her." Anemus pretended not to care, her heart sinking with worry.


    *No! Anemus turned tsundere.... Eww!*

 Chapter 60 - The Path To The War - Extra

    Athena woke up in the middle of the silent winter night. Ever since she threw the "Orphanage" into her [Dimensional Bag], Athena had been having nightmares.


    Moving slowly, so as not to wake Mifa, Athena got out of bed, pulled on a coat over her nightgown, and walked to the door in silence.


    Athena opened the door and the guards Serien had insisted on placing at the door stiffened in place and saluting the queen as slammed their right fist into the chest, making the metallic sound of the armor echo around the room.


    "Tsk!" Athena glared at the soldiers and put a finger to her mouth.


    Athena walked barefoot through the cold corridors of the palace. The cold on her feet made her feel alive and the comfortable silence of that place eased Athena''s tired mind.


    In the garden, Athena was sitting on the stone bench she had heated with {Ray of Fire} and in front of her, buried in the frozen earth, "Orphanage" glowed a tenevrous purple as it emanated its disgusting mana.


    "Those damn screams... If you know how to scream, why don''t you tell me how they got put in there?" Athena spoke to the sword.


    The cross-handled silver sword, without all that suffering ingrained in it, would have been a beautiful sword, but this was a cage where fifty children were locked.


    That degenerate beauty reminded Athena of the sword that was made from Arladele''s divine spear. Athena took the sword out of the [Dimensional Bag] and looked at that luxurious scabbard.


    The exposed hilt had a guard that curved up like olive branches, its white color emanated a faint aura. When Athena pulled her sword from its scabbard, its white blade illuminated the place with a golden light.


    (This thing turned out better than I expected.) Athena thought and looked at the "Orphanage". "Hm? Are you afraid of that?"


    In the light of the divine sword, all the purple mana that covered "Orphanage" flickered away from the golden light as if fleeing.


    "I wonder how Serien convinced the dwarves to make this sword for a queen of a kingdom that isn''t even allied with Qartur." Athena rose and swung her sword, cutting the air, trying out the balance of the longsword.


    "If you''re afraid of that, then I believe this would be a way to get you out of there."


    As the howl of the blade echoed through the garden, a satisfied smile spread across Athena''s face. Athena swung her new sword hard and then the "Orphanage" cried a hollow noise as it split into two parts.


    Athena frowned as she watched the sword''s energy pulse and then explode with dozens of souls trying to escape and die in a white mist of mana, leaving a bitterness in Athena''s mouth.


    Athena sat down on the bench again, sheathed her sword and with a bitter expression she began to think about the things she didn''t know about this world.


    The existence of gods, races, classes and weapons. She wondered what else she didn''t know. What else would be a surprise and a problem for her? And so she finally accepted the fact that she didn''t really know anything.


    (Ignorance is a weakness.) Athena took a deep breath and returned to her room with a new purpose.


    ***


    The next day, Athena was behind of piles of books about diverse subjects. From skill development theory to monster catalogue.


    She decided to see the world through the books, as she couldn''t travel until the end of the war that hadn''t even started yet.


    (Anemus is especially missed at times like this...) Athena thought as she read a whole page of an alchemy book and didn''t understand anything.


    "How''s your... research going?" Mifa said as she entered the room with a tray with a set of tea and biscuits.


    "Well..." Athena said as she looked at Mifa and then buried her face in the yellowed pages of the book. "Bad..."


    Mifa laughed and placed the tray on a less crowded table. "Then come eat some cookies with me and cool off."


    "What about your training?" Athena asked as she got up.


    Mifa had been training with the soldiers since Athena had started an absurd training schedule for all active and reserve soldiers in the kingdom.


    The men and women would wake up at five, do stretches to warm up and run for fifty kilometers, then have breakfast and then sword practice for the rest of the day.


    Others who had a high amount of mana would split the day between sword training and magic practice.


    Athena''s goal was to create an army of magical knights, a class she had thought of when she used her last class scroll and became a knight.


    Knights were born swordsmen, but if they started using magic instead of skill, they would not only be able to fight a melee combat, but they would also be able to defend themselves against magic and arrows.


    In the game, those who tried to follow the path of the unofficial class "Magic Swordsman" were always at a disadvantage because of the imbalance that the pseudo-class had, but this imbalance disappeared when with Athena, who used magic and swordplay at the same time.


    For Athena''s idea to work, soldiers would have to develop both magical power and martial energy. There were no rules that said a person couldn''t have both, but it had never been tested before.


    Anyway, Mifa would wake up early and run along with Basilian''s soldiers, then take a shower and come back to have breakfast with Athena, after that, she would train on her own.


    Basilian had no bare-handed martial artist for her to train with, so training alone was her only option.


    "It''s going well." Mifa said while pouring brown tea into the cup for Athena. "I even managed to develop a new skill related to my new class. Speaking of which..." Mifa hugged Athena from behind and kissed her neck. "Thanks for the assassin class scroll."


    Athena cringed at the shiver on the back of her neck and smiled, happy that Mifa liked the gift. "Are you going to grow your nails now?" Athena asked while holding Mifa''s hand in front of her eyes.


    "That''s what I''m talking about." Mifa said and then her nails suddenly grew. "Now I can make them grow and shrink. And depending on how much martial energy I use, they can be flexible like a thread or hard like metal."


    "This is interesting."


    "Hm?"


    "No. It''s nothing important." Athena said and kissed the girl''s hand. "I just thought about the combination of race and class."


    "Speaking of which, when will Lobana and the girls be back?"


    "I think in another three months if she does what I say and as I say."


    "??"


    "I asked them to buy all the class scrolls from the market and I confiscated all that were for sale here in the kingdom." Athena said and took a sip of tea. Athena then smiled at the sweet fragrance and taste. "Fumph... Very good."


    "I thought you wouldn''t like sweet so much." Mifa said as she sat down facing Athena. "You told me you didn''t like sweets very much. I only made it sweet because sugar helps relieve stress."


    Athena looked at her tea and thought about the changes that had been taking place in her personality, tastes and way of acting. She was having more mood swings, her tastes were changing little by little and she was more cautious. Or at least she thought she was.


    "Someone once told me that people are in a constant metamorphosis." Athena said and smiled an almost amused smile. (That day was so happy for us...) The person who told her this was Luana.


    Athena wondered if she didn''t hate the traitor anymore, but that wasn''t the answer. She was tired of hating someone she couldn''t even touch. Besides, the memories with Luana were also part of her.


    Athena looked at Mifa with a content smile and continued. "Anyway, I want to make those who don''t become knights become other classes." Athena made an anxious expression. "A real war... It will be fun."


    ***


    Three months after the massacre of the imperial knight, Athena was training with Mifa when a guard came to call her.


    "My queen, the princess wishes to see you."


    "What is the subject?" Athena asked while defending an attack from Mifa.


    "The prince of the empire." The guard said, making Athena lose her concentration.


    Just then another kick hit Athena''s head, sending her flying into a bush that was beginning to show the colors of spring.


    "Athena!!!" Mifa ran to Athena who got up while massaged where she was hit. "Sorry, I couldn''t stop."


    Athena laughed contentedly and hugged Mifa. "You are so much stronger!"


    "Aren''t you mad?"


    "Of course not! I''m really glad you managed to hurt me, even a little." Athena said with a wide smile and Mifa made a twisted expression.


    "Eh? What weird fetish is that?" Mifa stood on tiptoe, reaching for Athena''s ear and whispered. "Do you want to test this later?"


    Athena looked at Mifa and bit her lip thirstily. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, but I want to."


    Athena regretted those words overnight.


    ***


    "I found out that the imperial prince was in our hands this whole time." Serien said as soon as Athena entered the throne room.


    "Huh? Isn''t he dead?"


    "It was all a farce." Serien told Athena everything she had heard from Den.


    The boy''s life in the imperial palace, the mysterious death of the empress, the investigation that led to Veta, and the boy''s escape.


    Athena listened to every word Serien said and when she finished, the queen wore an expression of utter disinterest. "AND?"


    "Huh?"


    "So what if we have the prince?"


    "If we negotiate with the emperor, we can avoid war and regain our captured territories." Serien said with eyes full of hope.


    "No." Athena replied dryly.


    Athena started this plan for two reasons. Regaining Basilica''s territory and pride, that''s because she had come to like the idea of ??being queen and didn''t want her kingdom to have the stigma of being a loser forever. But there was the most important reason, Athena needed power and killing as many people as possible was the fastest way to get that power.


    After fighting the demon, Athena realized the strength in the world and if she almost lost to a simple demon, other saints like Gion, Nimo and Veta or the demon lords would be much more difficult opponents to deal with.


    Of course, Athena did not intend to fight Nimo and Gion. She wanted to be prepared for opponents of the same or greater caliber as them. For example the gods. Athena didn''t want to fight gods, but she doubted that if she were to release Uran, the other gods would be quiet.


    "We will fight the war and win at all costs. We will recover what was taken from us the same way they did."


    "But what about the deaths that happened?" Serien asked with concern.


    "It''s a war, Serien, deaths will happen. And we have you to reduce the number of our dead." Athena rose from the throne and walked past Serien. "But if you want to take a path with so little pride, go ahead. I''ll leave the throne vacant the day after that."


    Serien stiffened in place as she heard Athena say that and leave leaving only the echo of the heavy door slamming. The next day, Den was locked in isolation from the other prisoners and forgotten there.


    ***


    Six more months passed and during that time the empire sent other emissaries who never returned, spies and assassins who never completed their missions.


    This prompted the emperor to move his army, but that was two months too late.


    Athena had already raised her army of 100,000 troops. An army made up of mercenaries, soldiers, barbarians and monsters.


    It was like looking at a demon king''s army. The races were the most diverse. There was humans, beastmans, trolls, orcs, ogres, half elves and so on.


    All soldier, of any race, who lived in the territory of Basilica, were summoned and convinced. Even some fog elves.


    A multiracial army, where even monsters were found, this army was already marching on the plains of the Empire.


    They crossed the Sigma desert in record time and what was found along the way was decimated.


    Without letting anyone escape to warn the empire, Athena advanced with her army.


    The emperor raised his army of just over two million troops, but the war had already started without his knowledge and now the small Basilica''s army knocked at the gates of Tarna without any resistance.

 Chapter 61 - The Cruelty Of Time

    In a castle in the middle of a desert that was once a freshwater sea. Where also once existed a submerged realm known as "Sigma". Three girls were preparing for a journey.


    A beautiful and imposing knight in black armor and blue hair, beside a brave and faithful white pegasus.


    A beautiful girl riding a white grimera. Her long reddish-black hair was arranged in a long braid and she wore under a red overcoat, brown pants, black boots and a white cotton shirt.


    And finally, a beautiful and elegant girl with long greenish-blond hair that blew in the wind. She wore a dark blue tunic embroidered in gold and silver and from her back, three pairs of wings of greenish-yellow feathers spread.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to wait a little longer?"


    "I''ve waited for three years..." The girl smiled sadly. "Whether out of fear or maybe... Anyway. Thanks for everything, Gion."


    "I hope everything works out for you. Lunnia, take care of them."


    "I will."


    "Foti¨˘, which way?"


    "To the north. I feel like somewhere north. Anemus, will you fly?"


    "Yes, I will. Otherwise these wings will be useless..."


    The three ended their farewells and flew north.


    Gion watched them fly away for a short while and turned to Eun and Neu.


    "I don''t know what''s been going on with Athena for the past three years, but I''m grateful they''re leaving... Eun, Neu, you''ll have to go too."


    The girls exchanged glances and shook their heads, denying their master''s order. "We will stay with Gion."


    ***


    In a kingdom in the north, beyond the lands of the now principality of Elsna. The prince again fled the royal palace to play with his commoner friends.


    This always caused a stir among the young man''s personal knights. The prince was in his seventeenth year and in a marriageable age, but he always refused to meet suitors.


    "King Elanor, the prince has run away again!" The young knight with orange hair and innocent light blue eyes said while shaking his already messy hair.


    The king was a man with kind brown eyes. A young man, looking to be in his late thirties. He had dark brown hair and a sparse beard of the same color.


    "Ah~..." The king sighed. "What am I going to do with that boy, Samy?"


    "You asked the wrong person, Elanor." Samy said while pretended kick something. "I do not have children."


    "Hahaha... Call Yrio and go after the prince, please."


    "Right. Ah! But I won''t mess with if he''s fighting again."


    The king smiled. "That''s why I''m sending Yrio and his nymph with you."


    Samy turned and left the king''s office the same way he had entered. Without any respect or excessive politeness towards the king.


    "Why does your highness tolerate this boy''s misbehavior?"


    This was asked by a woman with long blue hair and sky blue eyes. She wore a short white sundress that showed off her slender thighs.


    The king rose from his chair and walked around the woman. From behind her, he gripped her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her exposed neck.


    "Aah.."


    "He is strong and whether he likes it or not, his presence puts the nobles in check. Unlike a certain dragon who would do nothing to save my kingdom even if I begged her." The king said as he pulled the woman''s dress up and stroked the wetness between her legs.


    "Hmm...!" The woman rubbed her ass against the bulge in the king''s trousers. "And that''s why I gave you my blood..."


    "I want more than your blood." The king said and took off his belt. He made the woman put her hands on the table and thrust her ass toward him and penetrated her wet flesh. "I want you to give me a child."


    "Ah..."


    ***


    In the great kingdom of Basilica, daily life became more and more hectic as the day of the queen''s festival approached.


    This was a festival created to remember and honor the kingdom''s first matriarch, Athena De''l Inna.


    N/A: De''l Inna in Basilican means "Queen of Salvation". I''m thinking about posting a Basilican alphabet. Kidding :v


    The queen who changed the kingdom for the better and still regained it''s glory by defeating the empire. But sadly perished as she fought and killed a demon lord named Mammon.


    Tales of how the queen became a huge white dragon spread with the bards to every kingdom on the mainland island and to the other small islands.


    This made Basilica an interesting kingdom for the neighbors and within these two years, several kingdoms tried to approach politically with hidden interests, as others tried the path of war.


    All them were equally crushed by the saint of beasts, one of the ruling princesses of the kingdom.


    "Mifa, are you going to the festival this year?" Serien asked.


    Mifa was more adult and beautiful. With long gray brown hair and sad reddish brown eyes. A young beauty on top of a cliff that no one could reach.


    "Maybe like that, you can find someone new." Serien said in a playful tone.


    Mifa''s sad gaze flared in anger as she looked at Serien. "I don''t need anyone else. I will not betray Athena." Mifa said and went back to looking out the window. "Why don''t you go with your husband? What was his name again? Veru?"


    "Veron." Serien stood up correcting Mifa. "Duke Veron Qallhu."


    "Weird name... I hope you don''t give him any political power..."


    "I won''t. Her majesty wouldn''t let him liveˇ­" Serien said as she smoothed her big belly. "The prince or princess needs to meet the father before he dies." Serien laughed and left the throne room, leaving Mifa alone.


    "Athena, where are you?" Mifa''s question echoed melancholy through the room with three empty thrones.


    ***


    Two years ago, during her fall, Athena cried when thinking about Anemus, Mifa and Foti¨˘. Her heart ached as she felt the pain they would feel at her death.


    She also thought of her friends, Lobana and the Valkyries, Serien, Lunnia, Nimo and then Uran. She even thought about Gion and the homunculus, Eun and Neu, and she apologized.


    "I''m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye." Athena screamed and everything went dark in a thud against the floor.


    In the south of there, a young boy surrounded by children as dirty as he, saw Athena fall to the ground along with pieces of earth and stones.


    Before she fell, terrifying magic had sliced ??through the earth in the distance, creating earthquakes that shook the ground and caused landslides and tsunamis on the coast near there.


    The boy went to where Athena had fallen and looked at the beautiful, bloodied woman.


    "She''s dead. Let''s go kids." The boy turned away and continued on his way to east.


    However, one of the children continued to watch the beautiful woman. The girl was enchanted with such beauty in her death.


    Feeling sorry for the woman, the girl strokes her white blond hair, as if to comfort her and Athena blinked slightly.


    The girl jumped in a fright and looked at the boy. "Hercules! She is alive!"

 Chapter 62 - There Is No Siege In Tarna

    Tarna was the largest city on the floating islands and as such its population was huge, over five million people, and almost half of which were soldiers.


    The emperor prided himself on having the largest city, perhaps in the world, as the capital of his empire. He also prided himself on having the greatest military power of all islands and that no one would set foot in imperial territory with an army.


    Until that day, when Athena crushed that pride with her little army.


    To achieve this feat, Athena ordered the best to go ahead, splitting into regions that could detect their locomotion, and destroy everything and kill them all.


    This might even be part of the territory she planned to reclaim, but for the moment they were enemies and as such, they would die.


    Serien protested in favor of the civilians, but Athena couldn''t risk it. Besides, she didn''t have a reputation to cherish.


    Athena was determined to kill everyone, however, after the princess complained so much and Mifa begged, Athena let them spare pregnant women, children under six and old people.


    *Serien and Mifa, spoils pleasure...*


    The groups were formed by the vultures that disbanded and joined Athena''s army, the Valkyries and a small platoon that Athena personally trained.


    That was Trigan''s decision. The man didn''t want to fight a war against Athena or spend the rest of his thousand years in Basilian''s dungeons.


    The Valkyries, led by their leaders Oliana, Lobana and Koria.


    Oliana was an exuberant and tall woman, with her 434cm tall. Too big to be called a human, but too small to be called a giant.


    Koria was a dark elf with long black hair and gray eyes. A beautiful woman with a chilling psychotic smile.


    The platoon Athena trained consisted of forty three soldiers. Men and women soldiers, who stood out from the others and managed to become a superior version of the class Athena desired.


    In the world there were two types of knights before Athena.


    The knight who was stronger than a common soldier and had some skills for melee fighting and the holy knight who was stronger than a simple knight and could infuse mana with holy element to his skills.


    But now, after Athena trained that platoon, the magic knight and the dragon knight had emerged.


    While the magic knight in terms of strength was equal to a holy knight, their range of skills and proficiency in magic and effinity in up to three elements made them better.


    The dragon knight was a class completely focused on brute strength. They had a very varied range of reinforcement and protection skills and their physical strength was comparable to a troll.


    In Athena''s platoon there were twenty holy knights, twelve magic knights and eleven dragon knights and they were all eager to test their new powers for real.


    These three groups spread out between east, west, and north, slaughtering every small town, village, outpost, and encampment they encountered.


    This became known in the history as "The March of Death" and many came to hate Athena for this cruel and inhuman act.


    ***


    The empire''s flag was a black lion on a blood red background.


    This was the symbol of pride for the nation of Elsna and the soldiers on the wall could not believe their eyes as they saw flags with the head of a black lion impaled by a sword on a white background.


    Those flags were an insult to the empire and no one knew who they belonged to.


    Which kingdom was brave enough to rise up against the empire?


    Until recently, the flag of Basilica was a crowned star, representing faith and crown together, side by side.


    But not anymore. Athena changed the flag and burned the old one on the army''s departure day.


    This was to show the way for the new kingdom age. Or rather, the new eternity. Athena was immortal, she would be queen forever or until she got tired.


    The soldiers of the empire who guarded the walls sounded the trumpets that echoed and repeated throughout Tarna.


    The troll hybrids locked the city gates when they heard the first trumpet, standing in front of Basilica''s army like guard dogs.


    "Identify yourselves!" shouted a soldier from above the wall.


    The Basilican army was at a distance of three hundred meters from the wall, but the man''s voice reached Athena''s ears.


    Athena smiled, wrote something on a piece of parchment and tied it to an arrow.


    "Koria, can you hit that man near the guardhouse at the top of the gate?"


    The Valkyrie looked at Athena with a mocking expression. "Is obvious." She responded by catching the arrow, aiming and releasing.


    The arrow flew in a howling whistle and hit the screaming soldier in the eye. Athena laughed with satisfaction and the army cheered.


    One of the soldiers next to the one who was shot, plucked the arrow from the dead man and untied the piece of parchment from the arrow. On it was written "We will enter." And the soldiers laughed at hearing.


    "This wall is thirty meters wide and the mongrels are guarding the gates. Even if the trolls with them kill the mongrels they won''t be able to break a black iron gate."


    ***


    The empire''s response time was admirable.


    The moment the trumpets blew, people hid as they could, shops and inns closed, and soldiers, fully equipped, marched along all the avenues that led to the city''s south gate.


    In the imperial palace things were no different. The nine knights joined the emperor in the throne room.


    "I will fight too!" Sued said as he fastened the breastplate to his body.


    "There is no need, Your Majesty." Satur, the emperor''s ninth force, said. "There are just over a hundred thousand enemy soldiers against more than two million of the empire. They don''t stand a chance."


    Satur was a frivolous woman with a fragile but cruel appearance. Her red lips and sick pale skin looked like dead body. However, she had enough power to be there.


    "No one asked your opinion, Satur. Anyway, who are these bastards?" The emperor growled at the woman and turned his gaze to Veta.


    "The messenger said that the flag is a lion''s head impaled on a sword and it was an army that even has monsters, like minotaurs and basilisks." Veta said with an analytical look. "I don''t remember any military force like this... But I''m sure of one thing..."


    "What?"


    "If we underestimate their strength because of our numerical advantage, the empire will fall."


    As an omen, just as Veta said this, a great explosion was heard and soon afterward a tremor shook the ground.


    ***


    The soldiers on the walls could not predict what would happen as they laughed at the enemy army.


    The warm, sunny day of early summer days suddenly became warmer and brighter. It looked like the sun had come closer.


    Athena pulled a meteor from space and hit the gate that was engulfed in flames, dust and debris from the wall.


    "Now, to make way..."


    Athena threw her hands up to the sky and black clouds formed and engulfed the summer day with a heavy storm.


    "What are you doing?" Athena asked the army behind her when the meteor flames disappeared. "Move forward..." Athena waved her hand as if shooing a dog. "Go, go..."


    At that moment, Lobana averted her gaze from Oliana''s eyes and in a scream excited the advance of the army.


    "You need to have more manners." Lobana complained.


    Athena frowned not understanding what Lobana meant and walked after her army. That''s because she had spent a fifth of her mana on the meteor and the storm. She wanted time to recover at least some of the spent mana.


    (I won''t be taken by surprise.) Athena thought as she walked, followed by Mifa and Serien.


    ***


    From the balcony of the imperial palace, the emperor and the order of knights led by Veta, The Emperor''s Strength, looked to the south of Tarna and then to the stormy sky.


    "Is this magic?" The emperor asked dumbfounded.


    "Two high-cycle and large-scale spells." Verio, the sixth force, said while looking up at the black sky. "There are one or more very powerful mages on their side."


    "Why ''mage''?"


    "Because these spells, no other class would be able to cast because of the complexity of the formulas." Verio said. He was amazed at the sight of such power. "I myself am a sorcerer of the seventh cycle. These spells are impossible for me." Verio hid his smile behind the long sleeves of his tunic. (I need to meet this person or these people.)


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the beginning of the city there was no one to stop the soldiers from Basilica, who were advancing with fury.


    The soldiers of the empire did not stand a chance against the thousands of new soldiers from Basilica, dozens of trolls, hundreds of ogres and orcs, thousands of mercenaries and monsters.


    "They may even have numbers, but whoever said numbers win wars was wrong." Athena said with her arms folded from above the wall. "Serien, when you''re running out of mana, give the order to retreat."


    Serien, who cast healing magic on anyone who gained a serious wound, looked at Athena with confusion on her beautiful face.


    "Why? Wouldn''t it be better to move forward even without my heal?"


    "On this moment I''m going to take the lead on my own."


    "Athena?" Mifa looked at Athena anxiously.


    "Lobana, tell them not to attack unarmed civilians. Those who are armed, they can kill even if they''re holding a spoon." Athena said and Lobana nodded. "Ah! No one touches the mages'' tower... We don''t want trouble with them." After giving the orders, Athena sighed and looked at a low-eared worried Mifa. "It''s going to be okay. Once the capital falls, we win." Athena said while stroking Mifa''s hair.. (After that, if all goes well, just continue a war of attrition.)

 Chapter 63 - Imperial Reaction

    It didn''t take long for the empire, which was starting to suffer serious damage, to react. The war had started just over twenty minutes ago and two-thirds of the area south of Tarna had turned to rubble and corpses.


    There were already more than a hundred thousand dead, including civilians. The emperor could not and would not allow this to continue.


    "All the orders of knights and also the mercenaries that are hiding in the guild. I want everyone out there to kill those bastards!"


    Veta looked at the emperor''s twisted expression of fear, fury and despair. A joy filled his chest, pushing out a laugh, which he held back with praise. He was also irritated about something.


    (I cannot let these invaders succeed in taking down Tarna. My revenge is more important than momentary joy.) Veta thought this and calmed his mind.


    "Kyaaa!! Emperor, you look so sexy in that despairing face!" Satur said as she clung to her sovereign.


    Sued was indeed a handsome man, the type to be coveted by any woman.


    Despite being in his late fifties, the emperor had a youthful appearance, with no a single white streak on his head, and his wrinkles were minimal.


    A tall, broad-shouldered man with silky black hair, eyes as black as the night itself and a charming smile.


    Every woman who had him in their field of vision sighed for him. It was almost as if he had the same charm as the undines.


    Nowever, now Sued''s pale face was wrinkled and twisted. His hair was a mess and his mouth arching down with teeth bared.


    "Veta, if you don''t bring me their leader''s head on a spear, you can consider yourself dead!" The emperor snorted as he punched Satur in the face.


    Veta bowed with a serene look. "I won''t let you down, Your Majesty."


    ***


    The Valkyries took the front of the army and fought with formidable skills.


    Lobana led the way as she slashed a soldier on the right, then kicked the one on the left and advanced to the next after burying her sword in the fallen soldier''s throat.


    Sahari jumps from place to place as if she teleports and like a ghost on the battlefield, she cuts through the enemy and leaves a trail of corpses behind.


    This was the moment Nijha had always been waiting for. It was hard to find a battle where she could break free. Still blindfolded, the Valkyrie advanced beyond Lobana into the middle of the imperial army.


    There Nijha took off her blindfold, showing her beautiful red jeweled eyes with long lashes and then everything that was alive and she saw turned to stone.


    Seeing the world with her own eyes instead of the magical insight she always used was indescribable to her. Even if the world was turning to stone, that joy she was feeling was worth every life she took.


    But that happiness didn''t last long. As she reveled in the colors of the world, Nijha heard a young, masculine voice coming from above.


    "Looks like we can''t leave you with your eyes open for our city..."


    Nijha looked to where the voice was coming from, but all she saw was the empty roof of a tavern and then she felt something in her throat.


    A stab that started in the back of her neck and ended in a burning sensation under her jaw followed by an extreme, quick pain when the man yanked the dagger hard to the side, ripping out her throat.


    Seeing the scene of a man in a robe appearing behind Nijha and then the woman falling to the ground, Lobana ran towards the man with fury twisting her face.


    Oliana, with her huge size, stepped on the Imperials, crushing them with armor and all, and stepped right where the man was, avoiding Nijha and sinking her foot into the stone road.


    However, the man was faster. He dodged and kicked Oliana in the face, knocking her over some houses.


    Realizing what had happened, Athena grabbed Serien as if she were a bundle of clothes and jumped off the high wall.


    Followed by Mifa, Athena ran over the houses until she reached where Nijha and Lobana were.


    "Quick! Heal Nijha!" Athena said and jumped to meet the man, but then a giant hand appeared in front of her.


    "Get out of the way! He''s mine!" Oliana said and with a speed that did not match her height, the woman hit the man with her open hand like a mosquito.


    The man flew to the other side of the avenue, crossing the wall of the inn where Serien was standing.


    "Ahaha!" Laughed the man who came through the roof like a mouse. "Now I know who''s attacking us. It''s a pleasure to see you again, Princess Serien."


    Serien expressed bitterness at the sight of the man. "Barka!"


    "Hehe... Glad you remember your only childhood friend." Barka smiled like a shy child.


    "You traitor..."


    "Don''t speak... We''ll talk later!" Barka said and where he was, a giant hand smashed the roof, leaving only the part where Mifa and Serien were.


    "Serien, quick!" Mifa urged as she looked at Nijha on the ground ten feet below.


    Serien clicked her tongue in disgust and used her most advanced magic on Nijha and then from Oliana''s hands, Barka said with a laugh.


    "It won''t work. Hahahaha!"


    "What do you mean by that?" Athena asked from the giant redhead''s shoulder.


    "I don''t know..." Barka scoffed and exploded into a red mass of flesh and bones.


    "Athena, it''s not working!" Serien cried out in despair.


    "What will we do?" Mifa asked.


    "We won''t do anything, she died." Lobana said in a heavy voice. "Damn it, I was supposed to take care of you, girl!"


    Tears ran down the face of Lobana, Mifa and the other Valkyries around.


    But the war was not over and they were now starved for imperial blood.


    Oliana threw away what was left of Barka and screamed. "Valkyries, today the empire will meet the wrath of the goddess Ertala''s warriors!!!"


    A thunderous roar echoed and the Valkyries surged forward with more ferocity than any monster in the army.


    ***


    On the ground, Athena looked at the pulp of flesh that had once been a man and there, she saw two daggers emanating purple mana and as dark as Fritt''s sword.


    Athena took the semi-curved bladed daggers, which had a chain linking them together, and thought of Mifa.


    However, the thought of Mifa wearing such a disgusting thing was devastating to Athena, but the girl was on a battlefield and needed to be strong to survive.


    Athena jumped back to the roof where Serien and Mifa stared at Nijha''s cold body, which had been placed there by Oliana.


    "That''s what that man killed Nijha with." Athena said and handed the bloody daggers to Mifa. "These are stronger weapons than your current claws. Use them to protect yourself for now."


    Mifa frowned and push the weapons back to Athena. "I do not want."


    "Mifa, I understand you, but this is war!" Athena insisted and Mifa turned her face in denial.


    Serien, seeing the scene, remembered something and opened her [Dimensional Bag]. "Majesty, you said you cut Knight Fritt''s sword with your sword, so I think your sword is better than those daggers."


    "Yes, but Mifa doesn''t use swords."


    "So... Arladele''s spear was too big and there was material left over from it, so I had some six-inch straight daggers made." Serien explained as he took a glittering bag out of the air. "There are seven daggers."


    ***


    The knights of the empire started to appear there and here on the battlefield and Serien was starting to run out of mana.


    Thanks to the princess, casualties on Athena''s army side were minimal unlike the imperial army which had lost a huge number of soldiers, without counting the dead civilians.


    Just over forty minutes had passed since the start of the battle. Even if the empire won, it would leave a huge stain on its history.


    "M-Majesty..." Serien called for Athena.


    "Hm?"


    Serien was pale, sweat run down her forehead and she was on her knees as she breathed heavily. "I''m at my limit."


    "Right... Hey! It''s time to back off." Athena shouted to one of the soldiers closest to the roof where she was.


    The soldier picked up a ram''s horn that was hanging from his waist and blew it out a blasted sound.


    The shrill sound repeated and the Basilican army began to retreat slowly while still fighting.


    "You''ll go back too, Mifa." Athena decided and before the girl said anything, Athena threw her to Oliana along with Serien and Nijha''s body. (From now until the next assalto, this place is mine.)


    A smile spread across Athena''s face. Lobana and Sahari, who were the last to retreat, felt goosebumps when they saw Athena on the roof with that wicked smile.


    When Basilica''s last troop left the city, the sun shone through the black clouds as Athena undoes the magic.


    Athena stretched her arms and arched her back backward, stretching in the sun like a cat, and then, sensing three overwhelming presences, Athena pulled her sword out of the air as she spun her body with a smile on her face.


    Satur, who was in front, was caught off guard and only had time to protect herself with her gauntlet and was thrown off the roof, onto the ground on the other side of the avenue.


    "Calm down..." Draia, the fifth force, said as she raised her hands. "We want to talk."


    Next to the sleepy-looking woman with messy black hair, a man with brown hair and an annoyed look stared at Athena as if he were looking at an insect.


    Athena cocked her head as if wondering what the woman was saying. "We have nothing to talk about." Athena said in a mocking laugh. "I came to kill you and you can resist if you want." Athena said this, the knights blinked and then they were looking at the sky.


    "!!!!" Zaqirm widened his eyes and drew his sword as he fell, turning his body to face Athena on the roof. "[One Thousand Swords]"


    Stiffening his arm muscles, the knight pierced the air with his bastard sword and hundreds of mana blades flew toward Athena.


    Athena cut a few swords that reached her first and like she was dancing, she dodged the rest.


    "Now, it''s my turn?" Athena asked.


    "No, it''s mine!" Satur responded by appearing beside Athena.


    Athena tried to jump away, but it was too late, Satur had already released her skill before she even got there and Athena had her back and hair cut.


    "Satur, I thought you were already dead." Draia said as she watched Athena bounce from roof to roof leaving a trail of destruction.


    Satur rubbed the bloodied cut on her gauntlet with a pained expression. "She managed to cut through my gauntlet and hit my arm. Zaqirm, I saw you barely hit her. Give me your place as the eighth."


    "Shut up. You only managed to hit her because she let you.." The man growled.


    "She stopped bouncing some time ago... Did she die?" Draia said and Satur laughed proudly.


    "Now no matter what you say, I''m the eighth." Satur yelled laughing.


    "Hm... Are you part of the ''Forces of the Emperor''?" Athena asked from behind Satur, the knights jumped away and Zaqirm was the first to die.


    The moment they jumped, Athena jumped towards Draia. Athena swiveled her upper body to the left and swung the longsword as if it were a greatsword to split the woman in half.


    Seeing what was about to happen, Zaqirm used all his strength to kick the air and then without thinking twice, he kicked Draia to the ground, taking her place in front of Athena and being torn into four pieces.


    "Serious?" Satur said with a stupid expression on her face.

 Chapter 64 - Revenge Reunions

    A few hours ago, somewhere away from Tarna, at the Basilica''s army camp.


    "Aren''t you happy? You, one way or another, will get what you want." Trigan asked as he sat on a dry tree trunk next to a young woman.


    The woman looked at the man with a heavy, angry look. "What''s the use? Den isn''t here."


    "Your prince must be fine, Vitia. I don''t think Princess Serien would do a bad thing to a child."


    "The princess doesn''tˇ­" Vitia said and her eyes were on Athena''s back. (I will kill you.)


    ***


    Satur looked at the pieces of man that had fallen on Draia with a surprised and happy look.


    "Haha! Now I''m the eighth force. Haha... Hehehehe..."


    Draia stood up, looking at the piece of head that was left of Zaqirm and the entrails above it.


    "Zaqirm?"


    Draia and Zaqirm had always been together even before they came under Veta''s command.


    When Veta chose Draia to be the fifth force in the order, Zaqirm went out of his way to stay strong and join her.


    Zaqirm protected her as he could. Even though he knew she was much stronger and more skillful than he was. It was an automatic impulse he had, he couldn''t resist, he loved her and that''s why he used everything to protect her, even his life.


    Draia looked at what was left of Zaqirm and a strange feeling rose in her chest.


    "What is this feeling?"


    Draia never understood how Zaqirm felt, even after he said his feelings to her and even after she gave herself to him. She couldn''t understand.


    "Anger?"


    But now Zaqirm was dead and she would never see him smile or sulk at her again.


    "Zaqirm..."


    Tears ran down Draia''s beautiful face as she felt the pain of grief that until then she was unaware and heard Satur''s laughter.


    Repeating Zaqirm''s name over and over, Draia rose with a grim look. The woman drew her sword and flew in a leap to the roof.


    Satur, who was laughing and celebrating Zaqirm''s death and her recent promotion, had no reaction time.


    Satur''s voice was beginning to enrage Draia and the fact that the woman was mocking Zaqirm made her even more angry. The moment Draia landed on the roof, Satur''s head flew to the ground leaving a spasming body on the roof, squirting blood.


    Athena looked at the scene as if she were mesmerized. She was about to do what Draia did, but for different reasons.


    Satur was too irritating to stay alive for long, so it made Athena smile with her death.


    "Youˇ­" Draia said in a voice without any feeling. "Did you kill Zaqirm?"


    Athena inclined her head. "You are blind?"


    Head down, her dark hair in front of her face, Draia brandished her sword without even looking at Athena.


    Athena widened her eyes in surprise. The woman was so fast that Athena barely had time to react. They exchanged blows at a speed a normal person couldn''t even dream of.


    Athena tightened her fingers around her sword and thrust into Draia who spun her body and parried the attack connecting another attack after her defense.


    "[Total Destruction]" Draia said in a monotone and full of power voice.


    A surge of power quickly flooded Draia''s sword, igniting it in purple flame.


    Sensing the threat, Athena screamed. "{Absolute Shield}"


    A gold-colored transparent force field covered Athena''s body and the purple flame engulfed Athena and everything else behind the her.


    The part of the city that was not affected by the Basilica''s attack, trembled with the screams that erupted as the flames engulfed the city in purple hell.


    "Since we''re going to use large-scale skills, I won''t hold back either." Athena said and Draia frowned for the first time.


    Athena shifted her stance still within the purple flames and placing her sword over her head. She imbued it with fire element mana and the long sword ignited, glowing with golden flames that whipped the air violently.


    "[Holy Fall]" Athena took a deep breath, feeling her mana being sucked into the sword, and screamed in a mighty voice.


    If Draia''s purple flames were like waves, Athena''s golden flames were like tsunamis.


    Draia gritted her teeth and gripped her sword tighter, injecting more mana into her skill, but her resistance didn''t stop her from being engulfed by the flames, along with everything behind her.


    ***


    In the distance, outside the city, Mifa looked at the walls anxiously as the army continued to retreat.


    "Miss Mifa, let''s go." Serien urged, but Mifa gave no sign of leaving that place.


    Oliana had only agreed to release her when Mifa promised not to return to the town.


    Hadn''t even been ten minutes since the army retreated, but Mifa still felt anguished and that anguish grew even stronger when a purple light shone on the walls, followed by screams of despair and death.


    The people stared at that glow with goosebumps creeping up their backs, but then a more intense golden light engulfed everything and burst through the walls, creating a new passage farther east, and the fire sliced ??through the earth along the way, to anywhere at the end of the plains.


    Everyone there looked at that terrible scene stunned with wide eyes. They didn''t know which power was that or whose, but inside they were grateful that they weren''t heading in that direction.


    Everyone there was relieved, except Mifa. Seeing all that, Mifa''s heart shrank in fear. Mifa squeezed her fingers in her fist and before anyone could stop her, she ran with all her strength back to the town.


    ***


    Athena lowered her sword, looking at the trail of destruction she created as she absorbed the energy of her victims with that same hateful, strange, hot feeling inside her.


    "This skill..." Athena looked at her shaking hand. "I still can''t use this often."


    [Holy Fall] was not in the game. Athena wasn''t sure what she was doing and just used it following the formula that the Akashic record provided.


    Originally, Athena couldn''t use it because of the lack of holy element in her, but with the holy sword, she didn''t need to worry about having the element.


    Athena looked at the sword in her hand. "Your name is now excalibur." Athena smiled and turned to the west, looking at the palace. "How about you stop watching me and get out of where you''re hiding?"


    In the shadows of battle, Vitia waited for an opportunity to exact revenge. She watched the monsters that attacked Athena and cheered for them, but Athena was a monster that devoured monsters.


    Her opportunity never came and now there was another monster.


    A man with almost black brown hair and fierce amber eyes, dressed in black armor with gold accents and with a wide and large greatsword on his back suddenly appeared.


    "To think I''ve been detectedˇ­" The man gave a sheepish smile. "I don''t want to fight."


    "And who would you be?" Athena asked and looked at the roof beyond him, where Vitia was hiding. (Luck?)


    "If I tell you, you will kill me." The man hesitantly raised his palms to Athena and then a smile spread across his face. "{Explosion...- Huh?"


    "Do you really think I''m that naive?" Athena said as she swung her sword, getting rid of a crust of blood on the blade.


    The man who didn''t even introduce himself split in half leaving behind a trail of blood on the roof, where his body slipped to the ground.


    "The Order of Knights ''Force of the Emperor'' is just that?" Athena asked without waiting for an answer.


    Vitia''s heart was racing faster than it should and her stealth skill wavered with every beat.


    (How did she manage to kill that monster with a single blow? Huh? Horx, how am I going to avenge you like this?)


    Vitia''s thoughts were a mess. She didn''t even see when Athena moved her arm. What''s more, this was right after the woman used a frightening power and implied that she was tired.


    (I... I...) She wanted to cry. (Den, why did you say you were the prince? I....)


    "If you''re not going to attack me, get out of here." Athena said without looking at Vitia in the shadows. "The things soon will be very chaotic around here."


    After killing all her enemies, was Athena showing her mercy? That was the trigger for Vitia, who threw away her sanity out of her pride and blind with hatred, she drew her daggers and advanced on Athena.


    Athena looked down at the woman and waited for her to come into her reach, but then she sensed other presences.


    (Someone powerful and...) Athena wanted to confirm with her eyes but the overwhelming presence that approached at an unbelievable speed was worrying. (... Mifa?)


    Vitia jumped from the other roof towards Athena, but Athena prepared for another enemy without caring about the woman.


    As soon as she saw the man, Athena tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and with all her strength she swung the sword toward the man, crashing her sword against his.


    At the same time this was happening, Mifa appeared in Vitia''s way.  The two assassins exchanged blows with their daggers in an instant and broke apart.


    Athena looked to the side without taking her opponent out of sight and Mifa was between her and Vitia, who had a shallow cut on her neck.


    "Didn''t I tell you to go away?!"  Athena shout furiously as she stared into her opponent''s reddish brown eyes.


    The man facing her raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Athena was talking about, but then Mifa yelled back.


    "Shut up, you don''t boss me around! I''m your girlfriend and not one of your soldiers!"


    Hearing this, Vitia''s eyes widened.  That was all she wanted and it gave her a crazy smile that took over her face.


    (Now I can get revenge!!!!) Vitia thought and looked at Athena.  "Athenaaa!!!! Now you will experience the same pain I felt!!!!"


    Athena frowned and growled.  "Touch a strand of her hair and I''ll make your little prince suffer the worst hell of his miserable life!"


    Athena tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword that was still in contact with her opponent''s sword in a contest of strength.


    She wanted to get rid of the man as quickly as possible and then kill the imminent danger that Vitia was to Mifa.


    "Huh? Vitia?" The man asked with an expression of discomfort.


    Vitia looked at the man and her twisted face grew even more scowling than when she was wanting to kill Athena.


    "VEEEETAAAA!!!!" Vitia forgot Athena and Mifa and jumped at the man who clicked his tongue for not being able to move his arms from the power struggle he was having with Athena.


    Athena looked at the man''s face. (So ??this is the Saint of War?)


    Veta was a tall man, taller than Athena, with a broad body and big muscles, his low-cut hair was dark red almost black and his green eyes were calm and yet menacing.


    N/A: To be honest, I don''t remember if I had ever described Veta''s appearance. If so, let me know that I''ll look later. I''m lazy now. Let''s go back to the chapter.


    Athena looked at Mifa, asking her to get rid of Vitia and as if they had some kind of mental connection, Mifa moved and kicked Vitia in the stomach to the other roof.


    Taking advantage of Veta''s moment of distraction, Athena used [Fortification] and [Acceleration] and pushed Veta''s greatsword into the air and then tried to cut his chest, but the man was faster and used the small shield of his gauntlet to protect himself.


    The two took distance and faced each other. Athena and Veta had predatory looks on their faces and pointed their swords at each other.


    Veta had a sour taste in his mouth. Athena had surpassed him in strength after using [Fortification], a skill that was a Warrior, a lower class than his.


    "Who are you?"


    _____________________________


    N/A: Now I am satisfied. Now I can sleep in peace. I''m glad I''m staying home today. Later I post the other chapter.. Sorry for the horrible quality chapter I posted yesterday.

 Chapter 65 - First Clash

    At the sound of clashing swords, Mifa and Vitia struck each other.


    Vitia jumped when attacked by Mifa''s long claws that stretched out like sharp metal threads, cutting through the wood of the roof where Vitia was standing.


    The woman spun in the air, using centrifugal force to throw two ten-centimeter needles at her opponent, but Mifa dodged them all and whipped the woman with her claws.


    As soon as she saw Vitia fall to the ground, Mifa threw herself forward in a sprint. In the middle of the way, knives appeared in the tips of her boots and with them, Mifa kicked Vitia''s ribs who spat blood at the same moment.


    Mifa shortened her claws again and with what looked like black daggers, Mifa tried to strike Vitia''s abdomen, which turned her body, saving herself from the blow that would kill her.


    When Mifa went to chase the woman, Athena, with a wound on her forehead, fell on Vitia.


    "Athena?" Mifa said with a worried look on her face.


    "Huh? Ah... Hey! You are so cute..." Athena smiled and then kicked Mifa.


    ***


    Veta stared at Athena with a intrigued expression, waiting for an answer to his question.


    "Who am I? I am the queen of Basilica." Athena said and waved her hand. "Today''s attack is just a hello."


    Veta looked at the queen in confusion. The empire was supposed to attack Basilica in two months and even though the spies never returned, it should not have been possible for Basilica''s forces to grow so much in just six months.


    (Unlessˇ­) Veta cleared his expression and smiled. "You''re bluffing. The flags seen aren''t from Basilica and I hear the new queen is a beauty with strange powers. You might be pretty and strong, but your powers aren''t that unusual."


    Athena thought of her own face and even with the lousy mirrors of this world, she could see that she was a beauty.


    "I''m beautiful and about my powers... If you haven''t noticed, they are quite different from yours."


    "How could I? You used Fortification, a Warrior skill."


    "And?" Athena made a mocking expression and steadied her posture. "Well, no more chatting. Let''s get this over now."


    Veta clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth. The tension in the air grew heavier and they both moved at the same time.


    Athena attacked with dexterity and strength in her unique swordplay which she had just acquired with the help of the Akashic Records by switching her class back to an ordinary knight.


    Her sword went left and then changed direction and went up and then down without losing strength or speed.


    Veta was having trouble dealing with this randomness and every time Athena moved her arm, a spark occurred when her sword hit his armor in a strong, painful impact.


    However, Veta was not on the defensive. Both were predators and as a predator, his defense was an even harder attack.


    Veta swung his sword in an arc in front of him and Athena dodged by arching back and coming back up with dozens of blows that were either reflected by the man''s armor or deflected by his sword and shield.


    (This is getting repetitive...) Athena thought and changed her swordplay entirely to an improvisation.


    With more open and faster sword strokes, Athena started to use magic in the middle of combat.


    Veta was stunned by what he saw, but still evaded it.


    He dodged a cut and received a {Fireball} which he minimized damage with his shield.


    With every swing of the sword Athena made, a different magic hit him. This was starting to annoy the man and so Veta used his skills.


    "[Threaten]" Veta yelled and his eyes glowed red and a sinister aura emanated from his body.


    This skill was supposed to frighten and paralyze someone who was weaker than him and it didn''t work with Athena.


    "Really? Threaten?" Athena said and then a weird black aura appeared in her hand. "{Terror}" Athena said as she blew the magic on Veta as if blowing a kiss in the air.


    Veta widened her eyes in surprise and shout. "[Lion Heart]" And a layer of yellow aura glowed on his body, resisting Athena''s magic.


    "My powers are still common?" Athena asked and Veta''s eyes cooled.


    "Right. This will serve as a warm-up. Today your head will be mine." Veta said and advanced towards Athena with brutal attacks.


    Veta swung his sword as if it were the lightest thing in the world, but Athena took all the weight off as she deflected and blocked the blows.


    Athena tensed her leg muscles and leapt into a spin and unleashed a number of attacks on the man who hit Athena in the head with the greatsword like it was a bat and hurled her to the other roof, over Vitia.


    The man flew in a jump to where Athena was and using his weight, he thrust the sword towards Athena, who saw the man falling towards her, kicked Mifa away and somersaulted backwards, evading the man''s attack.


    Vitia, who was under Athena, was impaled from behind by Veta''s sword, which pierced her and buried itself in the roof.


    Vitia grunted in pain, but Veta didn''t stop. And following Athena, the man cut through the roof and Vitia, who let out her last breath as she was ripped in half.


    The roof shuddered as it cracked and gave way, taking Vitia''s body with it and causing Veta to lose his ground and disappear into the building.


    Athena looked at Mifa with an apologetic look and before Veta recovered from his fall, Athena jumped towards Mifa, grabbing the girl and running away.


    ***


    Far from Tarna, in a castle surrounded by a dense reddish-black mist, a man with long black horns, gray skin, reddish-yellow eyes and long silver hair, rose from his throne.


    The man walked with the sound of the tinkling of gold in his body echoing through the place and demonic creatures curved through the hall, on either side of a torn red carpet.


    "I don''t know why, but there are too many saints these days..." The man said in a soft voice as he picked up one of the terrified human children in the corner of the place and in a disgusting noise of flesh being ripped and bones being crushed, the man bit the boy by the head. "Send a messenger to the others. Tell them that Mammon will take the life of one of the saints."


    The man devoured the rest of the boy''s body, dropped his dirty little feet to the ground and flew into the sky through a large hole in the castle roof.


    ***


    In the imperial palace Veta and what was left of his Order heard the emperor scream in fury.


    "You useless!" Sued threw a pitcher at Veta''s head and the man felt the heat of the blood drain from the top of his head. "But it won''t stay that way. It really won''t! I do not want to give them time to rest! Attack them now and crush them! And this time I will go too. If I want something done right I should do it myself." Sued took off his tunic, revealing his golden armor with the face of a lion on the breastplate.


    "Majesty, I disagree with that. I met Athena a few months ago and she was already strong, but it looked like she was still in the process of growing. She must be as strong as Veta or more." Said the second force.


    "Do you know that woman?" Veta asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Yes, we are friends." The knight responded with a bright smile.


    The emperor looked at the fire-haired knight in disgust. "Are you friend of the enemy?"


    The knight shook his head and shrugged. "How was I supposed to know she was an enemy? She''s a pretty interesting person, so yeah. I''m friends with her." The knight looked at the emperor with a look that not even Veta does.


    The emperor felt a shiver run over his skin and a chill in his belly. That was fear. The second was a fearsome creature and even though he was the second was, he was as strong as Veta.


    "Samy, don''t look at the emperor that way." Eloan, the third force, rebuked his ally.


    "Hahaha... Sorry, Your Majesty." Samy said as he scratched the hair behind his head. "It''s my time, I have to go. My shop needs strengthening so I don''t suffer from looters." Samy said with a shy smile and then looked back at the door. "Let me know when you''re going to launch the attack. I want to see Athena."


    "Fearful creature." The emperor snorted after making sure Samy was no longer there.


    "He might be terrifying, but he''s a force to be reckoned with. Especially when he''s as strong as I am and the only one of us who doesn''t use weapons." Veta said in an attempt to put discernment in the emperor.


    Verio looked at the Veta and nodded. "Hm... I think what Sir Veta means, is for His Highness to not antagonize Sir Samy just because he is of a race so close to the goddess Naph." Verio hid half his face with the sleeve of his tunic.. "This could end up becoming a problem."

 Chapter 66 - The Hero And The War Without Truce

    This is a story of two years before Athena woke up in the eastern forest outside Reiden.


    The central continent on the other side of the world below was the last clean non-floating continent.


    The people of this continent actually didn''t even know why there had small, gigantic islands floating on the horizon.


    All they knew was that something happened on the other side of the world a long time ago and because of this unknown happening, demons invaded the mortal world and now the last continent that people could shelter and survive, was that hideous place.


    The central continent was, for the most part, a wasteland. It has always been that way and would remain that way for eternity.


    For this reason, the few fertile lands were engaged in constant warfare between the dozens of small kingdoms that were left in the world.


    One of these kingdoms was Odeon, a kingdom of ancient history that had to abandon its lands in the northern continent because of two demons, who claimed to be princes of hell and demon lords in the mortal world


    The king of Odeon, Ser''tio Odeon, seeing no other choice to end the suffering of having his people hostage to fear and an incessant dispute for land, decided that he would summon a hero.


    Summoning a hero required a life to pay the price of the hero''s journey and powers. Until then there was no problem, it was just using someone as a sacrifice.


    Everyone applauded the king''s initiative. An initiative that the kings of the past refused to take. But that only lasted until the king stated his intentions.


    "I will not use any sacrifice. What kind of king sacrifices his people to survive?"


    Ser''tio would pay the price himself and everyone was against that. Ser''tio was a zealous king and for that reason he was loved by his people. Nobody wanted to lose a leader like him.


    However, that was how everything followed. To save his people, to save the world, Ser''tio sacrificed himself and summoned a righteous and strong hero to save the world.


    Obviously the hero didn''t like being summoned. After all, what had happened to him, from his perspective, was nothing more than a lightning kidnapping.


    In the early days it was a pain. The hero locked himself in his room and just cried.


    One day he was living his life normally like a regular high schooler and suddenly his life had turned upside down and now he had to fight scary demons and save an entire people.


    It was quite a burden for a fifteen-year-old boy.


    However, the days passed and the hero had a good brain. He stopped mourning and decided that he would fight for those people, save the world, and look for a way back to his world.


    The hero went through strenuous days of training.


    He had power, but he was like a seed that needed to blossom and grow and after months of training.


    He closed his eyes to hungry people as he ate, hid from Odeon''s enemy knights looking for him, and escaped from demons wanting his head. That''s until one day he was ready.


    The hero advanced across the battlefield, cutting hordes of lesser demons and nearly dying to greater demons, but always the last one standing.


    Killing the first, second, third and even the fourth and fifth humanoid being was very disturbing for him. He wondered if what he was doing was right.


    His enemies were demons, but... So what if they were demons? They understood what they said, laughed, mocked, felt pain and died just like everyone else.


    "All you need to worry about is whether you''ll be alive tomorrow. They want to kill you and they will if you hesitate. I don''t know what your world is like, but here, if you want to live, you have to kill."


    After hearing this, the hero''s questions and moral disturbances ceased. In fact, he locked away part of his old morality and continued on the battlefield for months.


    During this period he fought against Belphegor. Both the hero and the demon lord were seriously injured.


    After months of recovering, the hero fought Leviathan and won, but Leviathan fled before receiving the final blow.


    A draw and a victory against demon lords was a formidable feat and obviously it caught the attention of two bigwigs among the demon lords.


    Azazel and Mammon went to find the hero. They wanted to know how a human could be so strong. But when they found him, they were disappointed.


    The hero had considerable strength, but nothing to fear.


    "That''s your limit..." Azazel said to the hero after sweeping the floor with him. "As punishment for letting me down, I will destroy the kingdom that brought you to this world."


    When the hero woke up, there was nothing left of Odeon. Houses, castle and slums had all been reduced to fire and corpses.


    The hero wept in a shrill howl that echoed through the valley of death and fire.


    His only home in this world, the only place he could call home was gone.


    His chest burned, but it wasn''t from the wound Mammon had done. The hatred that awoke and boiled inside him.


    That day the hero set out to seek his revenge against Azazel and Mammon.


    He still searches for the location of the demon lords while slaughtering every demon in his path.


    ***


    In the Basilica''s camp, in the queen''s tent, Athena begged Mifa to forgive her while Serien healed the girl''s arm and ribs, broken by Athena''s kick.


    Mifa was sitting on the luxurious bed that Serien had insisted on bringing to Athena, who was kneeling beside the girl, repeatedly apologizing.


    "I didn''t have a choice, if you stayed there, he could have used you to kills me!"


    Mifa didn''t look at Athena. That same day, the woman yelled at her and kicked her hard enough to break her bones.


    Even knowing that all this was because Athena wanted to protect her, Mifa was still sulking.


    Athena stopped begging, she had already apologized too much. She waited for Serien to finish and when the princess left the tent, Athena tied the entrance, casted {Absolute Shield} on the tend, to isolate the place from whoever it was, and looked at Mifa.


    "W-what are you going to do?" Mifa asked with wide eyes that got even wider when Athena started to take off her armor.


    Standing in front of the girl, Athena lazily removed her plate armor, revealing the clothing that separates her skin from the upholstery on the metal pieces.


    Athena didn''t wear much, just a dark red dress and a white cloth coat.


    She took off her coat, tossing it in the corner of the tent and approached Mifa with a serious look.


    With each step of Athena, Mifa felt goose bumps rising in her belly, the back of her neck also shivered and she retreated farther to the center of the bed.


    "Athena, I''m not in the mood." Mifa said, but didn''t resist when Athena climbed onto the bed and stay over her.


    Still looking into Mifa''s eyes, Athena unbuttoned the girl''s belt and untied the string of Mifa''s dark brown shorts.


    "Will you forgive me?" Athena asked in a whispered voice and with a sharp look as she slipped a finger into Mifa''s exposed belly, who shivered and sighed.


    "N-no... S-stop w-with- Ah!" Mifa said and gasped as Athena slipped her hands inside her dark green teal blouse.


    Athena continued undressing Mifa little by little while she apologized and Mifa refused to forgive her as she sighed and moaned, until Athena was the only one in the place who still wore clothes.


    "Are you sure you won''t forgive me?" Athena asked, but now she was smiling mischievously.


    Mifa was completely naked on the bed, showing Athena her sweaty white skin, her rosy and excited nipples in her firm breasts that rose and fell violently cause of her excited breathing.


    "Iˇ­" Mifa stared at the roof of the tent and took a deep breath as she felt Athena''s hand move up her thighs towards her wetness.


    Athena bit her lip as she smiled at Mifa''s reactions and Mifa panted as she arched her back to Athena''s touch.


    Athena bent down as she spread Mifa''s legs and kissed the inside of the girl''s thighs.


    Athena continued kissing and licking Mifa''s inner thighs, until she got where she wanted and made the girl moan loudly.


    Minutes later, Athena was lying in bed with Mifa in her arms. The two women smiled, exchanged passionate kisses and caressed each other''s sweaty skin.


    ***


    The Basilica camp was having a relatively calm night for an army in enemy territory.


    Soldiers patrolled the surroundings in shifts every ten minutes. It was at one of those intervals that it all started.


    Flames set fire to tents, assassins killed sleeping soldiers, knights cut down monsters'' heads, and in seconds the camp turned into a battlefield.


    Athena and Mifa hurriedly dressed and ran out of the tent with weapons in hand.


    Athena wore only the red dress and nothing else. Her armor had been left on the floor of the tent and the situation didn''t allow for the whim of putting on a armor.


    "Don''t ask, don''t talk!" Athena said to Mifa. "Just kill anything that has black armor and/or the symbol of the lion of the empire."


    Mifa nodded and disappeared onto the battlefield. Athena ran to the opposite side and found Lobana protecting Serien who cast magic one after the other with a complicated expression.


    The princess was still pale, making it clear that she still hadn''t recovered. Athena ran to where the women were and saw Oliana in the distance.


    "Serien!" Athena extended her hand to the princess, who took the queen''s hand without question. "Lobana, go and kill anything that moves with the colors of the empire. I''ll take care of Serien."


    Lobana opened a smile and decapitated two soldiers in a single blow and ran with violence in her eyes to the middle of the battlefield.


    "Serien, you will be safe with her!" Athena said without explaining anything.


    Serien looked at her queen and before she could say anything, Athena screamed for Oliana. When the woman looked at Athena, Serien flew toward her.


    "Nowˇ­" Athena focused on the battlefield and said in a powerful voice. "[Fortification], [Acceleration], [Hypersensitivity]." Athena opened her eyes that glowed with excessive use of skills and a smile appeared when she thought of another skill. "[Super Perception]."


    Once Athena activated the skill, it was as if she could see the battlefield from above and like on a chessboard, know which "pieces" belonged to her.


    She could also see in the distance, the real enemy waiting for something, but that wasn''t a problem for now.


    Athena decided to show her power to Veta and imagine the man making a stupid expression of surprise was almost as exciting as having sex with Mifa. She pointed her sword high and in a booming voice, she cast {Rain of Lightning}.


    Black clouds covered the moons that lit the night. Tens of hundreds of lightning ripped through the sky and fell to the ground, hitting all the invading soldiers one after another.


    "Let''s start a massacre!" Athena screamed and that scream echoed across the plain, reaching even the ears of the emperor who soon heard like thunder the roar of the Basilican army and shrank back on his horse.


    (What''s wrong with these people?) The emperor thought and looked at Veta who had the look of an oppressed tiger.

 Chapter 67 - Angel And Demon

    The emperor and his forces were stunned as they watched lightning rain and hit only the imperial soldiers in Basilica''s army camp.


    It was an unprecedented scene, beautiful and frightening.  Few sorcerers, mages, witches and wizards had reached such power.


    A human usually becomes a conjurer in search of riches, but there are those who deepen in the path of magic in search of knowledge and power, but human life is short and they never can do that made and there are liches.


    Through a ritual, a person attaches his soul to a specific gem and leaves life to go a little deeper into the path of magic. But ironically they lose the ability to use common magic, and everything that remains for them is the dark magic that has only one purpose, destruction.


    Of course, there are those who are of races that have long longevity and managed to conquer the depths of magic and obtain unimaginable powers.


    However these cases were eternal eccentric researchers who avoided even their on race to continue their path and go even deeper in the magic way, never appearing in records or history during their lifetimes.


    These were usually the owners of ruins with many treasures and tomes of spells never seen before.


    So having someone using magic of the eighth cycle or higher on a battlefield was something to both admire and fear.


    "How are we going to fight this monster?"  Sued, the emperor, asked when the lightning show was over.


    Veta snorted as he looked at the sorcerer beside him and Verio said.  "If she was the person who destroyed the walls and gates, made that weather change and used that weird yellow power that destroyed everything in the southeast wing of the city, I think she must be out of mana with this spell."


    "So we don''t need to worry about attacking and being destroyed with a tenth cycle spell?"  Veta asked. He was thinking of the meteor that destroyed the gate, a tenth cycle spell.


    "Probably. If only we had someone on our side who could see the mana..." Verio said with a disappointed expression.


    That''s because even though he was a powerful sorcerer, his talent was limited to that.


    Not everyone could see the mana.  If they did, all they would see, would be a world clouded with azure blue energy.  Those who could see, could also ignore and there, among the imperials, there was a person who had this ability.


    Samy gaped as he looked out into the middle of the camp.  In the center of all that smoke of burned corpse, a thick, dense column of mana stretched serenely upward.


    (Should I let them know?) Samy thought, torn between work and friendship.


    Samy rubbed his temples through his orange hair, squinted his eyes, forced a decision, and remained silent.


    To begin with, he wasn''t even part of the empire.  The kindred tribe took no orders from the empire and did not meddle in the affairs of the country.


    Samy only accepted to be part of the order of knights led by Veta because it made it easier for him to open a shop.  In other words, his relationship with the empire was just business.


    (I can open another store in another city...) Samy thought and disappeared into the crowd.


    ***


    The emperor cupped his chin thoughtfully, considering the battlefield''s possibilities.  He thought of several hypotheses that could lead them to victory, but he also didn''t ignore the chances of defeat.


    Information was sparse despite all that display of power Athena gave.  He could not calculate her real power and regretted not having made a political approach sooner.


    He didn''t know Athena never intended to deal with the empire peacefully.  In fact, he had no way of knowing that Athena never intended to interact politically with the empire.


    Athena''s plan had always been war and there she was, bringing war to the empire with a small but overwhelming force.


    "Veta, you take care of that woman."  Sued said keeping his eyes focused on the enemy army.  "Samy will help you."


    Veta nodded and looked to the side, looking for Samy.  "Samy? Where''s Samy?"


    "What are you talking about sir? Sir Samy is small, but he''s just..." Verio said and then his thin eyes widened as he noticed the little knight''s absence.  "He was right here!"  Verio looked around and Veta jumped from the ground to a large boulder nearby, to get a better view of the place.


    The night was dark from the clouds summoned by Athena, but Veta had better eyes than expected of a knight.


    Among the millions of soldiers, Veta saw Samy''s flame-colored hair and gritted his teeth as veins appeared on his face.


    "Damn you coward!"  Veta said and flew in a leap away, towards Samy.


    That place was a battleground, but the battle started on the wrong side.  Veta drew his sword in mid-flight and swung it in a blow that killed dozens of Imperial soldiers while Samy dodged with some ease.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"  Veta growled.


    Samy laughed, his hair and face red with blood that didn''t belong to him and then looked at Veta with a piercing look.


    Samy''s blue eyes gleamed sharply and when Veta swung his sword again, Samy caught it.


    "Hahaha... Veta, I won''t fight Athena."  Samy said upon seeing Veta''s stiffened expression.  "She''s my friend, you know? Friend can fight, but never kill each other."


    "Tsk! Didn''t you swear to protect the empire?"  Veta bugged when regaining control of his expressions.


    Samy looked at the man with a disinterested look.  The little let go of Veta''s sword and jumped on Veta, hanging on the back of the man''s armor and whispering.  ''This coming from the man who wants to destroy the empire?  You must make up your mind, my friend.''


    "..." Veta was speechless.  (How does he know that?) The knight thought, watching Samy walk away.


    ***


    On Athena''s side, things were much calmer.  Now with time on hand, the soldiers equipped themselves and armored the monsters that were still alive, preparing for the night battle.


    Meanwhile, in Athena''s tent, Lobana, Trigan, Serien, Koria and Athena discussed how to attack while Mifa helped to attach the armor to Athena''s body.


    It wasn''t relevant to the war, but Mefa did it out of jealousy of the ladies-in-waiting, which she made Athena leave behind.


    "Let''s make things simple and quick..." Athena said as the others came up with ideas and plots for the battle.  "Let''s wait for them to come to us and that moment I''m going to use a tenth cycle spell."


    "Do you still have mana for that?"  Trigan asked in bewilderment.  (Monster...)


    "Yes. I''ll only be able to use this once, so don''t miss your chance to kill what''s left."  Athena said and her eyes widened when Mifa squeezed her ass.


    The people there noticed, but nobody said anything.  Some out of shame like Serien and others out of envy like Trigan.


    Koria cleared her throat and then continued the meeting.  After Athena''s attack, they would run across the battlefield to kill the rest while Athena, Oliana, Lobana, Koria and Trigan took care of the knights of Veta''s order.


    "They will surely survive your attack."  Lobana said.


    "I think so too and that''s why we''ll do it that way."  Athena said and finally the time came.


    The Basilicaan army lined up with murderous intent emanating from their eyes as they faced the imperial army in the distance.


    The moons were again allowed to light the place after Athena had dissipated her magic.  Athena looked at the lush natural satellites and smiled as she saw the red moon ahead of the others.


    As she had proclaimed in the past, that moon belonged to her and she named it of "Moon of Massacre". Athena was satisfied with the position of the moon, it was like a signal for what was about to happen.


    An imperial knight rode halfway across the battlefield between the armies, leaving Athena in confusion.


    Athena had seen such thing in movies and read in books, but she thought they had already passed that stage by the time she invaded the capital.


    "Majesty will not send any messengers?"  Serien asked.


    "What for? This war is very simple. We kill and we won."


    "Yeah, but they don''t know why we''re invading them."


    "They don''t need to know."  Athena said and looked for Koria.  "There you are. Use that idiot as the trigger for empire."


    Understanding what Athena meant, Koria drew an arrow from her quiver and aimed with her bow.


    When the woman released the arrow, the silent place was overtaken by a brief whistle and then the groan of the man who was hit and fell dead from his horse.


    When that happened, Athena''s army vibrated and the imperial army roared.  This was an obvious sign of affront to the emperor''s goodwill, and in a shout from their sovereign, the imperials advanced.


    The soldiers'' cries of bravery thundered across the plain and the ground shook with the furious advance of the soldiers.


    People close to Athena, turned away from the queen when they saw the bizarre smile that had appeared in that beautiful face of hers.


    Athena laughed euphorically, stretched an arm toward the Imperials.  Athena''s mana decreased and a strange phenomenon occurred in the middle of the terrain where the imperial army was.


    "{Solar Blast}" Athena said.


    Night turned to day and radiant columns of fire and light descended from the sky as if the sun itself was attacking the imperial army that melted and burned in their armor.


    Athena''s magic destroyed the imperial army without giving them time to scream in pain or mourn their fate.


    That magic was the materialization of absolute violence and when it was all over, that violence left behind a scar in the earth in the form of burning lava and cracks.


    Athena was beginning to feel the energy of the lives she took running through her body. If this were still a game, it would be like gain over 200 levels at once.


    Until that day, Athena had only killed thousands at once. The energy of thousands of lives generated a tolerable discomfort, but where is now a lake of fire and death, there were millions of people.


    The energy of thousands was like an irritating wave of heat, but what about the energy of millions?


    In reaction to all that energy, Athena flinched, feeling her insides being churned by something that felt like hot water running through every inch of her body.


    The people of both armies looked at the destruction in the place, open-mouthed with fear and amazement.


    The Basilicians and mercenaries were beginning to think of Athena as some sort of high-ranking angel, completely forgetting the Queen of Death fame that Athena had acquired nearly a year ago.


    "Athena!"  Mifa hurried to Athena when she saw the woman kneeling, her skin red, almost as if she was boiling from the inside out.  "Athena, what''s wrong? Did you use that skill again?"


    The concern in Mifa''s voice pulled the leaders of the Basilican army out of hypnosis and Koria, Serien, Oliana, Lobana and Trigan surrounded the queen with mixed expressions of fear, astonishment and confusion on their faces.


    On the imperial side, there are still nearly a million soldiers left alive and they all had the same expression on their faces.


    Everyone started to think they were facing some unknown demon lord, they were all terrified.


    ***


    East of there, far from the empire, Mammon reached the Karena island and waiting for him, there was a white winged army.


    "Mammon, demon lords are not allowed in the world above. Go away!"

 Chapter 68 - Possibilities

    While Athena was busy assimilating the energy of her victims, the imperial army began to move.


    "Re..." The emperor''s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets they were so wide open. "Retreat!" The sovereign bellowed in his fear.


    The soldiers did not wait for the emperor to say "retreat" again and ran away from that sea of ??fire.


    Veta, Verio, Eloan, and Qer, the remnants of the order of knights "Force of Emperor", were stiffened in their places. They couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    In a single day, two tenth cycle spells were cast against them and one was more disastrous than the other.


    Veta never felt his revenge as threatened as he did at that moment. He had spent a lifetime for that goal and now his plan''s destruction was almost tangible.


    The man clenched his fists, controlling his shaking hands, and headed back to town, trying to keep as much of his calm as possible and plan what he should do.


    And so, the empire missed the perfect moment to attack and possibly win the war and thus ended the first day of war.


    ***


    To the west of the empire, on an almost paradise island, with beautiful lakes and dense forests dominated by monsters, Mammon rested.


    "Those bastards are really strong..." Mammon complained as he licked his hand smeared with his own dark blood.


    At the man''s feet were pieces of wings, feathers, arms, heads and other body parts of angels.


    Mammon had obliterated a squad of angels alone, and all he had suffered was a cut to his back.


    The man breathed out his fatigue and rose from his seat. His eyes looked east from where was possible for him to feel that powerful magic had been used.


    The man smiled a serrated smile and flew away, leaving behind a feast for the monsters who were drawn there by the scent of blood.


    ***


    "Where is Mammon?" Asked the boy to a lesser demon.


    His long, dirty black hair covered his lifeless eyes, giving him a more menacing look. The katana in his hand and the half-armor on his body hadn''t been cleaned in a long time, and even the demons couldn''t stand his foul odor of sweat and rotting blood.


    "I won''t ask again!" The boy who was once the hero to a people, yelled with his jovial voice.


    "M-master Mammon flew to the islands in the sky." Said the lesser demon pointing beyond the hole in the castle roof.


    The boy looked in the pointed direction and then decapitated the demon who died without resistance, just like the other demons on the way there.


    All that was left of life in the castle were the rats, the boy and the children who had an empty look like the boy''s.


    Seeing the undernourished bodies of the children, the boy went to the beautiful table laden with fruit in the corner of Mammon''s throne room.


    The fruits were all fresh and there was also clean water there, which was a surprise for the boy.


    "Come, you need to eat to survive."


    ***


    Athena''s body burned with the process of absorbing all that energy she acquired. It was like she had a fifty-degree fever.


    At the same time she felt heat, at any breeze she shivered with cold. She also had pain in her joints, bones and eyes. Not to mention the seasickness that made Athena want to throw up even on an empty stomach.


    Not knowing what to do, they took Athena back to the tent, not caring about the retreat of the empire.


    Mifa was desperate, as was Serien who cast a sixth cycle healing spell on the queen, not knowing that what Athena was going through was a strengthening process.


    With Athena in this situation, she was an easy target and so Valkyries and Athena''s personal platoon surrounded the royal tent to protect the queen while Serien and Mifa took care of her.


    The night was long for both Athena and the soldiers who lay awake, drowning in worry. If Athena died there, it would result in another defeat for Basilica and no one there wanted that.


    Whether he was a soldier or a mercenary, for different reasons, everyone wanted victory.


    All that concern, and somehow loyalty, was rewarded in the morning when Athena opened her eyes in her bed.


    "Good morning my love." Mifa said seeing the green of Athena''s eyes.


    Besides the dark circles under her eyes and tiredness, on Mifa''s face was the personification of relief in the form of a smile.


    Athena smiled back and caressed Mifa''s face with affection. Athena sat up and approached her face to Mifa''s and kissed the girl. "Good Morning."


    "What happened to you?" Mifa asked as she hugged Athena.


    "Nothing much. I''ll explain to you later." Athena said and looked to the other side of the bed, where Serien was bent over in a deep sleep. "She tried to heal me?"


    "Yes."


    "Fufu~"


    "What''s the fun?"


    "I wasn''t sick."


    Later, when everyone was asleep and rested, Athena called the leaders of her army.


    Trigan, leader of the Owls. This was a select group of soldiers that Athena made Trigan turn into vampires, among them there were soldiers from Basilica and former members of the Vultures. Koria and Lobana represent the Valkyries and the mercenaries respectively. They looked after the interests of both groups and also the conduct of the most aggressive mercenaries. Esdan, a gentle-faced man, leader of the platoon Athena trained and Serien as the Queen''s advisor.


    All these people were having lunch at Athena and Mifa''s tent to have a strategy meeting with Athena.


    "We will have to attack the city again now that the empire has retreated." Trigan said and bit into a piece of sausage.


    "We can also make a siege." Esdan suggested. "We can close the transport routes and starve them."


    "Hm..." Athena mumbled and looked at Mifa who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. "Could be, but that would take too long. We don''t know how much reserve they have."


    "What if we sent someone to burn these possible reserves?" Lobana suggested and drank some of the wine from her mug.


    Athena was about to put her noodle fork in her mouth, but she lowered it. "That''s a good idea. If we burn the supplements, they''ll have no choice but to fight or maybe cannibalism." Athena joked and everyone at the table, except Trigan, frowned at the thought of the meat on their plates with a meat of its own kind. "However, I don''t want to be here for that long, so a siege is not the best option."


    "So are we going to invade?" (Trigan)


    "Yes, but first..." Athena got up and went to the table where she had a big map of all the islands.


    Athena knew that entering an enemy city unprepared was a bad idea. Many things could happen, like guerrillas, which could decrease her army little by little.


    With a quill in hand Athena drew on a parchment and imbued it with mana. She was trying to make a skill learning scroll and she had no idea if it would work, but even so, after finishing the drawing, Athena handed the scroll to Serien.


    "What is this?" Serien asked as he took the scroll.


    "It''s a skill learning scroll. I want you to learn the skill on this scroll."


    "Huh? But I''m a cleric..."


    "Just try it. This skill needs a holy element and you already have a skill."


    "Yes, but my skill is by birth and it doesn''t work anymore."


    "Just do what I tell you, if it doesn''t work, we can make every soldier try."


    Serien frowned and stared at the scroll, imbued it with her mana. The mana circled the scroll and returned to Serien, burning the scroll in the process.


    "It worked?"


    Serien opened her eyes after closing them for a moment and smiled with eyes full of wonder. "H-how?"


    Athena shrugged. "Who knows?" Even she didn''t quite understand the Akashic Records. Athena looked at the others who were looking at them and explained. "The skill she learned is called ''Clairvoyance''. It''s a skill that will show her two of the many possible futures. In other words, it''s not concrete what she sees, so don''t blame her if something goes wrong."


    "What can she see then are possibilities?" (Lobana)


    "Exactly." Athena sat back in her chair and looked at Serien expectantly. She had just warned the others about the skill, but she was the one who was putting the most burden on the princess. "Come on, use the skill!"


    Serien huddled in her seat and in a low voiceˇ­ "Butˇ­ what am I supposed to look for?"


    [Clairvoyance] was an ability that in addition to the sacred element, needed a setting to activate.


    Athena thought for a moment, got up again and returned to the table with a map of Tarna. "Our army will enter through the two holes in the walls. In these two places there is a lot of rubble from the destruction that the weird-haired woman and I caused. I want you to see two possibilities for each route." Athena said as she scribed on the map.


    Serien looked at the map carefully, imagining the scenario. The princess closed her eyes, took a deep breath and used her skill. "[Clairvoyance]"


    Light escaped from Serien''s eyelids and when she opened her eyes, where she should have had the people at table with her, were hundreds of thousands of Basilica soldiers.


    They were fighting and being massacred by the imperial army at the foot of the imperial palace.


    Serien''s heart sped up and the and tears flowed as the image shifted to more at the center of all the killing.


    Athena was on her knees, hugging Mifa and a huge sword cut through them both. Atena was crying as she dying and Mifa, with her eyes closed, was smiling.


    Not to let her cry escape, Serien covered her mouth with her hands and then the scene changed.


    In this new possibility, Basilica was winning after destroying the empire''s pincer attack and Athena was fighting with everything she had against Veta and a man with long silver hair and black horns, a demon.


    Athena killed Veta and seriously injured the demon, but due to the impacts of the battle and the excessive use of destructive spells and skills, there formed a crater in the middle of Tarna.


    Athena was exhausted, on her knees in the cracks, she couldn''t move anymore. She was about to be taken away by the erosion when Mifa took her place by kicking her away and falling to her death.


    Both possibilities led to a tragic end for Athena, and Serien was afraid to tell Athena, but it was necessary and she did so in tears.


    Upon hearing what the princess had to say, Athena''s heart sped up in panic, but with a bitter expression, she swallowed back the fear that was beginning to feel.


    "And the other route?" Koria asked with an almost mournful seriousness.


    "It''s just more of the same." Serien responded by wiping her tears with the back of her hand.


    "Majesty, I know it''s not for me to decide, but I beg you, Basilica needs you. Let''s lay a siege and wait." Esdan said as he knelt and bowed his head in supplication.


    Athena looked at the prostrate man and then looked at Mifa. "I have already decided..."


    ***


    "Hmˇ­ Where was it?"


    In the sky from somewhere in the empire, Mammon looked everywhere for the mana he followed.


    "It was so strong until the sun came up, but..."


    Mammon followed Athena''s uncontrolled mana, but the trail was lost as Athena assimilated all the energy she had received and now the demon was lost not far from Tarna.

 Chapter 69 - Plans And Plans (Rewritten)

    When Athena heard Serien say what she saw, she immediately thought of annihilating Tarna. However, she swallowed her sour-tasting fear and put her thoughts in place.


    (If I destroy the city, thousands of children will die and I don''t know if Mifa and Lobana would forgive me.)


    Ever since she''d taken up the courage to live her new life without looking at the fear of the past, Athena had developed a still slight obsession with her bonds.


    She didn''t want to lose anyone else. The last straw had been Nijha. If she had to choose between killing millions to save one from a dear one or killing a dear one to save millions. With a smile on her face, she would kill millions for one person.


    However, she also didn''t want to be hated by these people and somehow that obsession kept Athena''s humanity.


    With her army leaders before her, Athena was thinking about the best way to prevent Mifa from being in danger.


    When Esdan prostrated himself in supplication at her feet, Athena made her decision. "Let''s have a siege."


    The people there sighed in relief. Well, not all of them, Trigan leaned back against the back of his chair and laughed.


    "Why are you laughing?" Lobana asked.


    Trigan looked at Athena with a mocking look and said. "What about not wanting to be here for too long?"


    Athena''s green eyes flickered an oddly blue glow as she looked coldly at the man.


    At that same moment, Trigan felt an ominous shiver run up his back and his heart sped up in fear.


    Athena kept her eyes on the man huddled in the chair and snapped. "And we won''t be staying for long."


    "But Athena, a siege takes time." Koria said.


    "Not if my plan works out..."


    "What plan?" Serien asked.


    "I''m going to need the best assassins..." Athena explained her plan and they discussed how to execute it as perfectly as possible.


    ***


    In the imperial palace, Sued had spent hours shivering in fear in his chambers. He couldn''t sleep or even rest.


    Every time he started to fall asleep, he heard the explosion and the sound of screams of terror from soldiers killed by Athena''s magic.


    Meanwhile, Veta was thinking of a way to defeat Athena. He couldn''t see the extent of Athena''s power and it cost half the army.


    (How to defeat that?) Veta thought and then the answer came as he looked at a group of children.


    The children played in the street, oblivious to the imminent danger that Tarna... No, that the empire was passing.


    The game was resolved by blindfolding one of the children and making a circle around the blindfolded child. Then the blindfold would have to catch one of the children in the circle and these would have to avoid being caught.


    (That''s it!) Veta smiled a sly smile and clenched his fist in celebration of his idea. (I have to go see the emperor.)


    ***


    At nightfall, the assassins crept through the alleys of Tarna. There were twenty people, all dressed in black and faces hidden in different ways.


    They split into ten pairs and started Athena''s plan.


    The task would be time-consuming and dangerous and they had to do it all in one night. Hidden in the shadows of the night, the assassins killed dogs, cats, birds and livestock. All this without making a fuss.


    The smaller animals they tied to rocks and threw them into drinking water wells, lakes and fountains. As for the biggest ones, like cows and sheep, they set fire.


    The other group didn''t take long to act either. They searched every suspicious place that might be a food store and burned it.


    Places were silos, weapons depots, barns, warehouses and the merchant guild.


    As the fire raged, bells began to ring throughout the city. Soldiers ran with buckets full to extinguish the fire, that savagely devoured everything it touched without caring for the splash of water that hit it.


    This was the perfect distraction for the assassins to complete their work and flee.


    ***


    Just before the fire started, Veta entered the throne room and saw Sued, the emperor, sitting on the throne with his eyes downcast.


    "Veta?" Sued said, looking at the knight.


    "Majesty, I have a plan to get rid of that monster (Athena)." Veta said and the emperor''s eyes found hope.


    "And what''s the plan?" Sued asked with an anxious expression.


    "I will go head to head against her..." Veta began to explain his plan to the emperor.


    He would no longer fight Athena alone. He would use what was left of his Order of Knights and subdue Athena together of them.


    Veta would had a melee fight the woman while Verio, Qer, and Eloan would deal subsequent damage, without giving Athena time to react.


    "And meanwhile, our army slaughters her army..." The emperor said as he completed Veta''s train of thought and smiled. "I like this plan."


    The emperor and knight had satisfied smiles on their faces as the bells began to ring all over the city.


    "Fire?" Veta asked and a soldier stormed into the throne room.


    "Your Majesty, all food reserves have been set on fire!" The soldier said and handed a scroll to Veta.


    Veta opened the parchment and ground his teeth in anger. He handed the scroll to the emperor and left with the soldier.


    "We have to put out the fire. We''re going to be encircled!" Veta said the air cooled.


    ***


    Athena was apprehensive as she looked at the walls of Tarna. The sun was already rising in the east and the assassins showed no sign of life despite all the commotion in the city.


    The queen was about to go to Tarna when she saw the assassins appear on the walls. Athena breathed a sigh of relief and waited for people to approach.


    "Good job. Did everything go right?" Athena asked a woman with very short hair and a face hidden by a panther mask.


    The assassin bowed to Athena and reported everything that happened. "...It went well and I left your majesty''s message attached to the palace gate, as ordered."


    "Perfect. I will make sure to reward you personally." Athena said and looked at the city walls. "Now it''s my turn... {Teleport}"


    In just one word, Athena, who was standing in front of the assassins, disappeared and seconds later, crystalline walls of ice grew around Tarna.


    When Athena returned to camp, her face was pale. The fifth cycle spell {Ice Fort} wouldn''t spend even a fifth of Athena''s mana, but Tarna was too big and its walls were too high.


    Even though it''s a medium cycle spell, the mana consumption was excessive. Athena was exhausted when she returned to the camp and was rescued by Mifa and Serien, who took her to their tent.


    In addition to her fatigue, Athena was shivering from the cold. Part of her hair already damaged by Veta''s sword, was frozen and brittle and her lips were blue.


    "Th-thank youˇ­" Athena thanked her as she wrapped herself in the sheets on the bed.


    "Princess... You..." Mifa tried to ask Serien to leave Athena and her alone and the princess smiled.


    "Right. I''ll be in my tent in case she need me." Serien said as he bowed and left the tent, closing the entrance.


    Mifa took off her boots, lay on the bed and hugged Athena to transfer her body heat to the woman. Athena closed her eyes when she felt Mifa''s heat and mentally called Foti¨˘.


    ***


    In Tarna, the emperor read Athena''s message with an angry expression.


    <Send your people out of the city through the southern city gate.


    You have until the sun goes down, otherwise I will destroy Tarna and everything in it.


    Be a good king and spare your people.


    Athena, Queen of Basilica.>


    When he finished reading, the emperor tore the parchment into several pieces. His face was red and veins stood out in his forehead.


    "I WANT THIS WOMAN CRAWLING NAKED AT MY FEET. I''M GOING TO HUMILIATE THAT BITCH!" The emperor screamed and the palace shook. "Iiiih!!!!" Thinking it was Athena''s attack, the emperor shrank back on his throne.


    The tremor came from an explosion in the roof of the palace that gave way, raising a cloud of dust on the throne room.


    Out of the dust emerged a handsome man with dark gray skin, long silver hair, and black horns that he screwed to the sides of his head.


    "Heh... Are you the saint?" Mammon asked as he dusted off his bare chest. "Hm... No, you''re not the saint..." Mammon''s reddish-yellow eyes glowed menacingly as he looked at the emperor who was wide-eyed and white-faced as a corpse''s. "Where is the saint?"


    ***


    "Mommy? Are you okay?" Foti¨˘ asked when she heard Athena''s fragile voice.


    Foti¨˘ was hunting alone on the outskirts of Gion''s castle when Athena''s voice came into her mind.


    (I''m fine my little angel.) Athena said. (I wanted to hear your voice...)


    "Mommy, wait just a little. There''s a big monster coming my way."


    (Huh? Are you fighting alone?)


    "Aunt Lunnia is watching me from afar." Foti¨˘ said and jumped in an explosion at her feet.


    The monster was the size of a bison and had a black carapace and resembles a tick.


    Foti¨˘ flew over the monster and threw dozens of small fireballs at the monster that exploded into several disgusting pieces of blue goo.


    Foti¨˘ celebrated his victory with a big smile and made a "V" to Lunnia who applauded.


    "Mommy, I''m much stronger now!"


    (Fufu~ My congratulations, my dear. When I get back, I''ll give you a present. What do you want?)


    Foti¨˘ narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "I don''t know. But if Mommy is going to give me a present, I''d rather Mommy choose."


    Athena felt that Foti¨˘ was more mature and smart. She was filled with longing and guilt for not seeing this progress personally.


    (I promise you, I will come back when the war is over. Now I have to get some sleep. Tell Anemus and Lunnia that I blew them a kiss.)


    "And for me?" Foti¨˘ sulked.


    (Fuhuhum~ A big kiss for my little girl.)

 Chapter 70 - The Fall Of The Vengeful Knight

    Future... A powerful and cruel thing that controls our actions without even existing yet. And when, for some reason, we have a vision of a little piece of this nonexistent and cruel thing, it changes completely, becoming unpredictable again.


    But even though it''s like that, we''re not afraid of the future. On the contrary, because it is unknown, non-existent and inevitable, we ended up looking for it even more.


    But there are always those, the ones that nobody wants, some futures that should continue to be non-existent.


    Ah~...


    Here comes another one of those futures. I will have to wait a little longer.


    Athena...


    I will remain here, in this dark, waiting for redemption.


    ***


    Veta was in the middle of the burning city that should have been hot, but because of the huge walls of ice, the place was as cold as the worst days of winter.


    The knight rescued people from inside houses that were hit by fire when he saw the roof of the palace collapse.


    He didn''t know what had happened, but his revenge depended on the emperor staying alive and the empire existing. So the man ran as fast as he could to the imperial palace, to the emperor''s rescue.


    However, this haste became a futile effort. When Veta reached the throne room, all that was left of the emperor was his head, with a hole in the left side of his face.


    That head was in the hands of a demon sitting on the throne. He was eating the emperor''s head like it was some delicious dessert.


    This vision caused the world of Veta to fall. His revenge was gone the moment he turned his face away.


    "W-what did you do?" Veta asked, gaining Mammon''s attention.


    "I ate it." Answered the demon by pulling a strand of black hair out of his mouth. "I prefer younger, tender meat, but this man''s tough, ripe meat wasn''t bad at all."


    "A-ate?" Veta asked in a shaky voice.


    He didn''t want to accept reality. How can the revenge he spent years craving, go away like this? For him this was inconceivable.


    "Did you eat him? The emperor?"


    Mammon frowned at the knight''s repetitive question. "How annoying. You''re going to be the nex..." The demon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Veta. "Are youˇ­are you a saint?"


    Veta gritted his teeth and extended his right arm to the side.


    Mammon cocked his head to the side and widened his eyes as a greatsword crashed through the wall and stopped at the hand of the man who leapt toward him.


    Veta had nothing else. Empire or revenge no longer mattered. Now he just struggled out of frustration.


    ***


    In an old castle in the middle of the desert, Gion looked at his office window. His expression was complicated as if he had just lost someone he loved.


    "Goodbye my friendˇ­" Gion said to nothing.


    At the same moment, Anemus stared at a bookcase. She couldn''t concentrate since Foti¨˘ said that Athena was in a war.


    "Ah~" Anemus sighed.


    She felt a strange and uncomfortable anguish when remembering Foti¨˘''s words and this prevented her from keeping her focus.


    Anemus blinked her green eyes a dozen times and rose from her seat. Her long, greenish-blond hair flowed silkily across the floor as she hurriedly walked, searching for Foti¨˘.


    "I have to know where Athena is..."


    Her heart was tight and the feeling of something bad happening grew stronger with each breath.


    Anemus wasn''t a fairy, but she was an existence one step away from becoming one, and fairies have a strong intuition.


    "Athena..."


    ***


    Veta wildly, like a wild beast, rushed with all his strength to kill Mammon who dodged each blow while biting Sued''s head again and again.


    For the knight, it didn''t matter if he got it right or not. He wasn''t even paying attention to the battle, he was just a killing machine at the moment.


    "Hm...I expected more from a saint of war..." Mammon said with disappointment in his voice, but inaudible to Veta. "The saint of life is stronger than you." Mammon scoffed and deflected Veta''s sword with the back of his hand.


    Veta activated a skill and the deflected sword that was going away from Mammon, returned with force, creating explosions of air, towards the neck of the demon that felt the danger and for the first time dodged out of fear.


    Mammon looked carefully at Veta who didn''t stop his attack and fit another skill behind the first and finally hurt Mammon who defended the blow with the palm of his hand.


    Mammon pulled away from Veta. On his face a twisted expression of pain, a new pain. He looked down at his destroyed hand and frowned when the wound didn''t heal as it should.


    "Now I understand. Your qualification as a saint of war is to inflict wounds that lead to the enemy''s death..." Mammon said while dodging another blow of the same skill.


    But he was wrong. The quality of the war saint was not to inflict wounds that would lead to the enemy''s death, but to find ways and gain strength to win battles.


    Veta no longer met these requirements since he faced Athena for the first time. He couldn''t see a way to defeat Athena in battle and even fled when the emperor ordered the army to retreat.


    Veta was no longer a saint of war. He still had the qualities of a saint, but he wasn''t a saint anymore. But Mammon had no way of knowing that.


    And if the demon knew, he wouldn''t accept being hurt so severely by a human who wasn''t anything special.


    Mammon grew his sharp nails and at a speed Veta didn''t match, the demon appeared from the knight''s left side and ripped the man''s arm along with the armor that protected him.


    This made Veta regain some of his sanity.


    "Saints are interesting creatures..." Mammon said as he licked Veta''s blood from his long, sharp claws. "It''s a mystery how a saint arises... In a world far away from here, they arise by good deeds or self-sacrifice... Hm... Virtue?" Mammon looked at the head he dropped when he was injured. "But here, in this world, they have a...um...value? Different. Ah! Yes, authority."


    "What are you talking about?" Veta asked with a heavy breath.


    "I''m talking about the strength of the saints of this world. You are not dying trying to make the world a better place... In fact, you are miserable and bloodthirsty creatures... I like the saints of this world, but..." Mammon walked over to Sued''s head and caught it off the ground. "Having five saints alive at the same time is not good for us, demon lords."


    Veta looked confused and filled with pain and anger at the same time. (Five saints? What is this monster talking about? There should only be three... Gion, the perverted elf and I... Who are the other two?)


    Veta was beginning to calm down and deepen his thoughts when he heard something that infuriated him again.


    "Huh? What did you say?" Veta asked in a roaring voice.


    "I saidˇ­" Mammon bit the cheek of Sued''s head and spoke with a mouthful of meat. "It took a lot of work to get a demon into that king''s body to kill Lanar and create a balance of power..."


    Without waiting for another word, Veta brandished his sword at Mammon again. This time more furious, violent and destructive.


    Veta''s heart went completely dark. He had lost one target of revenge and soon gained another. At that point, Veta gained the quality to be a saint again.


    Mammon, unknowingly, created his worst enemy. The demon''s eyes widened as Veta disappeared from its front and cut its forearm as it reappeared beside him.


    The severed part fell to the ground with Sued''s head and was left twitching like a lizard''s severed tail.


    Mammon kicked Veta away and quickly bit his forearm from the ground and tried to reattach it to his arm, but Veta gave him no room. It was then that the demon decided to use his powers.


    Mammon pointed one of his broken fingers at Veta and casted {Lamentation}. A demonic magic that would make Veta''s soul like the miserable souls in hell.


    However, Veta was already touching miserable souls and every time he increased the amount of souls in his weapon, he could feel their laments and being one of those souls made no difference to him.


    Of course, Veta felt an intensity of depression, but he was also used to it, and with angry eyes filled with tears, Veta used his most powerful skill. "[Awakening of the Sword]" Veta shouted.


    Mana and blood glistened along with the disgusting purple aura of Veta''s sword and cracks appeared in the blade.


    Mammon chuckled and as he reattached his arm, he also used his most powerful skill. "[Infernal Destruction]"


    From the demon''s hand came a vortex of darkness and black fire. The skills collided and everything disappeared in an explosion that caused an earthquake and demolished the palace.


    The soldiers who were still putting out fires and saving people, ran to the palace and when they looked at the rubble that was left of the building, in the dust, two silhouettes were moving in quick and fierce movements until they suddenly stopped.


    Verio used the magic {Tornado} and blew the dust away and was shocked when he saw Veta bloodied on his knees before a demon.


    "Veta!" Verio yelled and Mammon looked at him.


    Mammon looked into the knight''s nearly lightless eyes. His hand was inside Veta''s chest and he felt Veta''s heartbeat in his hand.


    "It was fun... Hmm... Asmodeus would have liked you." Mammon said and ripped out Veta''s heart.


    ***


    Upon feeling a slight earthquake, Athena woke up. She had already regained half of her mana and along with the earthquake, she felt a demon-like presence similar to the demon in her [Dimensional Bag].


    Athena ran out of the tent and saw all the soldiers and mercenaries looking at Tarna.


    "What is happening?" Athena asked Serien.


    "Majesty... I''m not sure. There was an intense flash and then this earthquake and then several screams in the city..."


    Athena frowned. "Prepare the soldiers, let''s evacuate the residents. There''s a demon there." Athena thought of the possibilities Serien saw and looked at Oliana. "Oliana, I need a favor...."

 Chapter 71 - Athena Vs Mammon

    "Everything is ready?" Athena asked the Valkyries who had everything ready to leave.


    "Yes, but..." Oliana looked at her palm, where Mifa was sleeping under the effect of Athena''s magic. "Are you sure about that?"


    "Yes. It''ll be better this way." Athena said while looking away. "Serien, take care of her until I get back."


    Serien bowed to Athena and said. "There''s nothing to worry about that."


    Athena stroked Serien''s black hair and then looked at Lobana. "Are you sure you want to come with me? It''s a demon that''s in Tarna. And it''s not just any demon, this one is strong."


    "All the more reason for me to go." Lobana pulled a necklace from inside her breastplate. The necklace had two rings. "Dria needs revenge to rest in peace."


    Athena offered her a small smile and then looked at Tarna. "Remember, we''re not going there to fight the empire. But kill the soldiers if they attack you and save as many people as you can." Athena said and the army started their march to the city and it happened.


    A great explosion swept half of Tarna and an earthquake shook the ground as if the floating island were splitting in half.


    Athena frowned and looked back and in a scream sent the warriors away. She felt the overwhelming presence coming from the city.


    The presence was so strong and terrifying that it wasn''t just Athena who felt it. The soldiers and mercenaries were pale and if the ground hadn''t been shaking, it would be possible to see that some there, trembled with fear.


    At that moment Athena knew that taking the army there would be the same as offering them to death on a platter, and she changed her plans.


    "NOBODY GOES WITH ME!" Athena yelled, drawing people''s attention to her.


    "Athena, what are you saying?" Lobana questioned.


    "If you go, everyone will die. Take the army back to Basilica." Athena said and before Lobana could reply, she disappeared using {Teleport}.


    Lobana yelled at Athena''s selfishness and looked at Serien who had a twisted expression of concern.


    ***


    From the sky of Tarna, Mammon watched his feat. Tarna had a circular shape, but now half the circle was just rubble and dust that flew in the wind.


    "Hm... It wasn''t quite what I planned but..." Mammon monologued and was about to fly away when he felt an overwhelming pressure from above that hit him and sent him flying to the ground.


    "What was this?" Mammon asked as he looked up at the sky and saw a woman with almost white blond hair, wearing a red dress, gauntlets and armored boots, falling towards him with a sword in her hand.


    Athena did not give the demon time to think and thrust her sword through the air, towards the demon and swung the sword when using [Vortex].


    The sword glowed gold and blue dimly and exploded in a cyclone of violent energy where Mammon stood.


    Mammon reached out with his right hand for the energy that fell on him and felt a slight pain that increased as Athena approached.


    Athena was less than eight meters from Mammon when she linked another attack with a spell that shot out of her left hand like colorless lightning.


    Seeing the magic mingling with the skill, Mammon frowned and deflected the attack, making Athena fall in front of him, who kicked the woman in the stomach before she hit the ground.


    "Naughty human..." Mammon growled and then felt an intense pain in his calf.


    When she was kicked, Athena cut Mammon''s leg in three places. The demon''s skin was tough and the attacks weren''t deep, but they were still successful.


    "What did you do?" Mammon asked with a bitter expression.


    Athena rose from the dust and swung her sword at the demon again. "Me? Nothing yet." The woman scoffed and stepped forward.


    "Tsk! Insect!" Mammon said and advanced towards Athena.


    The demon hadn''t yet realized that Athena was also a saint. Perhaps if he had noticed, his decision to act would have been different.


    With his bare hands, just as he always struggled, the demon tried to cut Athena''s head with his nails.


    But Athena blocked the attack by holding the demon''s wrist and twisting her arm in a strange way, she cut the demon''s bare chest and Mammon bared his teeth when he felt pain.


    Athena''s cuts weren''t deep, but because the sword she named "Excalibur" be a divine sword, the pain in Mammon was intensified.


    "How dare you do that? How dare you inflict pain on a demon lord?" Mammon said as disengage from Athena and put distance between them.


    Athena frowned and remembered the name the demon she''d fought had said. "Which demon lord are you?"


    Mammon raised an eyebrow, incredulous at finding someone who didn''t know the only silver-haired demon lord.


    The demon straightened, placed a hand on his wounded chest and subtly bowed. "I am the demon lord Mammon. The prince of greed from hell." Mammon said expecting to see the absolute terror on Athena''s face.


    However, as soon as the demon looked at the woman, she was in the middle of an attack. Her sword glowed brightly above her head, and then, as Athena slashed the air in front of her, a torrent of energy exploded and hit him as if it would tear him apart.


    The energy hurled Mammon through the rubble of the city and continued to tear and scorch the demon''s flesh like scorching blades.


    Athena was angry that because of Mammon, Mifa suffered and Dria and Sura died. She didn''t wait for the [Holy Fall] effect to end and linked another attack and another and another one.


    Mammon, not understanding how he was being so overwhelmed, received several attacks until he lost his patience and covered his body with a black aura armor.


    With that covering his body, Mammon parried Athena''s last two attacks and launched himself at the woman in one blow. But Athena wouldn''t let it, even though her hand felt burning as she held his hand covered by the black aura.


    But that wasn''t important, Athena wouldn''t let Mammon get away. She decided he would die there. She hurled the demon to the ground like a judo blow and slashed it with her sword, but Mammon defended it.


    "You are going to die today!" Athena said and stepped on the demon.


    Mammon grabbed Athena''s heel, threw her into the air and at the same time, a reddish purple energy came out of his hand towards Athena, who deflected the attack by striking the energy with her sword that flashed again.


    Her sword exploded in shock waves and Athena buried it in the chest of Mammon who spat dark blood.


    In turn, Mammon grabbed Athena''s wrist and crushed it. Athena screamed in pain. She gritted teeth and headbutted the demon''s nose.


    ***


    The fighting intensified every second as Lobana and the army stubbornly entered the city.


    Moments before that, right after Athena disappeared in front of Lobana. The people felt ashamed and weak for being afraid and being left behind by Athena.


    "Lobana, we have to go before the magic''s effect on the girl wears off." Oliana said.


    Lobana clenched her fists and looked at Tarna. "Go without me. I''ll go help Athena."


    "Are you crazy?" Sahari yelled. "If you go there, the most you''re going to do is get in the way!"


    "I can''t let that woman die before she goes back to her daughter!" Lobana yelled back.


    "Huh? Does her majesty have a daughter?" Serien asked, baffled by the new information.


    "She has and and needs to get back to her." Lobana said and spaced away from Sahari who seemed to want to arrest her. "I''ll go, whoever wants to come, follow me." Lobana said and a crowd followed her.


    When they arrived at the place, they soon spread out through what was left of the city and began to guide people they encountered away from the city.


    Lobana left this task to the others and with some Valkyries that followed her, she went where the explosions were coming from.


    As soon as they saw the demon and Athena fighting, the Valkyries froze. Athena moved her arm, brandishing her sword in a way they couldn''t keep up.


    At that moment, Sahari''s words crossed their minds and they didn''t have the courage to continue and enter the battle.


    But Lobana didn''t care about her insecurity. She held tight to her shield, drew her sword and ran alone to help Athena.


    ***


    Anemus ran throughout the castle looking for Foti¨˘, but she couldn''t find her. The nymph, in addition to being distressed, was becoming irritated.


    In recent months, every time she and Foti¨˘ fought, Foti¨˘ would disappear for hours, but at that moment it wasn''t the time for that. She needed to talk to Athena.


    She needed to hear Athena''s voice and know she was okay. Only then could she end this affliction that bothered her.


    "Foti¨˘! Come on, show up!" Anemus screamed and as her voice echoed on the castle walls, her heart trembled along with a pain, then a vision of the world below and someone lying on the ground.


    Then Anemus felt dizzy, her eyes darkened and she fell to the ground, passed out in the castle''s foyer.

 Chapter 72 - The Demon Lord

    N/All: Sorry!!! I know I said I was going to write throughout the day, but I slept all day. :v


    Now, enough of my apologies and let''s get to the chapter.


    _____________________________


    Mammon staggered back as he took Athena''s headbutt. With watery eyes, the demon held his nose and glared at Athena.


    "My nose! You bitch, you broke my nose!"


    "Heh! We''re not even yet. You broke my wrist." Athena laughed painfully.


    While Mammon had wounds all over his body and a nose that spurted blood, Athena had her entire right forearm purple and crooked.


    "You''re just a useless human! Don''t compare your arm to my precious nose!" Mammon complained and then the demon was hurled at Athena.


    Athena widened her eyes at the sight of Lobana in Mammon''s back and then frowned as she landed dozens of blows on Mammon with her sword and kicked him aside as if he were a punching bag.


    "What are you doing here?" Athena questioned with concern in her voice.


    "I came to help you!" Lobana said without taking her eyes off the demon who writhed in the dust on the ground as if he were being attacked by bees.


    "Thanks!" Athena screamed with a mixture of feelings of happiness, respect and concern. "But it''s too dangerous here!"


    Mammon rose from the dust and looked at Athena''s back. Until then, he hadn''t realized the extent of Athena''s power, but now, looking calmly, he could see the abundance of mana the woman had and gritted his teeth.


    (A saint who can become a threat? What kind of saint is she?) Mammon thought and flew in an attack on Athena''s back. (That''s enough for those three... I''ll get rid of you first.)


    However, Lobana who had her eyes on the demon and raised her shield again.


    "It''s because it''s dangerous that I''m here to make sure you come back alive."


    The Valkyrie quickly covered Athena''s back, where Mammon was about to strike with his claws and blocked the attack, having her arm thrown to the side on impact.


    Mammon opened a smile and attacked Lobana who had her guard open, but Athena forced the woman to the ground and deflected Mammon''s attack with her sword.


    "Then let''s make a deal." Athena said as she followed Mammon that was starting to walk away.


    Lobana got up and followed behind Athena. "What agreement?"


    Athena enveloped the sword in her left hand with golden flames of the {Celestial Rebuke} spell and merged it with the skill [Holy Fall].


    "If you get in danger and realize you''re going to get in the way, get out here."


    Athena jumped up and rained a tower of holy fire on Mammon that blocked as he blew out a dark and strangely gelatinous fire.


    The two powers collided. One trying to overwhelm the other, and spread out, destroying the surrounding terrain.


    Lobana made a face of disgust when she saw the black fire that fell to the ground and spread in pieces of wood like a snail.


    But soon the Valkyrie recovered and attacked Mammon with the skill [Dimensional Cut] which opened a dark rift in front of her.


    Mammon frowned as he reached out to block the blow that didn''t come. He was starting to wonder what Lobana did, but then another crack appeared behind him.


    Mammon was hurled to Lobana, who hit him in the head with her shield, making a dull sound along with a demon snarl, causing Athena to giggle.


    Mammon had never been so humiliated in all of his eternity. In fact, no demon lord had ever been treated this way before.


    Whether in hell or in the mortal world, they were glorified and feared. But there he was. Being spanked by two women.


    Mammon knew of the new saint that had emerged. All the demon lords had noticed, but they''d brushed it aside because they thought it wasn''t something worth worrying about.


    A saint would not grow strong overnight. But now Mammon saw that he was wrong. He felt that Athena was different from other saints and that he would have to make more effort to kill her.


    (Then so be it.) Mammon straightened, opened his arms to the sides and a huge circle of red fire opened around him.


    Athena frowned and attacked, but a wall of red fire blocked the golden flames as if it were nothing.


    "Lobana, step away from the circle." Athena warned Lobana that soon walked away.


    Mammon broke into a wide, pleasant smile and summoned his magic in a powerful and sinister voice.


    {Infernal Ascension}


    At that moment, the immense island that housed the empire, Basilica and five other kingdoms, tilted to the north as it shook.


    Everywhere, people lost their balance and rolled across the ground as if they were on a slope, and buildings gave way and collapsed.


    In places near the edge, like Basilian, several people were thrown off the island, falling to their deaths in the world below, or were devoured by animals and flying monsters, such as wyverns, before hitting the ground.


    Beneath the island, from the world below stretched a column of red and dark fire that struck, pierced and pushed the island with mighty force.


    The flames in the circle grew and stretched like a tower to the sky, making sparks and balls of fire rain down all over Tarna.


    Athena looked at it with a disgusted expression and looked at Lobana. "Now is your time, Lobana!"


    Lobana listened, but she didn''t say anything and she didn''t look at the pillar of fire either. Beyond the red flames, Lobana''s eyes were on... "Mifa?"


    "Huh?" Athena widened her eyes when she heard Lobana and followed the woman''s gaze.


    Mifa was watching from afar. In fact she was paralyzed by the tower of fire that could be seen from anywhere on the plains nearby.


    "But what is she doing here?!" Athena despaired but had no time to do anything.


    The flames that pierced the island reached the surface where Mammon was. A red-black explosion occurred and the fire tower grew thicker and its flames more violent.


    Athena grabbed Lobana around the waist and ran away with the tower of fire following her as it grew thicker and thicker.


    "Aaah! What the hell!" Athena complained and threw Lobana on top of a house and when the woman had got up, Athena held her again and jumped from house to house to where the wall still existed.


    Looking down, Athena looked for Mifa. Her racing heart shrank in anguish every second she didn''t find the girl.


    "Pleaseˇ­" Athena begged. "Please let her be alright!?"


    Lobana got up from the place where Athena had left her and also started looking for Mifa.


    Sweat began to trickle down the bodies of women who didn''t mind the heat. They kept their eyes on their surroundings still intact and not on fire or near the tower of fire.


    The tower of fire was so hot that lava began to trickle around it. And its colossal size occupied the place where hundreds of houses that had once existed.


    However, to Athena, none of this mattered. Mifa was somewhere down there and she had to find her beloved.


    Athena was about to run and scream Mifa''s name until she find her, when the flames wavered and went out leaving a huge hole in place.


    Above the hole, Mammon floated, but he was different. His skin and hair were white as snow and his eyes were completely red.


    Athena and the demon made eye contact for a few seconds and then he disappeared from his place.


    Athena pushed Lobana off the wall and defended Mammon''s attack with her sword. The demon used his nails as if it were a single blade. The two made and defended dozens of blows and walked away.


    "Stop the joke." Mammon said in a soft voice. "I will eat tour heart and take your soul with me."


    "Athena, is everything alright?" Lobana yelled from somewhere below where Athena and the demon were.


    Athena breathed relief as she heard Lobana''s voice and without taking her eyes off Mammon, Athena confirmed her state. "...I''ll be fine. Please find Mifa. Please Lobana!"


    "I got it!"


    Athena looked into flaming red eyes and her tense expression relaxed. With Lobana looking for Mifa, she could concentrate on battling the demon.


    "Tell me, have any demon lords ever been killed?" Athena''s mind was full of Mifa, but it was also calm and with ways to kill Mammon. "If not, I''ll be the first to slaughter one of you."


    Mammon''s brow twitched slightly and the battle actually began with a twist of the demon''s lower body in a kick towards Athena''s ribs.


    Athena defended with her swollen forearm and gritted her teeth in pain. Athena gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and cut the air where the demon was.


    "Kill a demon lord? Ha... Hahaha!" Mammon laughed on Athena''s back. "You can''t even keep up with me anymore."


    "Not yet..." Athena''s eyes glowed blue with the use of mana. "[Fortification]" Athena said and a red layer glowed and disappeared on her body as her muscles tensed and her bones grew stronger.


    Mammon clasped his hands together like a mace and hit Athena in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground.


    Athena rose from the debris that cushioned her fall and a green layer glowed and disappeared on her body when she activated [Acceleration].


    Mammon flew at high speed towards Athena and Athena cut the air creating a pressure that threw the demon against the wall.


    Athena flew in a leap and cut through the concrete as Mammon dodged the attack.


    Mammon reached out to Athena and a burst of reddish black flames of the {Hellfire} and Athena cut the flames using {Heavenly Rebuke} which Mammon easily defended with his palm.


    "What the hell are you?" Mammon frowned and created a net of darkness.


    The net stretched like a spider''s web as it was thrown at Athena, who fled the area to be affected.


    When the magic hit the wall, the concrete was cut like a piece of cheese and collapsed, raising a dense cloud of dust.


    Taking advantage of the coverage that she received, Athena focuses on the Akashic Records. A wide range of skills and magics flooded Athena''s mind, but what she wanted was much deeper.


    However, whether focused or not, the battle still continued and Mammon wouldn''t wait.


    The demon flew into the dust cloud as he sensed that Athena was not moving.


    When he found the woman with her eyes closed and standing on the wall, Mammon grabbed Athena''s hair and flung the woman into the air and flying over her.


    Mammon kicked Athena to the ground using all his strength. Athena widened her eyes, spat blood, and gasped as she tried to breathe the air that refused to draw in her lungs.


    From the ground, Mifa followed the fight as best her eyes could and began to run automatically when she saw Athena fall to the ground at a frightening speed.


    But Lobana found and held her. "You can''t go there."


    Without looking at Lobana, Mifa shook herself, trying to disentangle herself from the woman''s hands and screamed hysterically. "Let go of me, Lobana! Athena is..."


    "And what can you do when you can''t even let go of my hands." Lobana said in a gruff tone. Rubbing the harsh reality into Mifa''s face. "How did you get here? Where is Oliana and the others?"


    "Oliana let me decide what to do!" Mifa screamed, still fighting Lobana''s grip.


    "Do you have any idea why Athena left you behind? Do you have any idea what will happen to her if something happens to you? How destroyed will she be?"


    As soon as Lobana said that, the ground shook with a loud roar. Everyone who heard the roar trembled as they looked at where the sound was coming from.


    From behind the houses that were still standing, a gigantic dragon appeared. Its white scales reflected the sunlight in a yellowish golden color and its wings blew the dust of all Tarna away.


    "Athena?" Mifa said upon seeing the dragon''s emerald green eyes.

 Chapter 73 - Fallen

    Dragons, the most powerful race in the mortal world. Lazy creatures that live for hundreds of thousands of years that even if the world were on the brink of collapse, they would just turn their heads and sleep for hundreds or thousands of years.


    Still focused on the Akashic Records, Athena went beyond the knowledge given to her.


    Her goal was draconic spells. The most powerful spells in the world. The only spells that matched draconic spells were the original spells and the true divine and demonic spells.


    Unclassified spells were just remnants of the original spells. They were powerful, but not even a tenth of the originals.


    But if there were other types of spells, why did Athena want draconic spells? The reason was simple.


    Divine spells needed the holy element to be used. Athena could use Excalibur as a medium for this, but she didn''t because she thought about what Death said about dark magic.


    If using dark magic brings you closer to hell, using too many divine spells would bring you closer to the divine world.


    Athena did not want to be within Asherah''s reach. At least not before releasing Uran. And Athena did not want to fall to hell either, even though she thought that on many occasions she deserved that fate.


    The original spells were broad and covered spells from all elements, but they used too much mana. Athena didn''t know if she had the mana to use these spells.


    As for draconic spells it was as if they had dominion over all the elements and because dragons are creatures as close to the origin of the world as fairies and spirits, their spells had a more balanced consumption of mana.


    As Athena deepened her knowledge on the Akashic Records, the information invaded her mind and it was as if all the wisdom she had gained so far was insignificant.


    When Athena finally achieved draconic spells, she couldn''t control it. Her body on Tarna''s floor writhed, scales grew on her skin, as did a tail, horns and wings.


    Athena screamed in pain and her body grew as her scream turned into a roar.


    Mammon was open-mouthed, but quickly composed himself and laughed. "Now it makes sense! A dragon! You being strong as you are, it could only be a dragon!" Mammon held his sides as he laughed and then he felt a shiver as he remembered that Athena was a saint. "A saint dragon?"


    Mammon felt that if he didn''t kill Athena now, not even his soul would survive to go back to hell.


    The demon joined his two hands and called out one of his most powerful magic.


    {Infernal Extinction}


    From Mammon''s palms shone a blinding black light that seemed to turn day into night.


    Athena swung her long neck blowing fire towers, gales, ice storms, thunderstorms... She was totally unconscious and out of control, releasing any magic to anywhere and anything, just for destruction.


    That was the price she paid for touch something she shouldn''t.


    Athena thought she had learned her lesson when she used [Mana Drain] and vowed never to use the skill again, but now she found herself almost the same.


    Only that this time, it wasn''t her in danger, but everything around her.


    People were fleeing in despair and many were trampled underfoot in the process. Mostly small and slow children.


    Lobana dragged Mifa away from the city and together with the group that came with her to help Athena, watched the dragon wildly destroy the rest of the city.


    Within what was left of the walls of Tarna, waves of fire savagely devoured part of the city while columns of ice grew from the other. The dragon that Mifa said was Athena, was just a tyrant monster of pure destruction.


    "Are you sure that''s Athena?" Lobana asked with a shadow on her face.


    "I have no doubts." Mifa replied with a worried expression.


    "To think Athena was a dragon..."


    Mifa started biting her nails. "She''s not... She''s a high human." Mifa said and Lobana widened her eyes.


    "Huh? H-how is it possible?"


    "I don''t know. There''s a lot about Athena that I still don''t know." Mifa said and then felt a shiver as day turned to night. "W-what is this?"


    A feeling of sadness drowned everyone there. A grief and depression as if someone were dying there.


    Mifa hugged herself, holding her trembling arms. Trying to calm her grieving heart.


    Suddenly the day returned and from a point in the sky darkness rained on the dragon who roared painfully and breathed light against the power that hit him.


    Darkness and light collided and competed like a tug of war. The column of light pushed the darkness up, but then it was pushed down and it was repeated until the two merged and exploded as one, forming a dome of light and darkness.


    "Athena!" Mifa screamed and ran into town again.


    "Mifa, no!" Lobana screamed and ran after Mifa but, as an assassin, Mifa was much faster than Lobana.


    Inside the dome, the dragon writhed and roared again and again. At that moment, Athena regained her awareness through the pain.


    However, she couldn''t get rid of that storm that pierced her scales and ripped her flesh.


    (Shit! What do I do? If were to die I''d prefer to be unconscious...) Athena complained in her mind and forced her wings to open.


    Athena moved her legs with difficulty, jumped and swam in that energy, flapping her heavy wings until she was free of it.


    "I see... Being a dragon is not a bluff... Damn species!" Mammon said and flew to Athena with his long claws linked to pierce Athena''s scales and skull.


    Athena reached out and hit the demon as if swatting a fly.


    "I am not a dragon." Athena said in an echoing voice. "And now you''re going to die!"


    Athena filled her lungs and blew out, thinking she would blow some magic, but what came out of her mouth was just pressurized air.


    "Huh?" Athena made a confused expression. "That''s not what I wanted..." Flapping her wings, Athena hovered and tried again until she gave up. "I''m tired of it... I look like a vulture circling a carrion..." Athena frowned and her body glowed.


    The dragon shrank into a nude woman with long, almost white hair and wings and a tail with scales of white gold.


    "Athena!" Mifa screamed when she saw the woman in the sky.


    Athena looked at Mifa and then at the demon and flew to Mifa. "Mifa! You are fine!" Athena hugged Mifa who hugged her back. "What are you doing here?"


    "Iˇ­" Mifa buried her face in Athena''s breasts. "I was afraid you would die..." Mifa said and Athena realized her mistake.


    She wasn''t the only one who didn''t want to lose anyone else.


    Mifa has had to say goodbye to so many people since she met Athena.


    Athena thought of Mifa''s two friends who died because of her and then Sura and Dria were killed and then Nijha...


    In any world it was common to lose someone suddenly. And no matter where, the pain will always be the same.


    "Forgive me, I did what I did to not lose you and I didn''t think about how you would feelˇ­" Athena said as she reflected on her action.


    Athena was thinking only about her grief. In the pain she would feel, without thinking about the pain of the people who loved her. Athena hugged Mifa tighter and was about to say something, but then she heard clapping.


    Mammon was sitting in a chair he found in the rubble and watching the scene like if he were watching a play.


    "Just missing the kissing scene." Mammon scoffed.


    "You got it together fast, fly." Athena said and Mammon frowned.


    Before Athena''s transformation, Mammon looked at her like a lion looking at a rabbit. Athena might be a saint, but even saints did not match the demon lords.


    Gion and the other two were exceptions to the rule. They had lived too long and were practically mortal gods. Those who came before and during them were powerful, but only from a human perspective, like Veta.


    Now Athena had entered the list of exceptions. Mammon was convinced that Athena was a dragon and increased his vigilance towards her.


    Athena was calmer. After transforming, Athena felt her body even stronger and even though she knew that power had a time limit, Athena was confident that she would take care of Mammon with the time she had left.


    "Why is a dragon fighting for humans? And how does a dragon become a saint?" Mammon asked, insisting that Athena was a dragon.


    Athena looked into Mifa''s eyes and answered. "I am not a dragon." But that wasn''t for Mammon. Athena was responding to Mifa''s curious look. "That''sˇ­" Athena looked away, as if she had done something wrong. "I layd my hands in what I shouldn''t again..."


    Mifa sighed and shook her head, denying Athena''s carelessness, but she said nothing. She knew it was necessary and beyond that, now she was understanding what Lobana said.


    Those two were on a completely different level. Even though they weren''t attacking each other, they were keeping each other in check and Mifa realized she was hindering Athena.


    Seeing Mifa''s apprehensive expression, Athena quickly understood what the girl was thinking. Athena bent down to Mifa''s ear and whispered. ''You won''t be in the way for long.''


    "Athena?" Mifa said not understanding what Athena meant and then flinched as she felt her chest being impaled.


    "!!!!" Mammon''s eyes widened in surprise as he saw Athena strike the girl, but then he attacked instinctively.


    Somehow he felt that Athena shouldn''t continue with what she was doing, but Athena wagged her tail and Mammon was hurled like a baseball to anywhere.


    "It''s gonna be okay." Athena told Mifa. "You can fight in my side later."


    With her hand on Mifa''s core, Athena planted a seed. A small, powerful seed that shouldn''t belong to any mortal.


    Feeling the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, Mifa clung to Athena as blood ran from her mouth and open chest.


    In addition to the pain, she also felt the heat of something inside her, but it wasn''t just heat. Mifa felt cold, fear, happiness, pleasure, affection and many other things that a person could feel.


    Athena drag out her hand from Mifa''s chest and with her claws cut her palm. "It will cure you." Athena said and placed her open hand on the wound she herself had caused.


    "Whatˇ­ what did you do?" Mifa asked as she lost her strength.


    "I gave you power. But it will take a while to blossom." Athena said and looked at Lobana who was running towards them.


    "Sorry..." Lobana frowned when she saw wings and a tail, and the naked Athena. "Athena?"


    "Yes?"


    Lobana relaxed her expressions. "Wear some clothes, your exhibit."


    "But the wings get in the way..."


    "Doesn''t matter... And how the hell do you have a body that looks like it''s made of velvet while being so physically strong?" Lobana said and looked at the bloodied Mifa. "What happened? I told you not to come and that here was dangerous, now... Athena do something, Mifa is..."


    Lobana ran her hand over Mifa''s bloodied chest, but found no injuries.


    "She is fine." Athena said while getting sulky with jealousy. "I was the one who did it."


    "What?"


    "There''s no time to explain, he''s coming." Athena cast a spell that made Mifa and Lobana''s skin as hard as dragon scales. "Stay with her." Athena said and flew off while taking a white dress from the subspace that was the {Dimensional Bag}.


    Mifa was too weak to say anything and something seemed to put her to sleep, but she could see Athena fly away and smiled when she saw the woman fumble to put on her dress.


    Over the island''s great hole, Athena and Mammon collided with their claws. They exchanged kicks and blows that echoed thunderous noises with each impact.


    Athena no longer had a sword because Excalibur had been absorbed into her body when she transformed. Thanks to that, her nails and teeth were as hard as the metal of the divine sword and were like poison to Mammon.


    But that came at a price. Athena was a weak existence to accommodate so much power. Every second, Athena lost more and more mana, causing her to lose control of the transformation.


    Mammon smiled as he saw horns growing from Athena''s hair and realized there was a time limit.


    "Let''s see how long you can-" Mammon was saying something, but none of that mattered to Athena who used her claws and slit the demon''s throat.


    Mammon held his throat, but didn''t have time to heal. Athena spun in midair and kicked the demon in the back and flew after him with another kick in his ribs.


    Athena had just over thirty seconds to spare and she didn''t want to waste it.


    Mammon didn''t have a tail, but his long hair was very useful to Athena. Before the demon flew away, Athena wrapped his hair in her hand and like he was a yo-yo, she kicked and pulled Mammon several times until the demon cut his on hair and freed himself.


    A red flame rose from Mammon''s wounds and it disappeared as if they had never existed.


    "Do you really think these blows will kill me?" Mammon said and Athena tilted her head to the side without saying nothing. "I''ll show you what real power is!" Mammon said as he raised his hands in the air and began to gather mana.


    Athena frowned. (What does he think he''s doing? He can''t expect me to stand by and watch him gather mana...) she thought as she flew to Mammon and ripped off both his arms.


    "Huh?" Mammon, with wide eyes, turned to Athena who had his arms in her hands. "H-how?"


    "I got tired." Athena said as she let go of Mammon''s severed arms. "You asked how long I can go on with this, but what about you?"


    Athena had little time left and decided to end it all in that instant. Mammon was enraged and new arms spurted out of his body along with red flames.


    Lobana, who watched everything from the floor with Mifa in her arms, was mesmerized by the scene that looked like a battle between gods.


    Athena''s body for some reason began to glow and a stormy weather erupted, ripping the sky with lightning. As same time another column of fire erupted from the hole and covered Mammon.


    At that moment Lobana knew that the battle was coming to an end.


    The demon engulfed in red and black flames, redirected all that power in Athena that opened a gigantic magic circle around her and the powerful voices of both of them were heard amidst the thunder.


    {Black Nebula}


    [Spear of Greed]


    From Athena''s magic circle emanated a dark and gruesome mass that seemed to have life and collided with the flames and pushed them against Mammon, who was engulfed.


    The magic hit the ground and destroyed another part of the island, enlarging the hole created by the demon. The Island shook and tilted to the northwest, causing Lobana to lose her balance and fall to the ground.


    Lobana opened a still tense smile and clenched her fist in celebration, but then her face turned pale when she saw Athena look like a wounded bird with difficulty flying.


    The Valkyrie quickly put Mifa down again and ran with all her strength to try to save Athena who was also trying to save herself.


    However, the hole that she and Mammon made was too big and Athena couldn''t reach the ledge in time.


    Seeing Lobana''s expression of despair, Athena smiled affectionately and stopped fighting her fall.


    Lobana screamed for Athena as tears streamed from her amber eyes and watched her friend disappear through the clouds to death.

 Chapter 74 - Chains Of Fate

    In a castle in the middle of a desert that was once a freshwater sea. Where also once existed a submerged realm known as "Sigma", three girls were preparing for a journey.


    A beautiful and imposing knight in black armor. She has blue hair, golden eyes and was beside a brave and faithful white pegasus.


    A beautiful girl riding a white grimera. Her long reddish-black hair was arranged in a long braid. She wore under a red overcoat, brown pants, black boots and a white cotton shirt.


    And finally, a beautiful and elegant girl with long greenish-blond hair that blew in the wind. She wore a dark blue tunic embroidered in gold and silver and from her back, three pairs of wings of greenish-yellow feathers spread.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to wait a little longer?"


    "I''ve waited for three years..." The girl smiled sadly. "Whether out of fear or maybe... Anyway." The girl pushed away the negative thoughts and smiled brightly. "Thanks for everything, Gion."


    "I hope everything works out for you." Gion smiled gently and looked at the knight. "Lunnia, take care of them."


    "I will." Lunnia replied firmly.


    "Foti¨˘, which way?" Anemus asked.


    "To the north. I feel that she is somewhere in the north. Anemus, will you fly?"


    "Yes, I will. Otherwise these wings will be useless..."


    The three ended their farewells and flew north.


    Gion watched them fly away for a short while and turned to Eun and Neu.


    "I don''t know what''s been going on with Athena for the past few years..." Gion looked at the ground. "But I''m grateful they''re leaving... Eun, Neu, you''ll have to go too."


    The girls exchanged glances and shook their heads, denying their master''s order. "We will stay with Gion."


    ***


    In a kingdom in the north, beyond the lands of the now, principality of Elsna, the prince again fled the royal palace to play with his commoner friends.


    This always caused a stir among the young man''s personal knights. The prince was in his seventeenth year, a marriageable age, but he always refused to meet suitors.


    "King Elanor, the prince has run away again!" The young knight with orange hair and innocent light blue eyes said while shaking his already messy hair.


    The king was a man with kind brown eyes. A young man, looking to be in his late thirties. He had dark brown hair and a sparse beard of the same color.


    "Ah~..." The king sighed. "What am I going to do with that boy, Samy?"


    "You asked the wrong person, Elanor." Samy said while pretended kick something. "I do not have children."


    "Hahaha... Call Yrio and go after the prince, please."


    "Right. Ah! I won''t get involved if he''s fighting again."


    The king smiled. "That''s why I''m sending Yrio and his nymph with you."


    Samy turned and left the king''s office the same way he had entered. Without any respect or excessive politeness towards the king.


    "Why does your highness tolerate this boy''s misbehavior?"


    This was asked by a woman with long blue hair and sky blue eyes. She wore a short white sundress that showed off her slender thighs.


    The king rose from his chair and walked around the woman. From behind her, he gripped her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her exposed neck.


    "Aah.."


    "He is strong and whether he likes it or not, his presence puts the nobles in check. Unlike a certain dragon who would do nothing to save my kingdom even if I begged her." The king said as he pulled the woman''s dress up and stroked the wetness between her legs.


    "Hmm...!" The woman rubbed her ass against the bulge in the king''s trousers. "And that''s why I gave you my blood..."


    "I want more than your blood." The king said and took off his belt. He made the woman put her hands on the table and thrust her ass toward him and penetrated her wet flesh. "I want you to give me a child."


    "Ah..."


    ***


    In the great kingdom of Basilica, daily life became more and more hectic as the day of the queen''s festival approached.


    This was a festival created to remember and honor the kingdom''s first matriarch, Athena De''l Inna.


    De''l Inna was the family name that Mifa and Serien decided to give Athena. This name was in an ancient language, which only nobles and scholars could know the meaning.


    N/A: No. I didn''t forget to say the meaning.


    The queen who changed the kingdom for the better and still regained it''s glory by defeating the empire. But sadly perished as she fought and killed a demon lord named Mammon.


    Tales of how the queen became a huge white dragon spread with the bards to every kingdom on the mainland island and to the other small islands.


    This made Basilica an interesting kingdom for the neighbors and within these two years, several kingdoms tried to approach politically with hidden interests as others tried the path of war.


    But all of them were equally crushed by the saint of beasts, one of the ruling princesses of the kingdom.


    "Mifa, are you going to the festival this year?" Serien asked.


    Mifa was more adult and beautiful. With long grayish brown hair and sad reddish brown eyes. A young beauty on top of a cliff that no one could reach.


    "Maybe like that, you can find someone new." Serien said in a playful tone.


    Mifa''s sad gaze flared in anger as she looked at Serien. "I don''t need anyone else. I will not betray Athena." Mifa said and went back to looking out the window. "Why don''t you go with your husband? What was his name again? Veru?"


    "Veron." Serien stood up correcting Mifa. "Duke Veron Qallhu."


    "Whatever his weird name... I hope you don''t give him any political power."


    "I won''t. Her majesty wouldn''t let him live if I doˇ­" Serien said as she smoothed her big belly. "The prince or princess needs to meet the father before he dies." Serien laughed and left the throne room, leaving Mifa alone.


    "Athena, where are you?" Mifa''s question echoed melancholy through the room with three empty thrones.


    ***


    Two years ago, during her fall, Athena cried when thinking about Anemus, Mifa and Foti¨˘. Her heart ached as she felt the pain they would feel at her death.


    She also thought of her friends, Lobana and the Valkyries, Serien, Lunnia, Nimo and then Uran. She even thought about Gion and the homunculus, Eun and Neu and apologized.


    "I''m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye." Athena screamed and everything went dark in a thud against the floor.


    To the south of there, a young boy surrounded by children as dirty as he, saw Athena fall to the ground along with pieces of earth and stones.


    Before she fell, terrifying magic had sliced ??through the earth in the distance, creating earthquakes that shook the ground and caused landslides and tsunamis on the coast near there.


    The boy went to where Athena had fallen and looked at the beautiful, bloodied woman.


    "She''s dead. Let''s go kids." The boy turned away and continued on his way to east.


    However, one of the children continued to watch the beautiful woman.


    The girl was enchanted with such beauty. Feeling sorry for the woman, the girl stroked Athena''s white blond hair, who blinked slightly.


    The girl jumped in a fright and looked at the boy. "Hercules! She is alive!"


    The boy frowned and turned to the girl who was still stroking the woman''s hair. This boy was once a hero to a people and was on a mission of revenge as he tried to return the children to their parents.


    He no longer was a hero, but his heart still had too much humanity to let anyone die if he could be saved.


    He tried to block out the thoughts that commanded him to save the woman, but it was stronger than he was.


    The boy returned to the woman and carefully took her in his arms. At that moment, he noticed the little horns on her head and checked the woman''s eyes and teeth.


    He wanted to know if she was some kind of demon and was relieved to see her green eyes and normal teeth.


    "Let''s go. We have to find a place to take care of her.." The boy said and continued to the east.

 Chapter 75 - The World Below - The Music Of Another Wolrd

    "Mifa..."


    When I woke up, I was in Lobana''s arms.


    "I have to tell you..."


    For some reason Lobana was crying.


    "The fight is over and Athena won but..."


    She seemed to have something lodged in her throat.


    "Athena disappeared."


    This is a nightmare from that day. The day I lost the love of my life.


    Lobana explained to me what happened. She said that Athena disappeared after using powerful magic.


    It wasn''t a very convincing story, but it was Athena that we were talking about.


    Everyone decided that Athena was dead but... I won''t give up.


    If she disappeared because of a spell, the spell can bring her back.


    "Why don''t you just give up? She''s gone."


    Trigan, you died for those words. I''m sorry your life was so cheap.


    I wasn''t okay that day.


    "I still believe her majesty is alive. But I have to put on a mask. The people must have peace. Don''t give up. Please Mifa. Find Athena."


    In the end, everyone gave up except Serien and I.


    I''ll find you.


    I will bring you back.


    That''s why I''m getting stronger.


    ***


    In a place in the north of the world, a woman watched the snow fall as she sat on the edge of a frozen river where little imps played.


    She appeared to be in her early twenties. Her skin was as white as the snow that fallen, and she had long white hair with a fading golden glow and black horns that pushed their way through her hair and stretched out, curling itself to back like a diadem.


    The weather was freezing but, strangely, the woman showed no signs of cold despite wearing so little.


    From a distance, a young man watched the woman with empty green eyes. He wonders what and who that woman really was.


    (She woke up two weeks ago and she still hasn''t said a single word...) The young man thought, feeling a little anxious. "Hey! Is itˇ­Alice?" The young man called but the woman did not react. "So it''s not "Alice" either..."


    Since the woman woke up, the young man had tried several names, but the woman didn''t react to any of them.


    "Hercules, try Samir or Nusha." Said a girl with big pink eyes and deep dark brown hair. "You keep calling her these names that are just as weird as yoursˇ­ She must think you''re cursing her and ignore you."


    The young man frowned at the recommendations and looked at the woman again. "Madalena?" He called and then widened his eyes when he heard her hum.


    A/N: I recommend reading this part after listening to The Beatles'' song "And I love her".


    As she hummed, for the first time since she woke up, she had an expression on her face. She smiled.


    "How can she know this song?"


    "Hm? Is that a song?"


    "Yes. It''s a song from my world."


    Her heart was racing and she unknowingly was humming to the woman. After who knew how long, he didn''t feel alone.


    The song was coming to an end and the woman opened her mouth, and looking long at the sky with her longing gaze, the woman sang in a soft voice. "And I love her..."


    ***


    After seven weeks of travel, Lunnia, Anemus and Foti¨˘ arrived in the kingdom of Veand north of the principality of Elsna.


    A realm of just two seasons, summer and winter. Summer was always too hot and winter too cold, and now it was the beginning of winter.


    "How can it be so cold? In Elsna it was still so hot..." Anemus complained and flapped her wings harder.


    Foti¨˘ bent her head and took off her overcoat. "I''m not cold. Are you Kima?"


    Kima roared in response and no one understood.


    The fact was that Foti¨˘ was a fire nymph, and fire nymphs don''t feel cold. Knowing this, Anemus rolled her eyes and quivered her chin.


    "I''m not that cold either..." Lunnia said as she took off her helmet. "I grew up on the islands of Lenoherd."


    "Are there people who live in that place?" Anemus asked in amazement.


    Lunnia laughed and the capital of Veand, Serdun, appeared in the distance.


    It was almost night when she landed at the entrance to the city. At the inn, the three of them rented the best room in the best inn in the city.


    As soon as she entered the room, Anemus stepped into the hot tub. She was there for so long that Lunnia and Foti¨˘ broke into the bath and they showered together.


    In bed, Anemus was reading the book Athena had bought her three years ago at the Citadel.


    She had already read that book thousands of times and had already learned all the magic in it. But she always reread. She was repeating this routine when she heard Foti¨˘''s voice.


    "I haven''t been able to speak or feel Mom for two years. Do you think she''s okay? She had promised to come back to us when the war was over..."


    Anemus looked away from the book and looked at the girl who was like a little sister to her.


    "Sheˇ­" Anemus didn''t know what to actually say, but she wanted to comfort Foti¨˘. "She''s strong, sure she''s fine. There must have been something urgent that..." Anemus pursed her lips with uncertainty in her mind. "Sleep. Let''s get up early tomorrow."


    ***


    "I already said that I will choose who I will marry!" Exclaimed the prince at breakfast.


    "Then choose, Edrik! There are several good ladies at court and the daughters of nobles. Choose one and marry at once!" shouted the king.


    "Huga, don''t yell at the table." The queen scolded. "And Edrik, your father is right. We''ve been waiting for years for you to develop some romance with some lady, but it never happened." The queen looked steadily at her son. "I''ll give you another month to find this girl you want to marry. After that, I''ll choose for you."


    "But Mom, how am I going to find love in just a month?"


    "Here comes this love talk again." Hugo the king complained.


    The prince was a hopeless romantic, or at least that''s what he wanted people to believe.


    "Yeah Dad, I don''t want to marry someone out of politics and end up like you. Eating every bitch disguised as a palace maid."


    "How dare you!? I should lock you in the dungeons for this!"


    "Do it. Then I want to see who will succeed you." Edrik got up and left with nothing more to say.


    "What are we going to do with him, Zanda?"


    The queen looked at her husband with a smoldering look and silence reigned in the dining room.


    In the gardens, the prince sneaks out of the palace and down to the city, but that''s not the city he was going to.


    Halfway there, he changed his route and entered the woods.


    Disguised as a commoner, the prince followed the trail for three hours through the snowy trees until he reached a shed away from everything and everyone.


    Edrik looked around to make sure he hadn''t been followed and unlocked the lock on the chains on the doors of the place.


    "I''m back, my sweetie." Said the prince in an excited voice. "I hope you didn''t feel too cold."


    ***


    In the world below, the young man was talking to the woman he had rescued years ago.


    They were with three children in an abandoned hunting cabin.


    The old structure creaked in the wind and had a few holes in it, but with a fire and food, the place was comfortable as a temporary abode.


    "How do you know that song?"


    "I''m a fan of the band. My dad introduced me to their vinylz and when I realized, The Beatles had become my favorite band." Athena replied.


    "That-! No, how?" The young man frowned. "You can''t have come from that world!"


    "Why not?" Athena tilted her head to the side.


    "Why not?! You have horns!" The young man replied by pointing to his own head.


    Athena ran a hand over her head, founding her thick, hard horns. Upon finding them, she raised an eyebrow quizzically in her face.


    "Well... A lot has happened since I came to this world..."


    The children watched the two talking with curious and confused eyes.


    "Idna, what language are they using?" asked the boy.


    "I don''t know, Kalta. It must be an ancient language." replied the girl.


    "Sh! I want to learn."


    The young man frowned at Athena''s response and continued with his questions.


    "What happened to make you fall from the islands of heaven? How can I go there? Who are you?"


    Athena ignored the questions and looked at her hands. More precisely for her nails. They were white as the metal of a sword and they were also very hard.


    (Now I understand how I survived....)

 Chapter 76 - New Sparks

    While the young man spoke, Athena analyzed her situation.


    She had been awake two weeks ago, but awareness of her hadn''t returned until then. Plus she had the problem of her condition...


    (Hm... I have mana, but I can''t control it and...) Athena closed her eyes. (...Are the Akashic Records...locked?) But the problem doesn''t just stop there. (Hm...? Can I feel two other mana inside me?)


    Athena felt two strange mana inside her body and hers. It seemed to try to devour each other and that hindered the internal flow of mana in her body.


    (This way will be impossible to do anything. First I have to discover the origin of these other mana.)


    Athena took a deep breath and concentrated on herself.


    Inside her, Athena saw the three mana, gold, white and blue.


    The white mana was dense and calm. It was her mana.


    The gold was aggressive and faded. It was the mana originating from Excalibur.


    Finally, a blue, it was the only mana that had a form. It displayed the form of a sleeping dragon and ignored the attacks of the golden one who was attacked by the white one.


    (What a mess... I turned into a dragon for "one second" and it happens...) Athena was starting to think of a way to put things in place when she heard something she couldn''t ignore. "What did you say?"


    "That you are ungrateful." Hercules complained.


    "No, before that..."


    "Huh? Hmm.. That I should have let you die two years ago."


    "Two years? Not two weeks or months, but years?" Athena''s face paled. "I disappeared for two years... They sure think I''m dead... What am I going to do?"


    "Them? You came from the islands in the sky, right? How can we get there?"


    Athena was thoughtful and then looked at the young man. "You are strong?"


    "Hercules is pretty strong!" replied the girl with pink eyes.


    "Hercules?"


    "That''s the name I chose after giving up hope of returning to our world."


    "Not "ours". Yours..." Athena corrected. "I couldn''t go back even if it had a way... I was reborn here." Athena looked away. (The body at least...)


    "Whatever. "Hercules" is a much cooler name than my given name." Hercules said and looked at the children who shook their heads. "And to answer your question. Yes, I am strong."


    "Alright then let''s go to the far north." Athena said and stood up.


    "What now?" Hercules frowned. "It''s getting dark."


    "AND?"


    "We have children here."


    "..." Athena looked at the four people and sat back down on the floor. "In the morning then." Athena said and closed her eyes. (If I fix my mana, I won''t need you anymore and I can go alone.)


    ***


    "That''s not the kind of magic that would have the effect you said either..." Naphe said as she closed another grimoire.


    After the destruction of Tarna and half of the Tower of the Mages, Naphe found herself a widow and alone.


    She wandered for months until Mifa found her and hired her to help with her research into spells.


    Now she was in Athena and Mifa''s room, behind a mountain of books and spell scrolls looking for a spell that would cause the spellcaster to disappear.


    "What if it''s a magic that only Athena can use?" Naphe considered.


    "It''s possible?" Mifa asked.


    The look of someone who was about to lose everything on Mifa''s face, made Naphe''s heart ache at the thought of her husband, Verio.


    "Anything is possible for someone who has become a dragon but... There is still hope." Naphe said.


    She really wanted to believe those words.


    Mifa turned her eyes to the parchment she was reading, but she could no longer concentrate.


    Feeling a heaviness in her back and a lump in her throat, she sniffled, holding back tears.


    Mifa had already cried a lot and sometimes still cried the longing she felt for Athena. But she decided to be strong and that''s why she controlled herself and swallowed her tears.


    (I''ll find you.)


    With that thought in mind, Mifa put the parchment aside and picked up another grimoire.


    (It doesn''t matter what time. I''ll bring you back.)


    Her mind was clear and she was about to focus on reading when the door was opened abruptly.


    "Your Highness, Princess Serien got into labor!" Said the maid.


    "Huh?" Mifa looked at the woman with a confused expression. "I''m not the child''s father, you know? Where''s the duke?"


    "A thousand pardons, but the duke has returned to Mizha."


    "Did you call a shaman, healer or midwife?"


    "Yes but..."


    "Speak, woman!" Mifa yelled at the shy looking maid.


    Mifa starts to think that something had happened to Serien.


    "Your Highness, Princess Serien doesn''t want to be alone and said to call you..."


    Mifa frowned and breathed a sigh of relief and rose from her seat. "Naphe, that''s all for today."


    "I can go too?" Naphe asked. She has never had children and has never seen a birth before. Her curiosity spoke loudly.


    "I do not mind..."


    "Your Highness..." The maid protested.


    "No problem. What can Serien do? Spit the baby on me? Let''s go."


    ***


    In the far north of the world, in a castle of stone and ice echoed hysterical laughter. The demons throughout the castle cowered in fear at the laughter.


    The owner of that laugh was happy to receive the news that Mammon has gone back to hell.


    The demon lord who hated the other demon lords. A divine being who fell and was cast out by her father. A god who has lost her divinity.


    Lucifer beat her white wings happily as she showed her expression of pure happiness to Leviathan and Azazel who looked nervous before the woman.


    "Has he gone back to hell?"


    "N-no. He was completely destroyed."


    "Pffffft!!!! Ehehe..."


    "L-Lucifer, this is a serious p-problem..."


    "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! HEHEHAHAHA!!!"


    Azazel lowered his eyes thoughtfully. (It''s no use... Lucifer would never move by a demon...)


    "Even after greedily eating one of my feathers... Ahahahaha! He... Hehehehe! Couldn''t kill a human? Dahahahahahaha!" Lucifer wiped the tears of happiness and glared at Azazel and Leviathan. They were like two different personas. "And what do you want, Azazel?"


    Azazel huddled in his chair and Leviathan had perhaps been sweating too much, as her chair was wet.


    "N-no, we just came to inform you." Azazel said.


    "Hmph~..." Lucifer leaned back in her throne. "Since heaven with Dad, you''ve always been cunning, Azazel."


    Azazel looked away. He was cunning, but a fearful one. He always hated his older sister who was stupidly stronger than him.


    "Why did it take you two years to inform me?"


    "Iˇ­I went back to hell to be sure." Azazel said. "It took me two years in this world to get out of there again. But for me it was almost ten thousand years..."


    "And you did all this to keep me up to date with things going on in the world? I can''t believe it. As I said, you''re cunning. Almost as cunning as Raphael..."


    "Just thought you''d want to know preciselyˇ­-" Azazel shivered at Lucifer''s sharp gaze.


    "I''m only in this world because Faena opened the gates of hell back then. I don''t have to worry about destroying Mom''s world.


    If I were to destroy a world, I want to destroy our old man''s favorite world.


    Get out. I''ll let you live just because you brought me news that put me in a good mood."


    Lucifer''s lonely, happy laughter continued to echo in that castle for several more days.


    Lucifer was glad there was someone out there who could kill the nasty demons in her place.


    She wanted to find this person and looked at the ceiling of the throne room with some anxiety.


    ***


    Sitting by the fire, Athena focused on her condition. She thought that was not good.


    With Excalibur being part of her now, she no longer needed someone to use sacred spells and skills, but Excalibur itself was being the thorn in her side.


    Because of the sword, Athena could not control her mana that was trying to devour the divine mana of the sword, which in turn was trying to devour the draconic mana that just slept.


    (If I could extract these mana from my body...)


    Athena started to force the mana out of her body, but this turned into a tug of war between her and the white mana. It was the only one to be slowly expelled.


    (Tsk! You''re not even a living thing, how can you go against your master?) Athena frowned.


    "Look, Kalta, she''s making a frown. Hihihi!"


    "Stop it, Idna." Kalta scolded.


    "She''s so beautiful..." Said the pink-eyed girl.


    "Malana, do you like girls?" Kalta asked and the girl said nothing without understanding what the boy meant.


    "I like Malana!" Idna said while poking strange lines in Athena''s back. "Look, she has pictures on her back!"


    As soon as Idna said this, a pair of long reptilian wings with white scales opened.


    Kalta yelled and ran outside calling Hercules.


    Athena opened her eyes and looked at the wings. "Heh~... So that''s what happens if I try to use draconic mana..."


    "Look! She has a tail!" Idna yelled.


    "Sis, what are you?"


    "I want to ask the same question." Hercules said from the door of the hut. His arms full of firewood and Kalta scared behind his leg.


    "...."


    ***


    All over the palace you could hear Serien''s screams and the midwife''s encouragement.


    This made everyone listening apprehensive, until the screams ceased.


    "My congratulations, your highness, it''s a boy." The midwife said with the bloody boy in her arms. "Healer, please..."


    The woman gestured to the pale man in the corner of the room with a bucket in his hands.


    "No, no, arghaaaar!" Serien roared again as the sweat practically squirted from her forehead.


    "They are twins!" The midwife celebrated and handed the child to the maid. And returned to between Serien''s legs.


    "I''m gonnaaaaa...!! Argyaaaar! AAARH! Kill Veroooooon! Gyaaaaargh!!!" Serien said.


    "I would do that..." Mifa said as she held the woman''s hand.


    The night was just beginning for Serien.


    ***


    To the north, in the Veand Kingdom, the prince faced his victim in an isolated shed in the middle of a grove.


    With both hands bound in shackles, a beautiful young girl with golden hair was hanging in the center of the place.


    Despite the days she spent there, she resisted steadfastly and survived everything Edrik wanted to do, as she no longer had the strength to resist.


    "How did my sweet, sweet Sadriha behave?"


    The girl looked up and parted her dry, cracked lips then, she said in a weak voice. "W-well... I... I... b-behaved... well... mas-master."


    A smile of joy spread across the prince''s face. "Very well. I''m going to give you lots of love today too." Edrik said while caressing the girl''s intimacies.


    He stayed there for an hour, as he always did, and slipped through the trees after locking the shed and heading into town.


    That was his routine.


    Whenever he fled the palace, he went to the shed, used his victims, fed them, cleaned them, and left.


    To disguise it, he went to the city where he met his friends and together they went to brothels.


    But today was different.


    Halfway to the meeting point with his friends, the prince took a detour when he felt hungry.


    (I barely ate the breakfast...)


    He went to the fair where he could find something he liked. It was there that he found what he had been looking for, for so long.


    A beautiful lady with long reddish black hair, big eyes and red as rubies, and an innocent and yet mischievous smile.


    "An elf?" The prince thought aloud when he saw the girl''s pointed ear.


    "Hm? Elf? No, your highness. That''s a nymph.." Said the owner of the apple stand.

 Chapter 77 - Athena And The Hero - Part 1

    Hercules stared at Athena for a long hour.


    Athena dodged the question of what she was and left the hut to test her wings. Which was a total failure.


    Two years ago, when Athena was flying, she could control her wings perfectly.


    But that was only possible because of the Akashic Records, which helped Athena with a pseudo motor memory that the Akashic Records provided her.


    Now that the Akashic Records were locked, Athena could barely stand upright with her wings spread and a tail at the base of her spine.


    "At least tell me where you hid those wings and tail..." Hercules said seeing the woman struggle against her own body.


    "Tsk! I don''t know either!" Athena said as she dropped to her knees, exhausted. "I... I give up."


    "Can you tell me what and who you are? Like, I''m kind of your savior. Couldn''t you be a little more grateful and reciprocate?"


    Athena sat down in the snow and unknowingly slapped her tail, raising a small wave of earth and snow. "My name is Athena, I am h... Honestly, at the moment I don''t know what my race is. I am the queen of the kingdom of Basilica and a saint." Athena tried to fold her wings without success. It was like if the wings were a foreign body attached to her body. "Saˇ­satisfied?"


    "You? Queen?" Hercules scoffed as he looked at the rag of a dress that Athena wore for two years in a row, in addition, to all the dirt on her beautiful body. "Tell another lie."


    Athena raised an eyebrow at the young man''s doubt and followed his eyes. "I see. There''s no way a queen can wear so little, huh?"


    "I don''t know how queens dress, but I''ve met oneˇ­" Hercules pursed his lips as the memories began to flow in his mind.


    Athena saw the shadow on the young man''s face. He resembled someone, but Athena couldn''t remember. Though she knew what that inflamed expression was.


    "It''s only worth living for revenge if you can achieve it. Since no one knows about the future, it''s not worth living for revenge."


    Hercules looked at Athena with a cold gaze. "Nice words. I will remember them when I kill Mammon and Azazel."


    "Mammon? The demon lord?" Athena asked with a smile.


    Hercules frowned. "Yeah, what''s so funny?" He asked in a voice filled with hostility.


    "Well, I guess I owe you an apology." Athena said on a laugh. "I killed Mammon."


    Hercules'' frown became even more wrinkled. His mouth was open as if he had been anesthetized and his eyes were bulging as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.


    "Huh?"


    The young man thought he had heard something wrong.


    He spent six years of his life in this strange world, and half of that he spent in revenge.


    He was so close to it two years ago. Or at least he thought he was.


    "H-he went to the islands in the sky that day... Haha!" Hercules began to laugh and then cry.


    The distant moons in the sky lit up the night that showed his tears.


    "Wait- No need to cry!"


    He had gone through so much to earn his revenge. But now it was as if a part of that burden had never existed.


    "Urghˇ­" He tried to hold back from crying, butˇ­ "Waaaaaaah!!!" That relief was stronger than him.


    ***


    "Aaaaaaaaaaarrgh!"


    Serien screamed with all the air in her lungs. She had already given birth two and the last one was being more difficult.


    "M-Mifa! I- Uuuuurgggaaaaar!!!" Serien was pale and exhausted. "I won''t..." Tears flowed.


    She was scared.


    "Serien, hang on a little longer!" Mifa said. At this point, Serien wasn''t the only one scared.


    "No... Please! Enough... It hurts a lot." Serien cried. "I... I can''t... Not anymore..."


    "How not? You''ve already put two out, one more is nothing!"


    Serien let go of Mifa''s hand and pulled her close by the shirt. "Shut up! It''s nothing? These kids are ripping me apart! Aaaaaargggh!" The princess looked more like an angry gorilla than a woman giving birth.


    Mifa was surprised by the strength Serien showed when pulling her.


    (Perhaps when a woman gives birth, she gains super strength...)


    ***


    Anemus and Foti¨˘ were in a tavern, alone for the first time, and they weren''t drinking juice or water.


    "Why do people like this thing?" Foti¨˘ complained about the beer. "So bitter and there are these weird little bubbles... I hated it."


    "I warned you." Anemus said with a glass of wine in her hand. "Wine is much better." Anemus looked at the table behind Foti¨˘ and leaned toward the girl. "He''s been following us since earlier..."


    Foti¨˘ nodded. "I think we should get rid of him..."


    Anemus straightened in her chair as she faced Foti¨˘. "Who did you learn this from?"


    "With Aunt Lunnia. She said Mom killed men who harassed her in the town of short smiths."


    Anemus breathed in exhaustion. "Even with Athena away, she was a bad influence on you..."


    "Huh?"


    "I''m saying the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree." Anemus said and Foti¨˘ cocked her head to the side. "Like mother, like daughter." Anemus insisted on the sayings, but Foti¨˘ was hopeless.


    All that Foti¨˘ learned from Lunnia was to fight. She has never picked up a book herself and has never been interested.


    "Forget it, Foti¨˘. Let''s go."


    "But..." Foti¨˘ looked at the man who had followed them halfway through the day and made an expression of disappointment. "I could..."


    "You will not!"


    "Bossy..."


    ***


    "Calmed down?" Athena asked when Hercules shut up.


    "Y-yes...Thanks."


    "Why were you crying?" Athena asked as she got her wings retracted and tried to do the same with her tail. "At first I thought it was because I stole your revenge but..."


    "Yes... I felt relief. Now there''s only one left." Hercules said and looked away to the west as if he could see someone leaving after saying goodbye. "Why did you kill Mammon? Revenge too?" Hercules asked while looking at Athena and then looking away with wide eyes.


    Athena was playing with her wayward tail when Hercules looked at her. Her ass was in the air with her tail between her legs, hiding the important parts.


    "He was connected to someone who hurt my lover. That''s why I killed him."


    "Huh? Just for that?"


    Athena curled her tail like a snake and sat cross-legged on it. She looked at Hercules and smiled at him a friendly smile. "I''ve already killed for a lot less."


    Hercules frowned at the beautiful and ominous sight Athena passed. (For someone with such a mindset about death... She must have been here in this world for a long time but... She is so young...)


    "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"


    "How long have you been in this world?" Hercules asked.


    "Hm...One year? No, I was in a coma for two years, so...Three years? I''m not sure." Athena said and Hercules stood up with wide eyes.


    (How? She''s at least eighteen! But she said she was reborn here... How old is she?) Hercules swallowed in surprise. "How-How old are you?"


    Athena thought for a moment and Hercules'' expression twisted as he listened. "Three hundred and forty-twoˇŞno. Forty-four years."


    "Wait, wait, wait! It makes no sense!"


    "I know." Athena smiled and said no more.


    Hercules understood that this was meddle too much and ran his hand through his black hair as if it were a way of sweeping the subject into nothingness.


    (But if she came from the same world as me... Unless she was a psychopath, she shouldn''t talk about killing so easily... Especially for being here for such a short time.)


    Athena looked up at the moons and let out a sigh. "I want to go back soon..."


    "Where?"


    "Didn''t I say I''m a queen? There are people waiting for me or thinking I''m dead..."


    Hercules narrowed his eyes. (Is she really a queen? How unfair. I''ve been in this world longer and she''s the one who becomes royalty...)


    "Basilica must be much bigger now..." Athena commented. "Now that the Emperor is dead... If Serien was smart, she took all of Elsna''s territory." Athena smiled anxiously.


    Hercules sulked and stood up again. "I''m going to sleep. We''ll leave early tomorrow. I suggest you do the same."


    He knew the envy he was feeling was ugly, but he couldn''t do anything about it. His life has never been easy since he arrived in this world.


    Everything he experienced could be summed up in one little word. And that word is "sadness".


    Obviously not everything was like that in the beginning. After all, a person cannot always be sad.


    When the young man rose from his depression after being summoned, he fell in love.


    When he saw the second princess, it was love at first sight.


    She had long, curly red hair and beautiful green eyes that were a perfect match with her small nose and smiling lips.


    However, the princess, at the age of fourteen, was already married, and when he heard about it, it was too late.


    He had already approached her and built a friendship and loved her even more. He was ready to take her from her husband, but she died never knowing his feelings for her.


    Athena, as far as he could deduce, had a relatively easy life.


    (She has a boyfriend, is the queen of a kingdom and she are powerful enough to kill Mammon.)


    It was inevitable that he would feel jealous.


    Hercules let a sigh run out of his mouth as he paused for a moment at the hut door and disappeared into the place''s darkness.


    Athena watched the young man disappear and said. "I''ll stay a while longer." She tapped her fingers on her tail. "Now..."


    Athena took a deep breath and sat down in the snow again. Cold air invaded her lungs and she relaxed her shoulders as she exhaled the warm air.


    (If I can fix this mess...) Athena closed her eyes. (But how?)


    She looked inside herself and saw the same thing. White mana attacking golden one, and the golden attacking the blue one.


    But this time the blue one was shaped like an awake dragon, with its head up, looking at the white and golden.


    That''s when Athena had an idea. (What if I can get the dragon to attack my mana?)


    ***


    "Who the weirdo in the alley?" Lunnia asked as she cleaned her sword.


    She was looking out the window and surreptitiously looking at the slender, dark-haired man.


    "I don''t know, but he''s been following us since early afternoon." Anemus replied as she looked at the things she bought.


    "And you didn''t kill him?" Lunnia looked at Foti¨˘. "Athena wouldn''t have left a pervert following you."


    "Anemus didn''t let me..." Foti¨˘ said. She was upside down on her bed. In her hands, a black dagger she had insisted Anemus buy.


    "We''re leaving tomorrow. We don''t need a fuss." Anemus replied as she shook a vial of blue liquid. "Here, Foti¨˘. This is that new thing that helps you regenerate mana faster."


    "Well, if you say it''s okay..." Lunnia looked directly at the man who quickly hid. "But if we stay here any longer, we''ll have to kill him. He looked like he was drooling."


    ***


    Inside Athena it looked like a cockfight. Athena made her mana attack the draconic and ignore the golden one.


    But now the draconic attacked the other two at the same time like an irate dragon.


    (Come on! This is not how I wanted it.)


    The golden mana, in turn, had gone into hiding and using Athena''s mana as a shield.


    It was as if those energies actually had a consciousness of their own.


    Inside the hut, Hercules could not sleep. It had been four hours since he had gone to bed. However, because of the noise Athena was making, he couldn''t close his eyes even for a second.


    Ever since Athena had started trying to organize her insides, the flow of mana had exploded around her.


    This caused loud bangs and furious drafts of air that whistled a high-pitched, irritating sound.


    Unable to take it any longer, Hercules rose from his rest.


    He dodged the children, who were strangely sleeping peacefully, and hurried outside only to be openmouthed.

 Chapter 78 - Athena And The Hero - Part 2

    Mana was an invisible energy to the vast majority of living beings.


    However, if there is a large concentration of this energy at one point, it becomes visible.


    Hercules was experiencing this experience at this time.


    He had never seen what mana was actually like, and was bewildered by the scene he was seeing.


    Athena was sitting on the floor, her eyes closed and a veil of gold, white, and azure blue emanated from her body, covering a large area around her.


    The energy was dense, calm and yet wild. It flowed upward like a water veil up to the sky, shuddering in the wind.


    (What is this?) Hercules took a wary step back.


    Inside, Athena had achieved her goal of connecting the three mana.


    The mana were glued together in a ring shape. But Athena couldn''t control the power that came with that feat.


    (Even though I put in so much effort... In the end I can''t control it like that too... How much wasted effort.) Athena opened her eyes and looked around her. (Hmm?!)


    While Athena had her eyes closed, Hercules widened his eyes more and more as he followed Athena''s body.


    The young man looked up.


    Where there was an absurd amount of mana, were now white scales that glistened even in the low light of dawn.


    Athena looked around her. Everything was so small it was small and where there was snow until recently, melted into black mud.


    This was due to the earth being turned over as Athena transformed without realizing it.


    (What happened to my body?) Athena looked at her arms, legs, wings, her long neck and tail. (Again? I didn''t even use that spell... Ah! Never mind...)


    "W-what the hell is this?" Hercules yelled in a shrill voice. "Y-are you a dragon?!"


    Athena was in the form of a huge white dragon. She was so tall that Hercules looked like an ant.


    The woman- no. The dragon brought its huge head up to the front of the young man and opened its mouth full of teeth.


    "Iiiih! W-what do you want?!" Hercules leapt back, feeling the wall inside the hut, looking for his katana.


    The dragon''s hot breath sweated his skin and its gigantic teeth frightened him. He had never seen a creature so big.


    (Is he scared?) Athena narrowed her eyes, growing even more menacing. (Do I have to talk to him...? Hm? Do I?) Athena lifted her head and looked up. (But I owe him... Um...) She looked back at Hercules and...


    When she tried to speak, a loud, deep growl came out in place of her voice, startling Hercules and waking the three children awake.


    Terrifying fear flooded the mind of the young man who automatically attacked the dragon''s leg with his katana at the sound of the children''s screams.


    Hercules lost track of what was going on and his body moved out of pure survival instinct. He activated his most powerful skill and made a cut in the dragon''s scales.


    Well... He tried...


    Athena''s scales were much harder and thicker than Hercules'' thin, worn katana.


    The blade flashing orange light hit Athena''s foot and shattered like glass.


    (Huh? I... I can''t speak in this form?) Athena kept roaring, confused by not being able to speak. (It was just what was missing... I can''t use magic or skill, but I can''t speak either...)


    This caused Hercules and the children to lose consciousness.


    (That''s not possible... I need to go back to my human form.) Athena thought and concentrated to unbind the mana.


    But then she smelled a strange smell of rotting meat. She could smell her own scent and it wasn''t one of the nicest ones, just like the scent of Hercules and the children. But it didn''t even compare to the scent that was approaching with speed.


    (I won''t be able to fight without mana or a sword... I''ll stay like this for a while.)


    When Athena thought this, she saw a group of humanoid monsters coming towards them.


    (That''s...) Athena narrowed her eyes and her vision traveled up to the creatures as if zooming in on them. (Um.... Dragon eyes are quite convenient...)


    What she saw were monsters with extremely white skin, dark red eyes and long limbs as if they had been lengthened.


    (Ghouls? Ignorant creatures, driven only by hunger. I will crush-)


    Athena started to get haughty when she thought about stepping on the monsters and suddenly she felt her her mana scatter again.


    (Eh? N-no! Wait-)


    Athena had returned to her size and now in addition to being unarmed, she was naked.


    "Are you kidding me?!" Athena screamed at the energies within her. "How am I going to fight?"


    Athena looked to the east and realized that the monsters were still far away. She considered trying to connect the mana again, but she knew that she didn''t have much time and rushed to wake up Hercules.


    "Hey! Wake up, boy!" Athena tugged at the collar of Hercules'' half-armor, putting him in a sitting position, and slapped the young man in the face, but he don''t woken. "What? Are you dead?" She frowned and checked Hercules'' pulse. "No, you are alive..."


    Athena dropped Hercules at the hut door and frowned at the broken katana as if looking at a dead animal.


    "My nails are betterˇ­" Athena said looking at the razor-sharp nails.


    It was still a little while before the ghouls reached them. Athena took off Hercules'' half-armor and also his clothes and put them on after throwing him to the children and closing the hut door.


    "Well, that will do..." Athena monologued as looking at her own body and moving to see how her new robes and armor fit on her. "Now..."


    The sound of the monsters'' snarls signaled their proximity and Athena came to her guard with a wan smile on her face.


    It had been a while since she felt any real imminent danger. Of course, all of the previous dangers would have killed her if she got careless and one in the end almost did.


    However, in all these crises, she had magic and skills to use, now all she had left was her natural strength and dexterity.


    But that the ghouls had too.


    Once they were vampires, but when the miasma spread to the surface where the gates of hell opened, they decayed to these creatures that lived to satiate their hungers.


    They ran on all fours like animals and were fast as wolves. But wolves didn''t climb trees and they didn''t knock it down either.


    When they finally appeared to Athena, she felt a cold sweat break out on her back and her open hands trembled slightly.


    She couldn''t tell if what she felt was fear or excitement, but on her face, the wan smile had turned into a smile of pure ecstasy.


    Her heart was beating fast and her breathing was rapid. She felt the hot blood running through her veins and without thinking twice she ran into the monsters.


    If someone watched from afar, it would be difficult to tell who was hunting whom.


    The more advanced ghoul didn''t even notice when Athena severed his arm with her claws and attacked the woman by swinging his available arm at the height of her head.


    Athena ignored the first ghoul as she evaded it''s attack, and jumped up to kick the other monster in the face.


    "This could end up being useful in ending my frustration!" Athena said as she ripped another ghoul''s face into four slices.


    Athena was fighting more skillfully than she expected.


    As she thrust her arm across another monster''s stomach, she thought of the first time she''d faced them in the game and how she''d blasted them with {Hellfire} until there was nothing left of them. She wished that she had the magic to repeat the feat, but she didn''t mourned it.


    Two hours passed, the sun was already in the sky and an Athena bathed in blood was standing around dozens of white corpses.


    The air rushed in and out of her lungs with ferocity and turned on vapor as it returned to the cold air, resembling the breath of a dragon.


    When Hercules awoke, without noticing his nudity, he walked out the door of the hut and saw Athena.


    The woman seemed to be boiling with steam coming out of her body.


    Athena walked back to the cabin and patted the silly young man on the shoulder.


    "We''re not going north anymore." Athena said as she entered in the hut.


    "Huh?"


    ***


    In the morning, when Anemus woke up and opened their bedroom window, she was in for a surprise.


    In front of the inn, under the window of their bedroom, dozens of carts of flowers of different colors, formed an arrowed heart.


    "What the...?" Anemus said in a low voice and the door behind her opened.


    "Ah... You saw it." Lunnia said as she pushed open the door with her foot. Her hands were busy with a tray full of fruit, bread, pitcher and glasses. "People were staring at me so I brought breakfast to the room."


    "Whose is this and for whom?"


    "They said it belongs to the prince of that kingdom and it''s for Fotia." Lunnia laughed.


    "Huh?!"


    "Ah! I made the same face." Lunnia pointed to Anemus'' disbelief. "But, well... Foti¨˘ is beautiful. It''s not so surprising that it happens."


    "Let''s go." Anemus decided and threw a gust of wind at Foti¨˘. Waking her up by throwing her out of bed. "Get up, Foti¨˘, we''re leaving."


    "What time?" Foti¨˘ asked when she appeared terribly disheveled from behind the bed.


    "It''s time to pack up and fly!" Anemus hurried.


    They didn''t even eat breakfast and leave the inn. While Foti¨˘ complained about her empty stomach, Anemus looked back to look at the girl who was limping.


    "Quick! Don''t you want to see Athena?" Anemus said and bumped into the icy metallic of someone''s armor. "S-sorry."


    "Do you know Athena?" An lively voice asked.


    _________________________________


    I thank everyone who give a chance, read and continued following this story so far. It''s been fun writing this little romance and reading the comments of you all.


    Well... I hope I can continue with the enthusiasm to write.


    Today I found out that my oldest dog has cancer... It was expected that something like this could happen.


    He is very old, I adopted him from when he was five years old and that was nine or ten years ago.


    I''m taking courage for euthanasia.


    I don''t know if that will happen or not, but if I don''t post anything for a while, that''s why. Just give me some time.


    All J.

 Chapter 79 - Athena And The Hero - Part 3

    A friend of mine is a psychologist and he said that if I stop doing what I like because of the sadness, I would soon go into a state of depression.


    So here I am, do what I like. Writing... I hope my mood doesn''t affect the writing.


    Good reading.


    ________________________


    Weeks after the fall of Athena, the Valkyries settled in Basilica.


    This was Oliana''s idea after she see the Adventurers Guild that Athena had founded. She gathered all the Valkyries scattered across the islands and created the guild''s first S rank clan.


    Lobana stayed there, helping Oliana from beginning to end and when everything was ready, she left on a journey to find Athena.


    Obviously she didn''t believe her friend was alive, but she wanted to give her a dignified funeral and burial.


    After all, Athena was a queen and as such, she couldn''t just have her body rotting away in an unknown place.


    She wanted to descend to the world below, but that place was unknown to her. Besides, as far as she could remember, it was impossible to travel with a ship down there.


    There was a high risk of the ship being destroyed by monsters before it even left the islands behind, so that was a risk she couldn''t take if she wanted to complete her objective.


    Lobana spent months searching each island for a way to descend and each time faced the same frustration, it until she reached Veand where she learned that somewhere farther north, she had a portal.


    However, the woman had been in the kingdom for more than three months and still had not been able to find the portal.


    She was returning to the inn after a night of wasted time in a ruin, when a girl of elegant beauty bumped into her then spoke the name of someone already dead.


    "Do you know Athena?" Lobana asked in a cheerful voice that she didn''t match her mournful expression.


    Lobana surveyed the group with tired eyes. Three very different girls and all with unique beauty.


    "Yes, we knowˇ­ who are you?" Anemus asked.


    Lobana had never seen a nymph before, few had a nymph as mates these days, though they are not uncommon to be found in her line of work.


    Thinking that Anemus and Foti¨˘ were some variation of elves, Lobana continued the conversation.


    "I''m Lobana, I used to work with and for Athena. She was also a good friend..." Lobana said while looking away.


    Her amber eyes gleamed slightly as they moistened, and the woman filled her lungs with air, holding back her tears as she remembered Athena disappearing within the clouds.


    The girls looked at each other and Foti¨˘''s eyes sparkled. "Mommy''s friend?! Where is she?"


    "Huh? "Mommy"?" Lobana''s eyes widened in surprise, anxiety and fear. "Y-you are Athena''s daughter?"


    "Yes!" Foti¨˘ responded with explosive animation. "I felt she was in the north. Is she here?"


    "Huh?"


    "Anemus, we''re going to see Mom sooner than we expected!"


    "Eh? N-no-Wait-"


    "I can''t wait to see her! She said she was going to give me a present!"


    Foti¨˘ spoke excitedly while Anemus and Lunnia paid attention to the woman''s expressions. They saw what Foti¨˘ didn''t and quickly deduced what the woman was thinking.


    "Foti¨˘, shut up for a moment." Anemus said as he put her hand over the girl''s mouth and looked directly into Lobana''s eyes. "What happened to Athena?"


    Lobana''s heart trembled and the air refused to leave her lungs. It was like she was drowning. She didn''t want to break this news right away to Athena''s daughter.


    (Wait! Daughter? Athena said her daughter was four, so today she should be at most six...) Lobana looked at Foti¨˘ and then back to Anemus. "Who are you? Athena said her daughter was four, it was two years ago and it''s impossible for this elf to be six."


    "Elf?" Foti¨˘ tilted her head to the side and Lunnia burst out laughing.


    "Only Athena to say things halfway!"


    Anemus slapped her palm to her forehead and slowly exhaled. "Frankly..."


    "I am not an elf, I am a nymph." Foti¨˘ said with her chest puffed out. "And I''m 344 years old and not six like Mom."


    "Huh?" Lobana''s eyes rolled. "344? Athena too? Eh? Wait-..."


    All that was too much information for Lobana''s tired mind. She couldn''t stand it and passed out.


    "Foti¨˘, you killed the woman..." Anemus said in a serious tone and Foti¨˘ froze in place.


    ***


    "Where are we going?" Hercules asked as he followed Athena.


    Athena turned to the young man, put her hands on her hips, and spoke. "To the south-east. Haven''t I already said it?"


    Athena wore only the pants she refused to return to Hercules and wore her hair to hide her breasts.


    After Hercules staring at them, Athena realized that she wanted to show them only to Anemus and Mifa.


    Hercules had on him a extra pants that he stole from the demons, but no shirts. He had used them to make dresses for the two girls, Malana and Idna.


    "It took me two years to get here after arriving on this continent, and now you want me to make it all the way back south?"


    Athena turned her back on the young man and the children and continued walking. "I don''t want anything. You can stay here if you want."


    "But why the south-east?"


    "I have a house down there."


    "But don''t you live on the islands in the sky?"


    "Yes." Athena said and pulled the girl with dark hair and pink eyes by the collar of her rags. She was poking at a white flower surrounded by a small pool of dark water. "Malana, this flower is poisonous."


    That was a knowledge she didn''t forget about the game. This flower had a powerful poison that kept its victims alive for a long time. She had used this flower to make poison gas bombs for her terrorist attacks on cities and towns in the game.


    "Eh?! T-thank you!" Malana said and Athena smiled as she put her down again.


    "Like I was saying... Yes, I live there on the floating islands. But a long time ago, I built a house down here." Athena said as she helped Kalta across the ravine.


    "When? You said you''ve only been in this world for a maximum of three-" Hercules said while helping the girls.


    "This is irrelevant." Athena said, interrupting the young man without looking back.


    Yet again Athena refused to talk about how this world was part of a game or the game was part of the world.


    Not even she really understood and it had been a while since she had stopped caring how this world worked or how it was created.


    They walked for half the day, making short breaks for the children to rest and had their pace slowed by monster attacks.


    Athena and Hercules were at the edge of a canyon and Athena was pointing away. "See that hill down there?"


    "The one with a lake in the middle?" Hercules asked.


    The scenery was far from pretty.


    The forests were dry and bleak, monsters lurked everywhere, the lakes were polluted and the wind carried the miasma with it.


    The hill Athena pointed out was beyond this devastated landscape. A small hill with a white grove around it. Beside it, another hill with a lake in its center. The water had mist on its surface, showing its heat.


    "Exactly. I want to get there tomorrow night. I need and want to take a shower." Athena said and looked at the children. "You need to too."


    Everyone there was in a pitiful state of dirt. The kids were so grimy that it was hard for her tell what color their hair was.


    Hercules stank to the point where crows and vultures would try to eat him if he stopped moving and Athena was no better than that.


    "It will be difficult... Now I don''t have a weapon and I don''t know how to use skills without using a sword." Hercules said.


    "This is easily resolved." Athena walked to a dead tree and broke a branch as thick as a broom handle and about three feet long. "There''s your new sword."


    "Huh?"


    Athena smiled angelically and said. "Protect us with everything you''ve got."


    "Eh? You can fight too!"


    "I can, but I won''t. I''ll protect the kids and try to fix me." Athena said and pushed the children closer to Hercules.


    At that moment, in the place where the kids were seconds ago, a giant centipede appeared.


    Athena cut into several pieces with her claws and said with a big smile to the young man and the children. "I got dinner!"


    "Yuck!" Hercules frowned in disgust and the children''s expressions were no different.


    ***


    Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Lunnia were back in their room and Lobana was lying on Foti¨˘''s bed.


    They intended to leave that kingdom that day, but they found Lobana who seemed to have something to say that interested them.


    The woman snored thunderously and Anemus couldn''t concentrate on reading her new book.


    She closed the book and let out a sigh while Foti¨˘ tried to make a humanoid flame dance in her palm.


    "I''m bored..." Foti¨˘ informed pouting. "I''ve already taken six showers..."


    "I am too, but I don''t want you to go out with that weirdo out there..."


    "How can a prince be so perverted?" Lunnia asked. "Aren''t they supposed to be charming? In all my life I''ve never met a prince, so I''m not sure. But I read in a story that they were supposed to be gorgeous people..."


    "Isn''t that a fantasy?" Anemus asked as she supported her chin with her palm.


    "Serious?"


    "If we kill him we wouldn''t need to be locked in here." Foti¨˘ insinuated.


    Lobana lifted her head and in a groggy voice she said. "I would not do that..."


    "Oh! You woke up. Finally."


    "Why wouldn''t you kill him?" Anemus asked, putting her attention on the woman''s words.


    "One of the prince''s personal knights is a disturbingly strong former mercenary." Lobana sat up in bed and thanked Lunnia for the tea. "I thought he had left this life, but a killer will remain a killer no matter where and how he lives."


    Anemus nodded thinking of Athena and Hades and asked. "How strong?"


    "It would take ten of me to kill him." Lobana said with a sheepish smile.


    Foti¨˘ looked at Lobana with a raised eyebrow. "You are strong?" She asked as she tilted her head.


    "I''m one of the strongest in my mercenary group." Lobana said proudly and then that pride melted at the thought of Athena. "But I''m not that strong when I needed to protect Athena."


    "Ah!" Anemus reacted to Athena''s name and looked directly at Lobana. "What do you know about Athena?"


    Lobana stared at Anemus and several thoughts crossed her mind. (Is she also Athena''s daughter? No... Athena said she has one daughter. And this woman in heavy armor?) Her eyes passed from Anemus to Lunnia and then landed on Foti¨˘. (Who is she? Is this girl really Athena''s daughter?)


    The mercenary pondered for a few seconds and decided it was better to put all the dots on the i''s.


    "As I said earlier, I worked with and for Athena for a few months and we became friends..."


    Lobana told everything that happened. All battles, how Athena became a queen, how she fell in love and how she died.


    "I''m on a journey to retrieve her body." Lobana cried and apologized for being weak and unable to save Athena. "That''s the least I can do... Forgive me for not save her."


    Only Lobana''s voice and crying were heard in the room.


    Anemus had an expression of sadness and anger mixed in her face and her eyes cast guilt on Lobana.


    On the day of her fainting while looking for Foti¨˘ two years ago, she already knew that Athena had died, but when Foti¨˘ said that she still felt the woman, she couldn''t help but believe.


    She had to believe, she wanted to. Otherwise, it would mean she would never see Athena again.


    Anemus and Lunnia had the most pure and utter sadness in their complexions. Anemus was about to yell at Lobana when Foti¨˘ raised her voice.


    "What are you talking about? My mother is alive."


    "Huh?"


    Foti¨˘ crushed the fire puppet in her hands and stood up in front of Lobana. "I don''t know if what you said is true, but my mother is alive and I still feel her." Foti¨˘ said confidently in her affirmation.


    The room fell silent again with the three stunned people staring at Foti¨˘.

 Chapter 80 - Athena And The Hero - Part 3.5

    Important note for Athena fans: This chapter has only a small apparition of Athena.


    All J


    ______________________.


    Two years ago.


    Distressed after having a vision, Anemus fainted as she was hit with a pain that she had never felt before.


    That pain came when she had a second vision that showed Athena crashing into the ground.


    When she woke up, Foti¨˘ was sleeping beside her, holding her hands. When she saw Foti¨˘''s childish face, Anemus'' green eyes trembled as tears manifested.


    (Foti¨˘... Athena died...) Anemus cannot manage to gather the strength to bring those words out. (What do we do?)


    Anemus was sure of her beloved''s death and her heart ached as if she were being ripped from her chest.


    (I... I couldn''t even make it up to her...)


    Regret flooded her heart and sob made its way to her lips at the cry that came to the surface without asking permission.


    Anemus has never felt so sad, so lonely, as at that moment. Not even when Hades disappeared, she felt with such clarity and pain, this sadness and loneliness...


    This was grief.


    A devastating feeling that rips through your soul and paints everything in the world a faded gray.


    A feeling that you can hardly recover from. A curse of sadness ingrained in your life as you say goodbye to someone.


    Anemus never thought she would feel this.


    Nobody thinks.


    "You''re crying..." Foti¨˘ said when she woke up. "Why?"


    Anemus pulled Foti¨˘ closer and hugged her tight as she let go of her sadness, her mourning roar like a wounded animal.


    "Foti¨˘...!" Anemus spoke between sobs. "Foti¨˘, Athena... Athena is dead!"


    Foti¨˘, who had her face between Anemus'' small breasts, made a complicated expression.


    She couldn''t understand what Anemus meant by that. She clearly could feel Athena still attached to her.


    The bond was weak and she could no longer tell where Athena was, but she sensed Athena. It was impossible for Athena to die without Foti¨˘ noticing.


    "No." Foti¨˘ pulled away from Anemus'' embrace. "Athena... Mommy is alive." Fotia said with conviction. "I''m feeling her right now."


    "Huh? How?" Anemus asked with a snotty face. "How do you know? How can you be so sure?"


    Foti¨˘ shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t know, I just feel."


    Foti¨˘ said what she felt and Anemus listened attentively, wishing that her harrowing intuition and that those visions were wrong.


    The nymph stilled her mind and fixed the thought that Athena was alive by repeating it, as if it were a mantra, over and over.


    The two years passed and Anemus continued with this repetition, this mantra, every day. This served to continue to believe that Athena was alive and to ease her pain.


    And now, there in front of her, someone was saying that Athena was dead. Anemus'' heart was crumbling again, but then Foti¨˘''s voice cleared her mind again.


    "I feel like my mom is up north somewhere." Foti¨˘ told the stunned people.


    Lobana had her eyes wide open and in her heart a small spark of hope ignited, but she didn''t want to be fooled and that spark soon died.


    "Feel? Do you feel her here in the north? But I saw her fall!" Lobana said as she stood up and faced Foti¨˘ that was eight inches shorter than her. "I saw her try to save herself, I saw her giving up and parting smile, I saw her disappear in her fall! You may be longing for her and kidding yourself because you''re her daughter. But that doesn''t mean what you feel is real!"


    Foti¨˘ frowned and her hair flared like flames. "My... MY MOTHER IS ALIVE!" She screamed and fire erupted at the ends of her hair. "YOU DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING!" She was furious that Lobana insisted that Athena was dead when no one else did. "IT IS ME WHO IS MY MOTHER''S DAUGHTER! HOW WOULD A FRIEND KNOW THE TRUTH?"


    Foti¨˘''s skin reddened as if the flames ran in her veins and the ground smoked under her bare feet.


    "Foti¨˘ calm down! You''re going to burn the entire inn down!" Lunnia said as she approached.


    Foti¨˘ looked at the knight''s worried face and her anger was extinguished as if it were a lie.


    "It''s her fault..." Annoyed, Foti¨˘ muttered.


    "I know how you feel, but you don''t have full control of your powers to be pissed off like that." Lunnia said and then looked at Lobana. "And you, I don''t know what you saw or missed, but I believe in Foti¨˘."


    ***


    Mifa was looking at nothing in the vast golden evening sky, she was leaning against the balcony railing of the royal room.


    Everything was silent in the garden and there, memories invaded Mifa.


    That garden was where she spent the winter in Athena''s arms, sipping hot tea in the cold weather and saw Athena beat a knight until only a box of meat was left.


    There they exchanged countless kisses. Kisses that most often ended up in bed.


    (Where are you?)


    Mifa only thought about Athena. Every time she found herself smiling thinking about her love, soon after came the sadness of not being with her.


    Mifa took a deep breath, swallowing her tears and heard someone approaching.


    Without turning around, she sniffed the air and a scent of oak and cherry entered her nostrils.


    "Don''t take another step." Mifa said while rubbing her nose. She hated that perfume. "Aren''t you supposed to be with your wife and kids?"


    "Why are you always so hostile to me? Our kingdoms are allies." Said the man hoarsely because of the pipe in his hand. "I''ve seen the kids. They''re beautiful like Serien."


    "Good for you... So what? What do you want?"


    "Straight down to business, huh..." The man looked at Mifa''s back and lowered his eyes to her tail height where there was a small cleavage that showed the top of her ass. "I want to take care of the kingdom''s affairs while Serien is resting."


    "I told you not to take any other step." Mifa said with authority in her voice. Her ears twitched slightly at the sound of the man''s shoes.


    "Serien is in no condition to take care of the kingdom''s affairs and even now, the late Queen''s projects are still causing problems that need to be resolved."


    Mifa remained staring at nothing while she listened to the man. She took a deep breath, turned and looked directly at the man.


    Veron was a man in his late thirties, with long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. His eyes were serene and dark as night and his lips always wore a smile.


    That smile was disturbing in Mifa''s eyes.


    "I will not allow a duke to exist in the kingdom of Athena. The nobles do not and will never have political power in Basilica. This is a decision of her majesty Athena." Mifa said with disgust on her face.


    "I know well what the deceased queen has done to this kingdom and its nobles..." Veron remained calm, sucked in the smoke from his pipe and blew out a puff of smoke. "Limiting their authorities in their territories and yet making them follow the law of the kingdom without giving them permission to preach their own laws..."


    Mifa''s eyes narrowed at the anger rising in her face. "What are you implying?"


    "Me? Nothing. Don''t get me wrong." Veron turned his pipe on the balcony railing and knocked the last of the burned weed off the object. "Is just that the nobles think that now that the queen is no longer with us-"


    He didn''t finish the sentence. Mifa pulled the man by his black coat and pressed him hard against the railing which trembled and cracked as Veron moaned in pain.


    "There won''t be any changes." Mifa bared her teeth like a mad dog. "Tell your king that if he meddling too much in Basilica''s affairs, maybe on one of these nights, he''ll sleep for the last time." Mifa placed her claws against the ribs of the man who twisted his mouth. "And make no mistake. You''re disposable, and it''s not just for me."


    "I... I..." Veron started to speak and Mifa pressed her claws a little more against his ribs, which were starting to bleed. "I''ll make sure to let the nobles know that."


    Mifa pulled Veron and threw him to the ground. "Know that the moment Serien says she doesn''t want you anymore, if you''re still in the national territory of Basilica, I''ll make sure of ripping your heart out of your chest." Mifa lightly kicked the man''s leg. "Now, never again enter Athena''s room or return to that garden. My patience has been very short for the past two years, Trigan is proof of that."


    ***


    "Sorry for what I said if I''m wrong." Lobana said.


    The tension in the room was high even after Foti¨˘ had calmed down.


    "I don''t understand this thing you said about feeling Athena. Could you explain better?"


    "Hm..." Foti¨˘ was still sulking.


    "Foti¨˘, I don''t understand either. I''d like to know too." Anemus said and Foti¨˘ sighed as she relaxed her face.


    "That day Mom and I went to the town and I got kidnapped... Do you remember?" Foti¨˘ looked at Anemus who nodded. "I don''t know how, but when Mom promised to never leave me again, we both glowed and after that I started to feel her and we also started to be able to talk even though we were away from each other."


    "Eternal Bond..." Anemus muttered upon hearing Foti¨˘''s explanation. "Did you use the Eternal Bond on Athena?!" Anemus asked with a sharpness in her voice. "I thought you were under some Athena magic and I didn''t consider it..."


    Foti¨˘ tilted her head to the side, not understanding. "Eternal Bond?"


    Despite her age, Foti¨˘ was young and didn''t know a lot of things about what it''s like to be a nymph born from someone''s mana.


    Normally a nymph would have her mind developed before completing a year of life when participating in battles or studies, or doing anything with her master, but Foti¨˘''s case was special.


    She spent over three hundred years as an ordinary child and just recently her mind has come to maturity.


    If were to put it in human terms, at the moment Foti¨˘ was around fourteen and could barely control her own magic even after two years of training.


    In other words, at that time, there would be no way for her to know what she was doing.


    "Do you have any idea what you''ve done?!" Anemus'' voice was loud, but she wasn''t screaming.


    "I have not." Foti¨˘ replied sincerely.


    "By the goddessˇ­" Anemus said as she lowered her head and rubbed her temples. "Now I completely believe you."


    "Eh? You didn''t believe it before?" Foti¨˘ asked with indignation in her voice and face.


    "Yes and no." Anemus lifted her head with a smiling face. "Athena is alive."


    ***


    Meanwhile, inside a cave somewhere north of the world below.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to eat?" Athena asked Hercules.


    She and the children devoured pieces of the giant centipede that Athena had killed as if it were the most appetizing thing they had ever eaten in their lives.


    "This thing doesn''t bad if it''s cooked well." Malana said while biting a leg.


    Athena laughed. "The best seasoning is hunger, my dear."


    Hercules'' stomach complained and he cowered at the cave entrance, keeping his watch.

 Chapter 81 - Athena And The Hero - Part 4

    The weather in the north was severe. Not even being inside a cave protected them from the cold.


    It was morning and Hercules trembled as if he were going to start vibrating in any moment.


    Unlike Athena, who for some reason demonstrated magnificent resistance to cold, Hercules and the children felt their organs slowing down as if they had been freezing over time.


    "If you stand still, you die." Athena said with her eyes closed.


    She was sitting with her legs bent and her hands forming a circle on the height of her waist. The children were lying around her, trying to steal some warmth from the woman.


    "Y-you''re s-sh-stopped a-and y-you d-don''t d-die-ee." Hercules said.


    "That''s weird, huh... Since I woke up, I haven''t been cold. I''m actually hot."


    "S-so let me ge-get c-closer to y-you..."


    Athena shook her head slightly. "No way. You were staring at my breasts and you weren''t within their reach... I don''t want to have to kill you until I pay what I owe you."


    "I... I''m m-aan... Lo-look at them w-was unavoidable..." Hercules turned his head, staring at the stormy scenery outside the cave. "If d-di-didn''t h-have th-this bi-bli-blizzard..."


    "I told you to get more firewood..." Athena took a deep breath and then let it out sharply. "Come stay with the kids, I''ll go get the firewood."


    Athena got up, stretched, and walked into the storm that insisted on falling for more than six hours.


    Even with nothing protecting and warming her upper body, Athena only felt an slight cold on her skin that soon disappeare it hindered her vision.


    Everything was white no matter which way she looked. She didn''t even see the cave entrance anymore.


    Athena focused her eyes in front of her and continued. She didn''t know where she was going and hoped she wouldn''t fall into the canyon that had somewhere there.


    She felt the ground in front of her with her feet and then she felt something colder than snow and harder than frozen ground.


    Athena stomped harder on the smooth surface and then felt a rush of warm air from above.


    (Thee, tell me, why do thee smell like a dragon?) Asked a voice that sounded like the wind.


    Athena looked around, looking for the owner of the voice, but she already understood.


    The voice had not entered her ears, but her mind. It was a familiar feeling and made Athena think of her daughter, Foti¨˘.


    "Who''s there?" Athena screamed through that storm.


    Due to her inner disorder, Athena couldn''t even feel the presence that was in front of her that wasn''t visible due to the curtain of snow.


    (My self is before thee eyes.)


    The voice said and a blast of heat hit the top of Athena''s head again. Athena looked up and her expression twisted.


    "Huh? Eyes?" Athena saw intense blue eyes floating through the decaying snow. "What you are?"


    (My self asked a question first. Why this smell of dragon come from thee?)


    "Why do you want to know?" Athena crossed her arms. "I can be a dragon."


    (Thee? A dragon?) The eyes narrowed and then... (Ku...Kuahahahaha!)


    Athena frowned, not understanding why that thing was laughing. "What''s the fun?"


    (My self apologizes, but thee are not a dragon.) Athena''s eyes lowered and she could see something. (Thee are human... No, high-human.)


    "And youˇ­" Athena''s eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. "Are you a dragon...?"


    Ahead of Athena, a silhouette the size of a cart stared at her with gleaming eyes.


    (Um... My self is a dragon and you have something more besides the dragon smell... But my self can''t understand what it is... Hm? Is there two things? A sword?) The dragon approached his immense face and revealed its white scales. (You are interesting... An extinct race, a dragon, a sword and something unknown... My self likes you.)


    Athena''s heart was racing and her wide eyes were trembling with fear as was the rest of her body.


    (It''s impossible to win against this thing in my state... No... I wouldn''t even win before.) Athena thought.


    Athena was feeling an immense overwhelming power.


    It was an oppression that she had only felt once. Athena felt the same sense of terror that she felt in the temple of all the gods when that thing of pure darkness attacked or saved her.


    She hadn''t decided what had happened yet.


    Death and Uran, the goddesses that Athena has encountered, did not demonstrate their full power.


    Their very existence was power and they didn''t emanate it. It was not necessary.


    The dragon''s blue eyes narrowed again and it''s scaly, horned head tilted like that of a curious dog. (Are thee cold?)


    "Huh?"


    (Thee are shaking...)


    Athena looked down at her uncontrollably shaking arms and hands. She hugged herself, holding back her own trembling and fear, and smiled a wry smile at the dragon.


    "Ahaha..." Athena laughed dryly. "And I''m fine."


    (Why my self don''t accompany thee to thee home?)


    "Ah!" Athena exclaimed as she remembered why she was there and forgot her fear as if she had never felt it. "I need to go. You don''t fit where I''m camping." Athena waved a hasty goodbye to the dragon and turned her back to the creature. "I need to find firewood or those kids will die..."


    "The house of thee is small?" The dragon asked while following Athena


    "It''s not my house, it''s a cave." Athena replied absently.


    "Ah~... Here, my self had found the firewood that thee are looking for."


    "Thanks, but evenˇ­huh?"


    When Athena turned around, there was no longer a dragon, but a girl with long white hair.


    The girl wore a black and white Victorian dress, and in the hand she offered Athena, there was an entire tree.


    "Are you the dragon?" Athena asked dumbfoundedly.


    "Yes, my self is that dragon from before." The girl replied. "My self goes by the name of "Chionothyella". My self offers thee her regards."


    "Ah! I''m Athena..." Athena introduced herself following Chionothyella''s pace, but within seconds her mind returned to what she wanted to say. "No! Why are you following me?"


    Chionothyella raised her eyebrows in surprise at the question and lowered the tree. "My self wants to understand thee."


    "I''m not an object of study! Why all this sudden interest in me?" Athena frowned. "Don''t you have dragon''s things to do?"


    "My self woke up when felt thee presence. My self has nothing else to do. My self will stay with thee for some time." Chionothyella said and squeezed the tree in her hand, destroying it into hundreds or thousands of smaller pieces.


    Athena looked at the girl gathering wood from the snow. (Did she wake up because of me? No, wait... Even though she woke up because she felt my presence, it has nothing to do with me...)


    "Here is the firewood that thee wants." Chionothyella said as she offered a quantity of wood to the athena, pulling the woman out of her thoughts.


    Athena took the firewood and briefly thanked her. "Well... Now we say goodbye here. Have a good life... See you..." Athena walked a few steps, but then Athena stopped suddenly and turned to face Chionothyella. "What is your name again?"


    Chionothyella''s eyes widened in surprise. A dragon having its name forgotten by an inferior race was an unforgivable thing that could easily be punishable with death, but...


    Chionothyella didn''t show any kind of hostile reaction, in fact she laughed at the fact that Athena couldn''t remember her name.


    (The first time that someone has treated my self like this after learning that my self is a dragon... As my self had thought, that person is interesting.)


    Athena tilted her head, waiting for an answer as she stared into blue eyes that looked like ice gems.


    "Once again... My self goes by the name of Chionothyella." The dragon struck a courtly lady pose, holding the skirt of her dress and bending her knees as she introduced herself. "Chionothyella of the white dragon clan."


    Upon hearing the name for the third time, Athena repeated it over and over in her mind, but her mouth refused to cooperate in the pronunciation and she gave up. "Your name is very difficult. I''ll call you ''Ella''."


    "Ella?" Chionothyella asked and smiled graciously. "Ella..."


    "..." Just seeing that smile, Athena felt a strange twinge and then shook her head. "I have to go. See you around, Ella."


    "Why can''t my self go with thee?" Ella insisted.


    "Because dragons are complicated creatures. I''m already up to my neck in complicated creatures." Athena replied without turning around. "I have to get back to the cave before the four of them die."


    "Thee knows that thee cave isn''t that way, right?"


    "Is not?" Athena stopped and turned away, not knowing which way it was.


    The snowstorm was so strong that visibility was almost zero.


    It was a miracle Athena could see and hear Ella through all that snow and howling wind.


    "Now thee is going further..." Ella said as she continued to follow Athena. "My self can take thee back to the cave."


    Athena turned to the dragon who held the form of a fifteen-year-old girl and let her shoulders slump.


    She was tired of walking in the snow and she wanted to focus on fixing her mana. Athena allowed herself to be guided by Ella to the cave.


    "I returned." Athena told the huddled that it was Hercules and the children.


    Hercules opened his eyes and saw Athena and Ella through his frozen eyelashes. "W-who is this girl?"


    "Are these people okay?" Ella asked seeing Athena trying to light a fire with wet wood.


    "No, they are almost dying from the cold." Athena said through her teeth. Annoyed that the fire wouldn''t start. "That damn fire that doesn''t light..."


    "Why don''t you use magic? You have so much mana..."


    That question caused a thread to snap inside Athena. She was irritated about a lot of things for a long time.


    She was worried, she was homesick and she was irritated with the current state of her powers, but what she was irritating was the way Ella spoke.


    "For god''s sake! Speak like an ordinary person!" Athena growled. "I can''t use spells or skills, if I could I would have gone home, okay?!"


    Athena broke out in a scream and threw the woods on the floor as she got up and looked at Ella who didn''t understand why Athena was angry.


    "My self only knows how to talk that way, but..." Ella floated up to Athena''s height and placed a finger on the woman''s forehead.


    "What you..."


    Athena felt her mind drift and everything went dark.


    When Athena woke up, the fire was lit, the cave was permeated with the delicious smell of roasted meat and, Ella and Hercules had become practically best friends.


    (What''s up with these two?) Athena looked quizzically at the couple who were sitting side by side. "What have you done to me, Ella?"


    "I learned the way you speak." Ella responded in the same friendly intonation she used before, but with less formality. "Hm... You were right, the way I spoke was pretty outdated."


    "Fuh~..." Athena sighed and looked at the children who were drooling down the thigh of some monster roasting over the fire''s flames. "This meat is from what?"


    "Orc." Ella responded without showing any remorse and Athena was disgusted. "What''s it?"


    Orcs were a barbarian race that resembled humanoid boars. Athena saw them more as savages than monsters and she even used them in her army.


    After all they had intelligence and could speak, unlike trolls and other humanities monsters, like minotaurs and harpies.


    "No... It''s nothing." Athena said. She didn''t want to spoil the appetite of children who needed to eat. "I''m not hungry."


    "Now that you have real meat you reject it? You''re weird." Hercules said.


    He imagined that orcs were just pigs that could walk. Since he arrived in this world, all he found that had intelligence were humans and demons.


    The young man had never encountered other races with appearances close to humans and he thought that perhaps there were not even races other than humans and demons in the world.


    The orc meat was as appetizing to Hercules as it was to the children and Ella.


    "Athena, you said you couldn''t use spells and skills, right?" Ella asked.


    "Yes... My mana is..."


    "...in disarray." Ella got up and sat facing Athena.. "I can help you with that."

 Chapter 82 - Athena And The Hero - Part 5

    "Huh? Can you fix me?" Athena asked.


    She hadn''t realized it, but she was smiling with the spark of hope that had just sparked in her chest, bringing her happiness along with what she''d heard.


    Athena''s eyes sparkled with anticipation.


    "Fufu~..." Ella hid her lips as she laughed at Athena''s reaction. "Yes, I can help you."


    "How? Are you going to take s Excalibur and draconic mana from me?"


    "Excalibur?" Hercules could not ignore that word. "Do you have a legendary sword?"


    "Stay out of it. It''s my business." Athena replied without taking her eyes off Ella.


    "Grossˇ­I''m your saviorˇ­I wish you were a little more grateful to me."


    "What language are you using to converse?" Ella asked curiously.


    "They always speak that language when they talk to each other..." Malana said. "But thankfully they have at least one language that they both know... The Odeonian of Hercules is terrible but you can understand. And Athena... If they didn''t speak this strange language, no one would understand what she''s talking."


    "Hm? Why can''t I understand what Malana said?" Athena asked Hercules. "I''m sure a few hours ago I understood what she said... It can''t be..." Athena looked at Malana. "Did you learn English?"


    "Now that you mention itˇ­" Hercules frowned and looked at Malana.


    "I seeˇ­" Ella muttered. "You automatically use this strange language when you talk to each other and when you talk to me, he uses Odeonian and Athena uses Basilican... And as I use the unique language of dragons, that allows me to communicate with any race, everyone understands me..."


    "I don''t know much... I learned by listening to you talk and I translated by looking at your reaction." Malana said.


    "Wow!" Athena let out her wonder and looked at the other two children, Idna and Kalta, and let the disappointment show in her eyes when she saw their confused expressions.


    "Now that we''ve got everything clear about languagesˇ­" Ella took up the subject again. "Athena, when I entered your mind, I could see the state of your mana."


    "Oh, yeah... I tried to link the three, but I became a dragon and I still can''t control my mana, use skills or spells."


    "Hmmˇ­" Ella narrowed her eyes. "How you did?"


    "I made a circle. I linked white to gold, gold to blue and blue to white." Athena said drawing a circle on the floor with one of her claws.


    "I understand..."


    "Can you really fix me?"


    "First tell me something... How did you end up in this state?"


    "That happened two years ago. I was fighting a demon lord and used draconic magic while I had the fantastic idea of ??strengthening my body by fusing me with a sword filled with divine mana." Athena explained as best she could.


    "And what happened?" Ella asked. Her eyes were intent on Athena.


    "I became a gigantic dragon, bigger than you. My scales looked like white gold and for a moment I had no control over my body."


    "How did you manage to use draconic spells without being a dragon? Does it have to do with this other thing inside of you?"


    "What''s in her insides?" Hercules asked upon hearing Ella.


    "She has a sword, dragon mana and..." Ella held her chin thoughtfully. "Darkness? No, it''s deeper than that..."


    "For some time I was a Dark Mage, a Tormentor and a Death Knight at different times." Athena said and Ella widened her eyes.


    "W-what did you say? Tormentor and Death Knight?" In Ella''s voice there was a mixture of fear and amazement.


    "I also once had the quality of Ruler..." Athena continued. "Ah! Speaking of qualities... I am a saint. A saint of massacre and I have the power called Akashic Records that allows me to use any skill I want as long as I have what it takes to use it."


    "No, no, wait! What''s this all about? Are you trying to become a goddess? How is Asherah letting you stay alive?"


    "I don''t know. Naph said no god can interfere with my actions as long as I''m aliveˇ­" Athena said casually.


    "Did you talk to Death?!" Ella squeaked.


    As he listened to the conversation and understood only what Ella was talking about, Hercules was increasingly amazed by the new information he learned about Athena.


    (She is a monster trying to become a goddess... Wait! Do gods exist? More importantly. Is it possible to talk to Death?)


    "Not just Naph. I''ve also talked to Uran and there''s something sinister that has something for or against me..."


    "Godsˇ­" Ella cried out in pure amazement. "You are a mixture of so many things..."


    "Wellˇ­" Athena was a little surprised by Ella''s reactions. She didn''t think it was all that big of a deal. "Things happened, but more importantly. Will you really be able to fix me?"


    "I..."


    Ella had lived for over ten thousand years, of which she was awake for only three thousand of them. In the time she was awake, Ella witnessed some important events.


    She saw the beginning of a war that lasted for millennia, she saw the birth of the first saint and she saw the first Tormentor.


    However, none of that mattered to her. She is a dragon and as such, she didn''t care what the lesser races did.


    But Athena''s case was completely different.


    Athena was beyond anything she had ever seen and ignored. That woman in front of her was an oddity, a tumor that was growing in the world and Ella didn''t know if she should help her or...


    (She is dangerous... If Athena continues on this path, she will soon surpass any demon, dragon or lesser god, and become something like Uran... A incongruous existence that shouldn''t exist.) Ella wondered what to do when Athena urged her on.


    "You...? You what?"


    Ella woke up from her attempts to predict what might happen in the future and looked at Athena. "As I understand it, you have more than four essences within you..."


    "Huh?"


    "You are a thing..."


    "Hey! It''s impolite to call people a "thing"." Athena complained.


    "Listen to me. You started on the way to becoming the worst thing that could walk in this world and halfway through you became something totally different..."


    "Ah! About that..." Athena interrupted Ella.


    "What? Is there more?"


    Embarrassingly, Athena scratched the back of her neck and laughed. "Before I became a Tormentor, I was a paladin and after I became a Tormentor I absorbed mana from a mana crystal and became a Reaper."


    Ella''s eyes could no longer widen. In fact, she was already tired of being surprised every time and after asking Athena to tell her all her story so far, Ella sighed at all the information she had heard.


    "Fuah~" Ella dropped to the ground on her back. "I am exhausted."


    "..." Athena stared at the dragon in silence, but she no longer placed as much faith in her as she did before.


    "You are indeed interesting."


    "What is she anyway?" Hercules asked Ella. His eyes sparkled with interest.


    He was making a stone wall around the children who slept in the corner of the cave. This was to protect them from the cold wind that came into the place.


    "I already told you it''s none of your business." Athena responded in English by deducing what Hercules said. "It''s my thing. I don''t get involved in your story."


    "Hmph... The problem is that our stories are connected now that we know each other." Hercules said without looking at Athena.


    "In what way?"


    "I saved your life and you got revenge for me."


    "Huh? I didn''t get revenge for you!"


    "Never mind, you killed Mammon and I consider it revenge."


    "Revenge was, but not for you. I don''t even know you." Athena snapped, cutting the link Hercules was trying to form.


    "What''s wrong with me knowing what you are?"


    "I don''t want someone who might be an enemy in the future, to know things about me."


    Hercules frowned, not understanding why that was if she had just said a lot of things to Ella.


    (Women are so weird sometimes...) The young man thought, giving up on Athena.


    "Athenaˇ­" Ella said. "First of all, we''re going to have to bring out all the remnants of what you''ve been."


    "How like? I''m not even those things anymore..."


    "Even if you cease to be something, you never cease to be completely. Your soul couldn''t stand it, after all. In your soul there is always some information about what you once were, felt and lived." Athena glanced at the dragon, and Ella quickly understood. "I know... This will take time."


    Ella was referring to the amount of information Athena''s old soul had. Athena had said many things...


    "How much time?" Athena asked feeling urgent.


    "Days, weeks... at most a month or two." Ella said and Athena frowned.


    "I can''t wait that long to get back."


    "Have you waited for two years, what is two months?"


    "Can''t you take me flying?" Athena asked almost pleadingly. "I really want to go back. People have been waiting for me all this time."


    "How do you know they''re waiting for you? For what you told me, these people may as well have buried you already." Ella said as if she was trying to get Athena to give up, but that wasn''t quite it. (She will insist on wanting to go back if her heart is not filled with darkness.)


    Upon hearing Ella''s words, Athena''s heart ached in the same way as when she was betrayed by Luana in the other world.


    This was a simple test and Athena was failing.

 Chapter 83 - Athena And The Hero - Part 6

    The past Athena had left behind was beginning to reappear.


    At the thought that she was so easily forgotten, Athena felt the bitterness of sadness again, bringing back memories that she had lived long ago.


    (I... I didn''t think about it... I... They...)


    Athena''s eyes were unfocused and losing their light as fear took over her mind.


    Being forgotten and left behind was a scary thing that made her feel lonely.


    That loneliness and sadness mixed together made Athena''s heart ache and her face darken.


    Ella was beginning to think that maybe Athena couldn''t really handle the darkness inside her. And that wasn''t just about the magical element, but about her negative feelings as well.


    However, as she thought this, she saw something change in Athena.


    As if she had just received the illumination, Athena''s face cleared and the light returned to her eyes.


    (They may have already forgotten me...) Athena thought. (But I might as well have them back. There''s no point in feeling that way.)


    After all, what matter if they had already buried her and forgotten about her?


    All the negativity and memories were simply crushed by a new perspective.


    Athena came to the conclusion that it wasn''t necessary to worry about something she didn''t know and didn''t have control about, and that if necessary, she could step in and fix everything.


    "It matters if they forgot me? I want to go back and see them." Athena replied with a smile. "The complicated things come later."


    Ella smiled back, a satisfied smile, and rose from the cave floor. "Very well. Then let''s go to the floating islands."


    "Are you serious?!" Athena jumped up in her place with a big smile on her face.


    "Yes, I am." Ella nodded and Athena hugged her and turned around. "Waaah!"


    "Ahahahaha!" Athena laughed with happiness filling her chest. "Hercules, wake up the children. We are going to fly!"


    "What are you talking about?" Hercules frowned. "The storm continues."


    ***


    Ever since he saw Foti¨˘ and followed her all that afternoon, Prince Edrik of the kingdom of Veand had been obsessed.


    "I''m sure of that..." Edrik said as he faced Yrio, Hein and Samy. "I''m sure this is love!"


    Yrio had become Edrik''s knight a year ago after managing to buy a spiritual fire stone and evolve Hein into her adult form.


    Hein was now a woman with a sensual body of lush curves just the way Yrio wanted her to be. And with that body, Hein got what she wanted and make Yrio want her in his bed.


    Both achieved two precious things. A lover for life and a trusted partner in battles.


    The two looked at each other when they heard what the prince said.


    They already knew of the prince''s dubious tastes and even freed some of his victims, but what they found strange was that Edrik never said anything about being in love until then.


    "I finally found what I''ve been looking for! A lifetime of searching and now it appears out of nowhere." Edrik hugged the pillow and kissed it. "How did she react to the flowers?"


    Silence filled the room and Edrik sat up in bed, facing the knights.


    Samy seemed to be thinking about something outside the situation, and the pair, or couple, pretended to not have heard the question, looking at a painting of a naked woman of dubious beauty.


    "What? She didn''t like it?"


    "Hm..." Yrio looked at Edrik out of the corner of his eye.


    "Speak!"


    "She incinerated the flowers with carts and everything else." Hein said. "Besides, your highness, from what I could see, the girl is a nymph. If she''s not with the fairies, it means she has a master just like I have Yrio."


    Edrik frowned at the scarlet-haired woman. "So what? Even though she has a master, she can fall in love with someone else, right?"


    Hein wrapped her arms around Yrio''s neck and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. "I don''t deny the possibility, but nymphs like her and me..."


    "What?" Edrik''s pink lips twitched.


    "We tend to fall in love with the one who gave us life." Hein concluded by running her index finger over her lover''s bearded chin. "At first we think of them as our parents, then we respect them as our masters and then we love them as lovers."


    Edrik lay back on the bed lined with yellow sheets and bit his thumbnail. But then he rose and looked at the knights again.


    "Let''s go to her!"


    Meanwhile, at the inn, the four women had just woken up.


    It was around ten in the morning and they were late for their departure.


    "Quickly Foti¨˘! We need to fly as fast as possible. Now that we know that Athena is down there, somewhere in the north, it''ll be pretty easy to find her." Anemus said as she brushed her long greenish golden hair.


    Foti¨˘ still had her eyes closed as she walked from one side to the other with a pants in one hand and a skirt in the other.


    "I... Fu~... I''m... Withaah~... Sleep..." Foti¨˘ mumbled lazily.


    "That''s because you guys stayed up late listening to Lobana''s whole story about Athena." Lunnia said as she closed a lock on her armor.


    "You said ''fly''..." Lobana said looking at Anemus. "Anemus I understand, she has wings... But what about you two?"


    "I have a pegasus and Foti¨˘ has Athena''s grimera."


    "Oh... I forgot that Athena is absurdly rich." Lobana said thinking about the price of a grimera and looked at Lunnia when thinking about the pegasus. "You''re not poor either huh..."


    "??" Lunnia raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that?"


    "A pegasus is three hundred platinum coins on the revamped market price."


    "Platinum?" Anemus asked. Now she was arranging her wing feathers. "It is expensive?"


    "That''s three thousand gold coins. I''d have to save for five years or more, or have a very generous contractor, like Athena, to have all that."


    "Where did this new coin come from?"


    "Serien... She is the princess regent in Athena''s kingdom. Serien said that this was Athena''s plan. It seems like it was very complicated to do this and it''s still in the stabilization process." Lobana said and got up with her luggage on her shoulder. "They are ready?"


    "Lunnia and I are, but as always, Foti¨˘..."


    Foti¨˘ was combing her hair with Lunnia''s help and was about to say something to Anemus when she heard musical sounds that accompanied a strangely feminine voice coming from outside the window.


    Following Anemus, Foti¨˘ got up and along with Lunnia and Lobana, she looked out the window Anemus had opened.


    "You touch my heart


    introduced me love


    With the love that I feel


    We can make anything real"


    As he sang, Edrik staged and danced gallantly to the lyrics of the song.


    "I love you


    in my mind, in my heart


    I love you


    I feel my heart will explode


    If I don''t have your love


    my heart can''t stand


    without you


    I love you..."


    N/A: These lyrics were based on The White Buffalo song "I got you". I love this song because it reminds me of the mistakes I made with the woman I love and let me down.


    The prince placed one hand on his chest and holding a red rose, he stretched the other towards the window and Foti¨˘ said her first curse.


    "What the fuck..?"


    ***


    In Basilica''s royal palace, Mifa was sitting on the steps leading to the thrones while a group of nearly forty people made their demands under her eyes.


    "Your Highness, all we want is the right to exercise our authority guaranteed by our bloodline." Said a man with a thick red beard.


    "And what would those rights be? Take the first night of a newly married woman? Take the produce from farmers? Or..." Mifa''s wild eyes narrowed. "Kidnap, enslave, **** and kill commoners as you wish?"


    She spoke not only with the noble men, but also with the women who were there present among the group of nobles.


    Some were offended and others ashamed. It was difficult to distinguish which of them had already committed such acts, but Mifa did not intend to distinguish them either.


    She was a commoner and even in the village where she was born, there was a person who was like that.


    This person was the head of the village.


    In Mifa village, the head always came from only one family and he had the right to choose the woman he wanted as long as she was single and old enough to have children.


    Mifa had no interest in doing anything to favor those people.


    However, this had nothing to do with her thoughts of them, but with what Athena had decided to do so.


    "H-how dare you speak like that to someone from one of the oldest families in the kingdom?" Complained a very thin man. "You may be a princess now, but in the end you''re just a commoner bitch!"


    At that moment, the knights drew their swords, echoing a metallic sound through the throne room and Mifa laughed.


    "Fufufu~ Ahahahaha!"


    The nobles looked at the young woman and despite their clear physical differences, she made them reminded of the queen who had made their lives so miserable.


    "T-what are you laughing at?" Shrieked Marquis Zeallant. A man with silver black hair and a plump body.


    He had personally experienced what came after that laugh.


    Two years ago, Athena gathered the grand dukes, dukes and marquis in the throne room. And after being affronted and cursed, the queen ordered a bloodbath.


    The only survivors of this event were Zeallant, Ewllen and two other nobles who knelt in redemption.


    After that, anyone who had a title of nobility greater than the marquis and did not attend that meeting, was either demoted or, if they refused, killed.


    The knights had their swords drawn, waiting for an order. Marquis Zeallant was in a cold sweat as fear began to show on his wrinkled face.


    Mifa''s laugh echoed through the room and suddenly everything went silent.


    The nobles looked all around, startled and waiting for the knights to act, but they didn''t move.


    "You have two choices." Mifa said. "1. You all can be tied out there in the garden, for ten days, without food and water. And I''ll pretend this meeting never happened or..." Mifa held up two fingers. "2..." Mifa''s eyes were menacing and the knights took a step forward.


    But that was a farce.


    Despite her cruel actions and decisions, Mifa didn''t like that.


    Having to act like Athena was a difficult burden and she often wanted to give up. But Athena always popped into her mind, making her continue to act like the tyrant that her beloved was.


    The lords obviously decided to be tied and knelt before the princess.


    But not all them.


    The former duke, the thick red-bearded noble Lord Ewllen, along with five other nobles, remained standing.


    Mifa lowered her hand and faced the people. "Decided?"


    "We decided." Ewllen said. "Right now, Duke Veron must be with Princess Serien and if you don''t relinquish the throne now, the princess will die." The man turned and looked at the door. "And when we accuse you of treason, we will put Princess Serien''s younger sister, princess Marien, on the throne and control everything in the kingdom!"


    Mifa listened in silence, with a strange smile on her face.. "Should I thank you for telling me everything?" She let out a sigh. "Kill them!"

 Chapter 84 - Athena And The Hero - Part 7

    While Athena was sulking that Ella was useless and didn''t know weather control spell to get rid of the blizzard, the dragon and the hero talked with smiles on their faces.


    "A summoned hero from another world... This is the first time I''ve seen one in person." Ella said with eyes full of curiosity. "How strong are you?"


    "I think now I could kill Mammon, the demon lord, with the strength I have, but..." Hercules looked at Athena who was playing with a lock of her hair. "She already killed him..."


    "Eh? Athena killed a demon lord? Really?"


    "Hm? Yes. His existence annoyed me." Athena muttered without telling the whole truth.


    "Wow! Demon Lords should be strong as a dragon..."


    "This claim is wrong." Athena said. "Dragons are physically stronger and their spells match demonic spells. So they''re only as strong as a dragon when it comes to magic."


    "You''re beautiful, rich, strong, smart and what else?" Hercules asked.


    "I''m hot!" Athena replied with a smirk.


    "Ah..."


    ***


    "''Kill them,'' she said... Kahahaha!" Lord Ewllen scoffed.


    Even after the order, the knights did not move. Over their heads, a faint black cloud hung, and in Ewllen''s hand was a purple crystal he''d taken from his coat.


    A crystal that glowed a hideous dark light.


    Mifa, with an expressionless face, looked at the crystal.


    She couldn''t see the mana, but after so long studying magic every day, Mifa could feel more clearly what kind of mana was close to her.


    Since Ewllen entered the room, Mifa had already identified the existence of something bad among the nobles, and that wasn''t the nobles.


    Mifa was perplexed. She expected someone to make an attack and not an attempt to usurp the throne.


    "And now?" Mifa asked without moving.


    "Now you''re going to die here for bringing me to take such an uncivilized action." Ewllen said and looked at the kneeling nobles. "Rise up my friends, we don''t need to follow the orders of a dead queen and now that the empire is gone and the kingdom of Mizha on our side, we can make Basilica into a nation as sublime as it was a hundred years ago!"


    The kneeling nobles looked at Ewllen and then at Mifa and bowed their heads, making Mifa smile smugly with satisfaction.


    "They''re smarter than you..."


    Mifa stood up, her loose hair fell to her knees and hung like a curtain, she tied it in a ponytail and disappeared.


    Everyone there knew of the woman''s feat in the brief war where the armies of the allied kingdoms were massacred.


    Some refused to believe it and said it was because the knights of Athena were with her and others preferred to be cautious in case it was not just a rumor.


    Ewllen was from the denial group who arrogantly blinded themselves and dismissed the possibility of the truth. In other words, they were careless.


    "Huh?! Where did she go?" Ewllen asked and then everything spun.


    Suddenly Ewllen saw Mifa and five headless people kneeling around her. One of the people was holding a crystal just like the one he was holding.


    But the crystal no longer emitted light and where his head should have been, blood was pouring out.


    "Veron had to act that wayˇ­ No, maybe it was his kingˇ­" Mifa monologued in the hallway which led to Serien''s room. "I hate this job..."


    In the bedroom, Veron had two of his children in his arms. He looked at the children with eyes full of love while feeling apprehensive.


    After being threatened by Mifa, he sent a letter to the king and received orders to act as soon as possible.


    (They should have already finished...)


    Veron thought that when the door opened.


    ________________________


    A/N: Now let''s just talk about Athena. Everything else will be for later. Sorry to those who are curious about what would come after the door opened and about Foti¨˘ and Edrik. I want write about love!


    ________________________


    Another four days passed and Athena, Hercules, Ella and the children were still trapped inside the cave.


    During this period, Ella helped Athena, or at least tried to help. They tried to bring the remnants of powers that Athena once had to the surface, but Athena couldn''t find anything.


    Athena had reached her core and there was nothing but what she was.


    She didn''t have the Reaper''s power, she didn''t have anything from the Tormentor, she didn''t have anything from the Ruler, nor were there any traces of her having been a Death Knight.


    "This won''t get you anywhere. I don''t have those powers anymore!"


    "But how? I don''t understand! Did you lie to me?" Ella was annoyed. She couldn''t accept being wrong.


    "I didn''t lie! I was everything I said!" Athena frowned at being accused of dishonesty. "Maybe it''s because my soul is not of this world..."


    "Huh? You didn''t say that before!"


    "What did you say?" Hercules asked.


    ""Nothing! Stay out of it!"" Athena and Ella said.


    "Wow! Sorry, I just wanted to help!" Hercules grunted in Odeonian.


    "What did he say?"


    "Nothing important... What do you mean your soul is not from this world?"


    "Ah! She is reincarnated." Hercules said in Odeonian, trying to join the conversation.


    "Can you stay out of my business?" Athena said in English.


    "Okay, okay! I won''t say anything else!"


    "I reincarnated in this world after dying in another." Athena said to Ella.


    "Hm..." Ella paced back and forth. "This is another thing I''ve never seen happen..."


    "What?"


    "A soul reincarnated with memories intact."


    "I don''t understand and I don''t care-..." Athena stopped her speech midway as she remembered what that thing that attacked her in the temple of all the gods had told her. "What if..."


    "W-what? Did you remember something?" Ella asked as she stared at Athena very closely.


    "I''m not sure, butˇ­" Athena looked at Ella who was just inches from her face. "Do you know where Faena and Lhia are sealed?" Athena asked and narrowed her eyes. "Can you step back a bit?"


    "The dolls?" Ella tilted her head without move away.


    Hercules stared from the corner of the cave, waiting and hoping for a kiss to happen between the two women and found he had a strange taste or fetish.


    (Dolls? Fuck that. Kiss each other!) It was weird, but he accepted the awkwardness with open arms.


    "Yes, they."


    "I know where they are!" Ella said and walked away with a serious expression. "But why do you want to know? Those things have too much power..."


    "I just need to get their powers for myself." Athena said while interrupting Ella. "If I can absorb power from a mana crystal, I might be able to steal their powers."


    "Impossible." Ella denied Athena''s idea.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "Because they are creatures and not a solid piece of mana!"


    "I''m not a piece of stone and someone took my powers once!" Athena said and Ella looked at Athena with startled eyes.


    "Was a god who did it?"


    "I don''t know what it was." Athena thought about it and felt the terror she felt before pass over her skin and lightly rubbed her trembling arm. "It was a sinister thing. It reached into my chest and took away the power Naph gave me, and she said to go my own way."


    "What was this thing like?"


    "It was a silhouette of pure and tenebrous darkness."


    "Wasn''t it Faena?" Ella asked with a dubious look.


    "Isn''t she sealed? There''s no way she could have done anything."


    After much talking, Athena and Ella decided to go to Lhia''s seal. Ella thought it would be too risky for Athena, who had once been a Tormentor, to approach Faena first.


    When the storm passed, instead of flying home, Athena and Ella flew east along with Hercules and the children.


    Before the journey to the east, they passed by the thermal lake and bathed. It was the first real bath in years.


    It relaxed them and brought back their true colors.


    Athena and Elle were surprised by what they saw.


    Hercules, before his bath, had a dark and grayish skin and his hair was thick and matted here and there.


    But after his bath, his colors were revealed.


    He had long black hair, sharp dark brown eyes and white skin. Although it was possible to see his ribs through the skin, the young man had a good physique.


    Malana, like Hercules, before the bath had greenish tones on her skin and hardened layers of dirt. Her hair was dark and greasy.


    But after the bath, all it was gone. She had reddish brown hair and her skin tone was very light brown.


    Kalta even after the shower didn''t change much. The boy had a dark brown skin tone, so the dirt wasn''t as apparent, but his hair, which was a yellowish gray color, changed to a shimmering silver.


    The bath brought the boy''s beauty back and even the boy''s sad features got brighter with a big smile.


    Perhaps Kalta was the first boy Athena found truly beautiful.


    However, Idna was the one who most surprised Athena.


    The girl''s hair was black before the shower, but then her colors changed and she was actually blonde with curly hair, and her skin was naturally a yellowish hue.


    As per Athena, her hair remained platinum blond, but her skin, which was gray as if it had bathed in soot, turned pinkish white as it should be.


    Hercules was bewitched by the sight of the woman taking a bath.


    "Hide it... She might be weak right now, but I bet she could kill you." Ella said upon seeing the young man''s stiffened member.


    Hercules hid his intimacy and with a red face, the young man looked at Ella. "I think I might have a chance with her."


    Ella looked at Hercules in surprise, hid her lips with her fingers and then laughed, leaving the young man confused.


    But that wasn''t important now. With every movement Athena made, hers stretching and or bending, Hercules felt his blood rush more furiously to his lower region.


    Athena was up to her waist in water, and the skin on her back glistened with reflected light. Her rosy breasts seemed soft and firm and it made Hercules'' heart race so fast that his lower pulse almost vibrated.


    "I... I will..." Hercules said and stood up with his clothes in his arms.


    "Where did Hercules go?" Idna asked Ella.


    "I don''t know eitherˇ­" Ella replied.


    After bathing, they traveled for eight hours non-stop and landed on the side of a gigantic crater with dense forest on its walls.


    "She''s saddle here."

 Chapter 85 - Athena And The Hero - Part 8

    The Kastigo continent was very large, it occupied a third of the planet''s surface, but that was before the islands rose to the skies.


    Now the continent was half its original size and everywhere was possible to find craters where cities and even kingdoms would fit.


    Athena and her group faced one of these holes.


    The place was strange, unlike the rest of the world, there were no monsters and the miasma was almost non-existent.


    Inside the crater was dense forest and a fine waterfall that flowed into the darkness of the hole.


    "Are you sure there''s something here?" Hercules asked in disbelief.


    It could hardly be believed that something would exist in a hole that seemed to have no end.


    "She was sealed in a mana crystal and fell to the bottom." Ella said and looked at Athena. "Just for the record, I''m not going with you."


    "Huh? How not?" Athena asked excitedly. "I... My powers come down to my physical strength and claws at the moment. What if there''s a really strong monster down there?"


    "Then you run away with all your strength!" Elle said pretending to run. "I don''t like places this far below the surface."


    "In other words, you''re scared of the dark." Athena provoked. (She won''t fall for that...)


    Ella looked at Athena when she heard the teasing, but she was the oldest there, but that was just a matter of age.


    "What did you say?" Ella glared at Athena. "Me, a dragon, scared? Hah!"


    "So... You go?" Athena made a mocking face. (Uah~! She fell.)


    Ella narrowed her eyes, noticing Athena''s little game and gave a playful smile without saying anything.


    Seeing the dragon''s smile, Athena smiled too and the two walked to the edge of the crater.


    Athena took a long piece of vine from a tree near the edge and started down the crater that was almost as steep as a real walls.


    Ella waited for Athena to reach half the vine and when the woman looked up and seemed to want to ask something, Ella smiled innocently and cut the vine.


    At that moment Athena''s eyes widened and she screamed hundreds of curses in a few seconds until disappearing among the trees.


    Ella looked at the rest of the group, who were gaping at what they saw, and smiling she said. "Now we wait."


    The fall was not long and Athena only had scratches on her arms, back and stomach when she managed to grab a tree.


    "I already know which dragon I''m going to kill first!" Athena growled in irritation.


    Athena took a deep breath, controlling her anger, and looked down.


    She was standing on the trunk of a tree that was on the edge of a dark free fall.


    Athena felt a slight vertigo and clung to a branch as her legs trembled and a cold shiver rose in her belly.


    It was still daylight and different from the north, the weather there was relatively warm, but even so that place was so dark that Athena thought about the original plan before meeting Ella.


    "I should have gone to my house to see if I could find something to bring with me..." Athena looked around and saw only more trees and the hole below. "How am I going to get down?"


    Athena looked at the waterfall that ran further to the side, she thought about the time it could be there and bet.


    The woman turned her back to the dark hole and let herself fall into the darkness, betting that there might have a lake at the end of it and if she didn''t, she had already survived a fall before.


    With her eyes closed, Athena disappeared into the darkness, her hair and skin moistened by the veil of water that fell with her.


    "Do you think she''ll be okay?" Hercules asked as he tried to comb Idna''s hair with his fingers. "You know, when we fly over this forest, the hole in the middle of it seemed endless."


    Ella was lying on a rock, sunbathing like a cold-blooded reptile.


    "She''ll be fineˇ­I think." Ella replied without moving. "What more can happen in a place as boring as this?"


    "I don''t know... She can die?"


    "It''s a possibility." Ella spun on the stone and with her back to the sun, she let her wings and tail appear and then her horns also appeared. "Wake me up at dinner time."


    "Athena can die?" Malana asked Hercules.


    "I really don''t know..." Hercules said as he looked again at the trees. "Let''s pray to the god to protect her."


    "Don''t waste your precious time." Ella grumbled. "The gods can do nothing even if they could interfere in the world."


    "Huh? What do you mean they can''t?"


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Two weeks had passed and Athena had not returned.


    On the fourth day, Hercules was already apprehensive and insisted that Ella go look for the Athena, but she refused.


    Days were like hours to almost eternal creatures like dragons, and so Ella saw no compelling reason to get out of her rock and went back to sleep.


    But as time went on and Athena did not appear, even Ella started to worry.


    "Are you going to worry now? After two weeks?" Hercules asked mockingly.


    "I didn''t expect it to take so longˇ­" Ella said with consternation on her face.


    Worried about Athena, Hercules was irritated and had already chewed all the nails on his fingers.


    (So ??long time taking care of Athena for her to die like this?) Hercules thought this and heard Kalta''s voice.


    "Hercules, look over there! There are six flying monsters coming down here!"


    Hercules frowned and with his mouth crooked down, he looked up at the sky in the direction the boy was pointing.


    To the west he saw six monsters approaching with considerable speed, but Kalta was mistaken.


    Ella looked in the same direction and she could see clearly what those flying creatures were.


    "It''s not monsters and it''s not just six." Ella informed. "There are two pegasus, a grimera, a unicorn, a lashas and a...fairy?" Ella made a confused expression. "Why is a fairy descending in this polluted world?"


    "Does it matter? Why are these creatures coming down here?" Hercules questioned uncomfortably.


    "Ah! No, there are people on every creature''s back, except for the fairy." Ella added.


    After a few seconds, the six creatures landed on the ground in front of Ella, Hercules and the children.


    From the back of the white pegasus stepped down a young woman with straight blue hair. Her armor was black with gold streaks and made a heavy sound.


    From the back of the brown pegasus stepped down a woman and a boy.


    The boy had tousled orange hair, his plate armor was dull gray and on his back a large club dangled as he ran towards the unicorn.


    The woman had red hair, wore silver plate armor, and on her back was a large shield with the design of a black lion''s head impaled on a sword.


    From the back of the white grimera stepped down a young woman. Her hair braided into a single rope was reddish black and she wore a red overcoat, black leather pants, black shirt and boots.


    From the unicorn''s back stepped down a young woman with the help of the boy in armor.


    The woman had short dark brown hair that reached her shoulders and was dressed in brown pants, a white shirt and black boots.


    From the back of the lashas, ??a creature that looked like a gigantic dog with flaming paws, stepped down a couple.


    The man had orange hair, wore an eye patch over his left eye, and wore heavy matte gray armor with a plain design just like the boy''s.


    The man went down and took a barefoot woman wearing a red dress, as her hair, in his arms as if she were a princess.


    They exchanged glances, smiles and emanated a passionate aura.


    The woman that Ella identified as a fairy wore a dark blue tunic with gold and silver embroidery.


    She had greenish-blond hair that was too long, it was tied in three thick knots, and she had six wings in her back.


    ImThe wings opened and closed as she landed in front of Hercules.


    Upon seeing the woman, Hercules was stunned with wide eyes. The woman resembled an Athena with golden hair with shades of green.


    (She is beautiful...)


    Hercules felt his hands sweat, his heart racing and his lips dry. Though she resembled Athena, Hercules had completely forgotten about Athena.


    "What are you looking at?" The woman asked. "Where is Athena?"


    ***


    Let''s go back a little, exactly twelve days ago.


    Athena fell for nearly thirty seconds and had time to think about her breasts moving awkwardly as she fell.


    She touched them curiously and felt them swollen, no, maybe full. She massaged them and as she did so, she felt an exciting current run through her body.


    (Um... I need have-)


    Athena thought this and sank into the icy, dark water of the lake at the end of the hole, ending any excitement she was beginning to feel.


    Athena swam back to the surface and breathed in the cool air of that cavernous place.


    She looked around and all she saw was a circular rock wall and on the left side there was a cave, where a black crystal glowed with intensity but it didn''t emanate the overwhelming power she''d expected, but...


    (What the hell is that doing there?)

 Chapter 86 - Athena And The Hero - Part 9

    "Where is Athena?" Anemus asked with some hostility in her voice.


    "Anemus, calm down! You have to introduce yourself first! Tell who you are!" Lunnia said upon seeing the expression of the white-haired girl and the others who were already there.


    The girl in question was Ella, who wore a black dress with white ruffles, had fine features, straight and hair white.


    Ella frowned at the moment when Anemus arrived there full of arrogance, inquiring as if she were the most important person in the world.


    Ella hated fairies because they were always full of arrogance and Anemus didn''t make the best of first impressions.


    But as soon as she heard the nymph''s name, Ella''s expression changed.


    "Anemus? That Anemus who is mad at Athena?" She asked with a slight smile of surprise.


    "Who are you?" Foti¨˘ asked as she approached with Kima following her.


    "Waah!" The children exclaimed in chorus and backed away with fear in their eyes.


    They didn''t count on Hercules to protect them because he was still there, in the same place, facing Anemus.


    "I am Chionothyella of the white dragon clan. And you?"


    "I am Foti¨˘, my mother''s daughter." Foti¨˘ said, not bothering with the word "dragon", making Lunia laugh. "That hurried winged one is Anemus, the armored woman calming her down is Aunt Lunnia and there is the rest."


    "How cruel, my love!" In a honeyed voice, said the short-haired young woman as she approached with Lobanna, the boy and the couple. "I''m not the rest." Edrik placed a hand over her nonexistent breast and bent gently to Ella. "I am Edrik Velence Veand, prince of the kingdom of Veand."


    "A prince? Butˇ­" Ella looked at Edrik''s slender body. "You are a woman."


    "Don''t worry about it." Foti¨˘ said and looked at Edrik. "Shut up, you perverted woman!" Foti¨˘ turned her gaze to Ella. "Where is my mom?"


    Foti¨˘ felt Athena''s presence, but she couldn''t figure out where she was. It was like Athena was everywhere there.


    Ella looked at Foti¨˘ and remembered that Athena said that Foti¨˘ was around six years old, but that Foti¨˘ in front of her was at least fifteen years old and more, she was a nymph.


    "You cannot be Athena''s daughter." Ella said and Foti¨˘''s right eye twitched. "You are a nymph and Athena is a high-human... Ah, I see. You are a nymph born from Athena''s mana."


    Foti¨˘ was starting to get anger with what Ella was saying, but then calmed down when the girl talked about how she was born.


    If she was born from Athena, she was Athena''s daughter and that was enough for Foti¨˘.


    "Yes! I am my mother''s daughter!" Foti¨˘ stated with a proud smile. "So where is she?"


    Ella ignored Foti¨˘''s question and looked at Anemus with interest.


    (She isn''t a fairy? But she smells like a fairy and looks like one... However, she also smells like a nymph and has the elemental essence of one...)


    She was intrigued by the nature of Anemus, who was neither fairy nor nymph.


    With a gentle smile, Ella approached Anemus and gripped her shoulders. "What are you? I thought you were a fairy, but I think I''m wrong... After all, fairies wouldn''t come to this decaying world unless you''ve fallen, but your wings aren''t black..."


    Anemus frowned at Ella and walked away. "I asked you a question! Where''s Athena?"


    At that moment Hercules awoke from his trance. "Ah! It''s true! Ella, you''re going after her, aren''t you?"


    "Huh? Ah! Yeah..." Ella looked away.


    "Ella! It''s been two weeks since she got down there!" Hercules yelled insistently.


    More than fairies, Ella hated the dark. She didn''t like not being able to see in the dark and so she lived in the far north, where most of the time was day.


    But it wasn''t just Ella there, the others were there too, and everyone was listening.


    "We saw a hole in the middle of this forest. Did she go down there? Athena has been down there for two weeks?!" Lunnia asked in bewilderment.


    "Two weeks? Shit! I spent two years thinking she was dead and now that I found her alive, she''s going to starve to death?!" Lobana complained.


    "Eh? Is Athena here?" Samy asked after his mind came back from somewhere happy. "Are we going back today? Three weeks ago I left my shop with the apprentice and I don''t want to be robbed."


    "I met an Athena... She was a very violent woman. Is she the same Athena?" Yrio asked.


    "Shut up!" Foti¨˘ screamed and pulled Ella by the collar of her dress. "Where is my mom?"


    "Foti¨˘, let her go! We already know where Athena is." Anemus was already gliding when she said.


    Anemus started to fly towards the center of the crater and then it happened.


    The ground shook, air began to be sucked into the hole, and the trees dropped to the center.


    All this in an instant, Anemus managed not to get sucked in and no one got hurt. They were starting to gather themselves when a column of darkness rose from the hole and the ground cracked in all directions.


    ***


    Two weeks ago, Athena was looking at the dark crystal that even though it was dark, it glowed and illuminated the place with intensity.


    Inside the crystal was a white haired girl who looked like Eun and Neu, but she was younger, she looked like a ten year old girl.


    But more importantly, the place was full of mana. This was a dark mana, almost black, and she felt evilness and sadness from it.


    Athena looked around the crystal and realized it wasn''t an altar or anything special.


    It was like before she was sealed, Faena sat there and waited for the seal to happen.


    Athena could not understand what had happened in that place, but it wasn''t like she cared either.


    "Now I''m pretty sure that annoying dragon messed up the places and brought me to Faena instead of Lhia..."


    Athena frowned as she sat down across from the girl trapped in the eternity.


    "Must be pretty boring being in there..." Athena wondered and laughed. (That is, if she is aware of what happened to her...)


    Athena looked around again, but now she was looking for a way to get back to the surface, but the walls were too muddy and steep.


    She tried to use her claws to climb up, but the stones were too fragile for her claws and shattered every time Athena sank her claws into them.


    After a few failed attempts, Athena gave up and screamed up, hoping to be heard, but then remembered she was too deep and gave up on this idea too.


    "What the hell am I going to do?" Athena asked the girl in the crystal without waiting for an answer.


    Two days passed slowly, and that was the time Athena took to notice that there were fish in the lake.


    Her stomach was already complaining in loud growls and every time a fish escaped from Athena, it got even louder.


    Another two days had passed and Athena had managed to catch her first fish.


    This was only possible because the fish swam to the edge of the lake and Athena looked like a cat facing an aquarium.


    "Finally! I thought I was going to starve..."


    After a week it had become a habit to talk to the girl in the crystal.


    "You don''t talk much, huh..."


    A/N: Wilson!!!


    After the eighth day eating raw fish and drinking water from the lake where she also bathed, Athena was already tired of staying there and decided to do what Ella ordered not to do.


    Athena sat cross-legged as if in meditation, closed her eyes and heard Ella''s voice in her mind.


    "If you keep binding your mana like that, at some point you''ll be in draconic form forever."


    "And what am I supposed to do?" Athena complained to the silence and concentrated.


    However, the place was full of dense, dirty mana and full of maleficence.


    It felt like you were swimming in muddy blood that clung to her skin as if it wanted to devour her.


    So every time Athena tried to bind her mana, the mana of the place mixed with hers and everything went back to square one.


    On the fifteenth day, Athena had blood on her fingers as she scratched the floor, taking out her frustration and breaking some of her claws in the process.


    That''s when Athena noticed another new physical ability. Her nails broke or frayed soon returned to what they were before.


    "Do I have super regeneration?"


    Athena frowned, not knowing if she was happy or angrier.


    But inside her, was a flurry that could be described as happiness.


    She had gotten what she needed to be a nearly complete immortal, but that also meant that if she was going to die there, it would take a lot longer.


    The next day, the sixteenth day, Athena had spent the night staring at Faena as she weighed the consequences of absorbing mana from that place and also from Faena.


    "But if I don''t do anything, I''ll be stuck here forever... I''ll leave it to fate!" Athena said almost as if she mocked Meno, the god of time and fate.


    No god could touch her except Asherah, but this one didn''t seem to show interest in the world.


    Even when she discarded the gift she had received, Asherah did nothing, so Athena was sure of her immunity against the deities and wasn''t afraid to speak ill and mock them.


    Athena touched the crystal with both hands, feeling the cold matter, and thought about what she did when she absorbed the mana from the mana crystal in Sigma.


    In addition to feeling with the touch, she would have to breathe, devour the mana in that place. Athena concentrated, expanding her consciousness around her, trying to get a sense of all that power there but...


    As Athena began to gather the mana from the place, Faena opened her eyes and the hard crystal went gelatinous, and Athena''s hands slip inside the crystal.


    Athena widened her eyes at the sight of those dark eyes as deep as an abyss and for a split second her heart stopped in shock.


    "What the fuck-!!!!!"


    Athena, terrified, tried to pull her hands out of the thing, but then Faena grabbed it with her tiny hands.


    "L-let me go! Fuck!"


    Faena''s hands were as cold as a corpse''s, and the way she gripped Athena''s wrists made her fingers sink into the woman''s flesh.


    "Shit! You weren''t supposed to be sealed? Huh?" Athena felt the mana of the place begin to invade her body. "No! Let me go!"


    The mana invaded Athena''s body, but it didn''t stay for long and entered the crystal through her hands.


    Faena was using her as a bridge between the outside and the inside of the crystal and gathering her mana that had dispersed around the place.


    With that, Athena felt sinister chills with each wave of mana that passed through her.


    Inside the crystal, mana exploded in waves of smoke and penetrated Faena''s skin that had a ravaged expression on her small face, as if she were suffering, but Athena didn''t see it.


    Athena was desperate. Every time the mana entered and left her body, she felt fear, anger, pain, hate, rancor, envy and sadness all with great intensity.


    These feelings flooded her mind in a dense darkness that made her vision blur.


    Athena''s hair quickly began to darken, changing to an almost black brown, her green eyes losing light and gaining shades of black, and her skin became even paler.


    After some time, Athena stopped reacting and just stood there.


    At least the body was like that.


    Not knowing what else to do to get out of that situation, Athena took a desperate and unexpected action.


    Using the flow of mana like a river, Athena abandoned her body and invaded the crystal. She could no longer stand all that suffering and hatred in her body and plunged with her whole being into the universe of darkness that Faena was.


    "Faena, where are you?" Athena screamed, but the scream didn''t go very far.


    In fact, it didn''t even make a noise, it was like she was talking instead of screaming.


    "Why did you come here?" A child''s voice, sweet and sad asked. "It''s your fault she''ll come back... Your fault he''ll have what he wanted..."


    Athena frowned, not understanding what Faena was talking about.


    "My fault? As far as I know, you''re the one using me as a straw!"


    "I don''t control my body... He made me like this when our mother created us..." Faena''s voice cracked as if she were going to start crying.


    "He? He who? And who is your mother?"


    "The magician who was always with her... He wanted to make me absorb all the darkness in the world, but this... Our mother''s power was too great and along with all that darkness... I lost control and I wanted to destroy the world I was created to protectˇ­" Faena sobbed. "He corrupted my existenceˇ­Mum wanted us to seal her, but he wanted me to take our mother''s place and relieve her of the burden of being the Tormentorˇ­"


    "That magician was..." Gion was the only person who knew about the Tormentor when she asked. "..." Athena felt a bad taste in her mouth.


    Athena didn''t understand why she, Faena, was telling all this, but she understood that Gion was hiding something.


    Anyway, Faena kept talking and talking as if she was venting her regrets on Athena, and Athena was already losing her temper.


    "Enough of that." Athena screamed without screaming. "I''m sick of your crying. ''Then I can''t control it'', ''Mom wanted this and that, but he corrupted me'' or ''Now I will destroy the world''." Athena floated in the darkness in search of Faena. "Argh! Too much whining for my taste."


    "You have no right to talk like this to me!" Faena protested.


    "Oh shut up! How old are you? Isn''t it time to get out of your mother''s hem? I don''t even know how and why you woke up, but if you don''t want your power, give it to me. I have someone I want to save."


    "..."


    Athena continued to throw her tantrum anywhere in the darkness.


    Faena stopped talking as she listened to Athena''s snarky and still-reasonable sermon.

 Chapter 87 - The World Below - The Dream In The Darkness

    After two hours of sermon, even Athena was tired of her voice.


    Athena swam in that darkness, where she resisted the negative feelings that assaulted her over and over.


    However, despite those feelings assaulting her incessantly, it''s intensity was less. Hatred, sadness, rancor and all other feelings, were further weakened.


    That''s because these feelings had an owner.


    After all, no one can feel the pain with the same intensity as someone else is feeling.


    What Athena felt was just what was left of those feelings.


    "Come on, Faena, show up!"


    "You said you want my powers..."


    The voice came from behind Athena''s back, but when Athena turned away, Faena wasn''t there.


    "...You have no idea what it''s like to have my powers..."


    "Here it comesˇ­" Athena frowned again. "I''m not interested in it, fuck all your bitterness!"


    "..."


    "If you won''t give it to me, I''ll take it!" Athena said and began to devour the darkness as it merged with her soul.


    Athena''s soul that was clean began to have stains at the ends and a swirl of darkness began to circle it.


    It wasn''t even half a percent of what Faena had and it didn''t bother her. That''s until Athena starts taking mana along with the darkness.


    "Wait! This mana shouldn''t belong to anyone but me! My mom gave it to me, it''s mine!"


    "Get out of your hiding place and come stop me!" Athena said in a crazy laugh. "I''ve barely started and I feel so much power!" Athena laughed theatrically like a cheap villain and then she had an idea. "What if I mix it up?"


    "Huh? Mix what?"


    "Mine, yours, the sword and the dragon. I will mix and assimilate all the mana I have! How did I not think of that before?" Athena complained to herself.


    In fact, that was a very good idea, and it was what Ella had in mind after making Athena regain what she had lost.


    Athena focused on the mess that was her mana and began to tangle everything into a single tangle.


    The mana didn''t have to be and it wasn''t uniform.


    Athena''s mana naturally had several elements, even the dark element, it was common for mana not to be uniform and this was not necessary.


    Athena just didn''t know how to deal with the strange mana that were in her body and this caused a disorder preventing her from using her mana.


    But that problem was solved the moment everything was mixed rather than linked.


    Not that linking like the way Athena did was wrong, but it was ineffective for someone like Athena who wasn''t a deity.


    "Imagine how much power I''ll get!"


    "I won''t allow it!" Faena screamed, and this time the scream echoed sharply.


    If Athena had been made of flesh then, her eardrums sure as hell wouldn''t have supported and burst, but that wasn''t a problem Athena had to face right now, in a soul form.


    Faena first appeared to Athena. She was like the thing that attacked Athena in the temple of all the gods, a tenebrous tangle of darkness.


    Athena was skinless, but she still felt goosebumps when Faena reached out toward her.


    "Get out of here!" Faena said in a voice filled with fury and Athena opened her eyes, staring at the crystal.


    "You going to be like that?" Athena asked with a smile and started to absorb the mana that was still passing through her body.


    She had no idea what time it was or how many days had passed, but she noticed the changes in her body.


    Her hair was completely black and her skin was as white as snow.


    Athena clicked her tongue and saw that her claws were also black and bigger.


    "It''s time for you to get out of there!" Athena gritted her teeth and inside the crystal she twisted her hands, gripping Faena''s slender arms. "Come on! I''ll give you some light!"


    Faena had a complicated expression, she couldn''t speak from inside the crystal and couldn''t warn Athena.


    (I must not leave!)


    She tried to say, but those were her thoughts, her voice wouldn''t come out and no one would hear her.


    Athena backed up on her heels and pulled away Faena who was futilely trying to resist. Faena''s hands came out and with them a wave of dark mana which Athena absorbed into the core of mana she formed within herself.


    "I''m going to get all your power for me and then I''m going to get Lhia''s!"


    Athena pulled a little more, and Faena''s entire forearm was out of the crystal.


    Athena could already feel her mana returning to how it should be and a powerful new mana mixed with it.


    She was starting to want to cast a spell or skill just to kill the longing and in that moment of distraction, Faena sank back into the crystal.


    "Hey! Get back here!" Athena put more force into her pull. "Let''s see if you''re going to stay in there for longer like that, [Fortification]"


    An orange light glowed around Athena''s body and her muscles got bigger and then relaxed harder and stronger.


    Athena laughed, squeezed Faena''s arms in a way that if she were out of the crystal, she would scream in pain, and pulled the girl out of the crystal at once and into her arms.


    ""What did you do?"" Faena asked with a devastated expression. ""How could you break the seal like that?"


    Athena frowned at the sound of Faena''s voice that was quite different from before. The girl''s voice was now distorted as if there were two of her and the two were talking at the same time, and that was horrifying for the way she was now.


    The darkness made her hair seem alive and her mana came out of her body like black smoke, her skin was paler than Athena''s in her eyes the darkness had intensified.


    "Does it really matter how I got you out of there? Even I don''t know how... I just did." Athena said with the girl in her arms. "Ah! Wait! You helped me."


    ""Huh?""


    "If you hadn''t turned the crystal into jelly, I wouldn''t have been able to get you out of there. So it''s absolutely all your fault." Athena said, freeing herself from the guilt Faena was throwing at her. Athena smiled at the sinister thing she hugged. "Now... It''s time to give me everything you''ve got!"


    ""Huh? Urgh! What are you- Aaaargrrh!!!!!!""


    Athena enveloped Faena and herself in a cocoon made of slimy green mana and began to absorb everything Faena had.


    After a few hours the cocoon turned completely black and Faena fell unconscious out of it.


    But even for Athena, it was too much power and darkness.


    Inside that cocoon, Athena began a fight against all the impulses that Faena''s powers and mana caused.


    Some time passed and Faena woke up.


    Her hair was white like her eyes, she didn''t feel the despair she felt and tears involuntarily ran down her pink cheeks.


    She was free, but now who was facing everything that until moments ago she faced, was Athena.


    Faena felt her legs so weak and couldn''t use any of her magics.


    She was completely powerless now.


    She had become a homunculus even more useless than Eun and Neu, her older sisters, but she didn''t care, she was free.


    Faena crept closer to the cocoon of black mana and tried to see and hear what was going on inside, but she couldn''t see or hear anything.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Athena was floating in a fetal position as she held her head in both hands like she was trying to protect herself from something.


    In her mind, Athena was back to being Arthur.


    Whether it was a dream or a nightmare, Athena couldn''t tell.


    It was morning, Arthur woke up with his dog jumping on the bed.


    "Hi boy!" Arthur patted the black-haired dog''s ears and looked away.


    There was the most perfect ass he had ever seen in his life.


    Luana was sleeping beside him in her panties like she always did.


    "Hot as everˇ­" Arthur commented to the dog and then filled his big hand with Luana''s tanned ass. "Good morning my love."


    "Hrm... Art, what time is it?" Luana asked in a sly voice after a slight moan.


    "Hm... It''s time to wake up." Arthur said, kissed the woman''s bare back and suddenly everything changed.


    The happiness that Athena was feeling was distorted in another scene and now Athena was Athena and beside her was Mifa.


    However, it wasn''t morning and there wasn''t a bed. There were bodies everywhere and Mifa was just another one of them.


    "Forgive me... Forgive me please!" Athena cried and looked a little farther away. "Anemus... Foti¨˘..."


    Anemus was over Foti¨˘ and both were impaled by several weapons.


    "I didn''t mean..." Athena looked up at the red sky and again the scene changed and the spring night filled Arthur''s eyes.


    He was together with Luana, Rodrigo and his best friend''s girlfriend.


    The four were camping on a mountain that allowed them to see the sky as it really was.


    A sea of ??stars and the immensity of the universe made Arthur see the beauty in his little life.


    There he was sure he wanted to spend his whole life with the love of his life and his best friend.


    They didn''t say anything, at that moment they didn''t need to.


    Arthur laced his fingers with Luana''s, in turn she laid her head on his shoulder and the scenario changed.


    The scenario has changed.


    The scenario has changed.


    The scenario...


    The scene...


    The...


    Athena couldn''t take it anymore.


    Her heart ached, tears ran wildly down her face and without realizing it she screamed.


    "That''s enough! I don''t want this anymore! Please! I''m tired! Someone save me! Someone kill me!"


    Those words were never heard, that''s because it were never spoken.


    She was still trapped in that torment.


    That was a moment before the column of darkness ascended from the hole to the sky.


    "Athena, wake up. It''s your turn to take care of her." Anemus said.


    Athena rolled over in the bed, hugged Mifa and groaned. "Isn''t it Mifa''s turn?"


    "I went yesterdayˇ­" Mifa''s voice came from under her gray hair.


    After a little more insistence from Anemus, Athena threw herself out of bed, feeling her breasts heavy and went to a crib in the corner of the royal room and picked up the dark blond haired baby who was crying.


    "Hi my cutie." Athena said in a husky voice and smiled at the girl who stopped crying as soon as she saw Athena. "Are you hungry, my love?


    Athena pulled her left breast out of her nightgown and placed her nipple in the tiny, toothless mouth of the baby who then closed her eyes as she sucked Athena''s milk.


    "I still can''t believe we had a daughter..."


    "We are waiting for you." Mifa said while looking directly at Athena.


    "Yes, we are." Anemus reaffirmed and for some reason Athena felt lighter.


    "Yes, I''m on my way.." Athena smiled and darkness exploded.

 Chapter 88 - The World Below - Anemus Ultimatum

    Everyone faced the column of darkness as a shrill roar shuddered through the air.


    The darkness vanished as wings spread and a dark platinum scales dragon emerged from the hole, making everyone there, but Ella, feel overwhelmed by the intense fear of that terrifying presence.


    Ella was about to transform when suddenly the dragon threw a body towards the group''s direction.


    "Huh?"


    The group exclaimed in surprise and Lobana followed the body with her eyes and realized it was a child.


    No one but Lobana moved to pick up the child. She jumped off Achilles'' back into nothingness toward the child who was falling to her death and shielded the girl with her body as they crashed against the dark earth floor.


    When Lobana looked at the dragon to complain, the creature had disappeared and in its place was a woman with long extremely black hair and dragon wings.


    Her hair had changed, her eyes were darker, but Lobana would recognize her even if she was bald and eyeless..


    A smile appeared on Lobana''s red lips as involuntary tears made their way down her face.


    "Athena..."


    Lobana felt the guilt disappear when she saw that her friend was really alive and her complaint melted with the joy that filled her heart.


    That guilt was for failing to save Athena two years ago. A guilt that plagued her even though she knew she shouldn''t feel that way.


    But now that unreasonable guilt melted into happiness as see that her friend was alive even though she didn''t know if that friend was fine.


    Foti¨˘ didn''t wait for Kima to get close to Athena and, taking an impulse on the beast''s back, she jumped into her mother''s arms.


    "Mommy!" Foti¨˘ smiled a smile full of happiness and longing.


    Athena''s eyes sparkled when she saw Foti¨˘. She flew towards her daughter and gave her a tight hug full of love, longing and a warmth she hadn''t felt in a long time and was very familiar, but Athena couldn''t find the word to describe it.


    Still hugging Foti¨˘, Athena landed and stroked her daughter''s reddish-black hair and then pulled away from her.


    "Look at my little girl, you are so beautiful now!" Athena said with a smile she never thought she would have, the proud smile of a mother.


    Foti¨˘ didn''t look anything like Athena, not that she should, but her cuteness had become a stunning beauty.


    Athena made Foti¨˘ turn to get a better look at her little girl.


    Foti¨˘ had a slim body with the right sizes in the right places. her breasts were larger than Anemus''s, but still small, and her legs were long, making her as tall as Athena. Foti¨˘ had large, round eyes, an upturned nose and thin pink lips.


    The only thing she and Athena had in common was their long, straight wavy hair, but no one denied that they were mother and daughter.


    Athena felt proud to see that her beautiful daughter was doing well and stronger.


    "I knew you were alive even though everyone said otherwise!" Fotia said and hugged his mother again.


    "Of course! I won''t die, I made you a promise never to leave you." Athena said and kissed the top of her daughter''s head as she, Foti¨˘, lay her head on her chest.


    Lobana looked at the scene and seeing Athena''s naked body, reminded her of that fateful day, two years ago.


    Lobana wiped her tears and smiling, she and Athena exchanged glances.


    "Wear something, you exhibitionist..." Lobana said and Athena laughed.


    Everyone landed around Athena as she pulled a plain white sleeveless dress from her subspace and put it on.


    Dressed, Athena greeted almost everyone there and met some new faces like Yrio and Hein.


    She didn''t remember meeting these two and Lunnia had to help her remember why Yrio was about to tear his hair out.


    Yrio always thought he had formed a friendship with Athena and that they were good battlemates and was frustrated to find out otherwise.


    After hugging little Samy, her good friend she met in Tarna, and talking about the new store he had opened in Veand, Athena met Edrik.


    However, when Edrik presented herself as Foti¨˘''s lover, Foti¨˘ herself fainted Edrik by making the oxygen around her evaporate by creating a fire barrier around the girl.


    Athena laughed at their relationship, hugged her daughter and whispered something in her ear that made Foti¨˘''s face get red.


    And finally Athena looked at Anemus. Her heart sped up and her pupils dilated and an involuntary smile appeared on her lips as if she was falling in love with the girl all over again.


    But that smile faded when Anemus gave a shy smile and walked away from her.


    "Anemus..."


    ***


    The brief moment when darkness manifested its presence in the world, it was like a beacon to those who hid in the world''s shadows.


    With the exception of Lucifer, the demon lords abandoned their thrones and flew to where the darkness called them.


    In fact, it wasn''t just the demon lords who were attracted to that energy. The demons, greater and lesser, began to move in order towards that darkness.


    In the elves'' forest in Basilica, Nimo was terrified as see and feel that evil energy in the sky that had turned black for an instant.


    This phenomenon brought back old and painful memories that she thought she had already forgotten.


    She couldn''t stay out and do nothing about it, and began her preparations to leave the forest for the first time in four thousand years, but just then, she received three unexpected visitors.


    Other beings and creatures with significant powers sensed that hideous energy, but as usual they just ignored it.


    These were fairies, dragons, giants, angels and Lucifer.


    But of course, there were always exceptions, and a blue dragon was one of those exceptions. Also, the king of the vampires, the leader of the kindreds, and a certain deity that shouldn''t even exist in this world.


    They all moved because of Athena, who was oblivious to them all.


    ***


    They stayed there for a whole day, killing homesickness and telling stories.


    During this time, Lobana told what happened after Athena''s supposed death.


    All J: Flashbacks will begin. :v


    "I really didn''t know what to say to Mifa..." Lobana said. "That''s why I lied."


    "Lied?" Athena asked as she swallowed a piece of dried meat that Foti¨˘, who was sleeping using Athena''s legs as a pillow, gave her. "What did you tell her?"


    "She only woke up a few hours after your fall..." Lobana, with a complicated expression, began to tell everything in detail.


    Two years ago, when Mifa woke up, Lobana was beside her with a dark expression.


    Mifa didn''t understand why Lobana was there instead of Athena and with a raised eyebrow, she asked. "Lobana, where is Athena?"


    "..." Lobana pressed one lip against the other and as if she was chewing something sour, her mouth contorted. "She..."


    Mifa frowned and sat up, facing the woman across from her. "Lobana... Where''s Athena?"


    Lobana closed her eyes regretfully and opened her mouth. "She disappeared..."


    "Huh? What do you mean with ''she disappeared''? A person doesn''t disappear like that!"


    "After using incredibly powerful magic, Athena... She began to fade away like a illusion." Lobana said without looking Mifa in the eyes. "I''ve heard that things like this happen when a caster uses more mana than he has..."


    "No..." Mifa said in a low voice with wide eyes. "Athena no..."


    Mifa ran out of the tent and went to where she last saw Athena.


    "On that day, Serien had decided that we, Basilica''s army, would stay in Tarna for a while longer. She said that Tarna would be part of Basilica and that she wanted to save as many people as possible from the wreckage..."


    During this period when they stayed in Tarna, Mifa stayed the whole time where she was in Athena''s arms for the last time.


    She stood there, just staring at nothing... as if she looked to the place for enough time, Athena would end up appearing in front of her.


    Mifa was on the verge of a silent breakdown or maybe she had already break.


    Lobana couldn''t tell if her lie would keep Mifa alive for a long time or if her lie would be discovered and Mifa would die along with it.


    Because of that, because of this concern she had for Mifa, Lobana spent all her time in Tarna, beside or watching over Mifa.


    But to Lobana''s surprise, Mifa''s mourning period lasted only three weeks, the time Serien found satisfying in her search for survivors.


    In Basilian, after Athena''s funeral, Mifa entered the royal palace library and was immersing herself in books, studying magic on her own.


    "It was then that, after solving some matters with the Valkyries, I left Basilica. I had to recover at least your remains to give you a decent burial..." Lobana looked at Foti¨˘. "Two years after I started my search for your remains, a few days ago, that''s when I found your ''daughter'' and her problems."


    Athena frowned at the last part. "Problems?"


    "Yes..." Lobana said in a joky smile. "But that I''ll leave her to tell you."


    Athena sighed heavily and tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked down at Foti¨˘. "You''ve been through so much..." Athena looked at Lobana with a smile. "Thank you, my friend."


    "No problem..." Lobana looked at the starry sky. "But if you could do me a favor..."


    "What? What favor?"


    "Don''t tell Mifa I lied... I feel that if she finds out I lied, she will hate me forever."


    "She won''t..." Athena said with a mocking smile. "She''s a good girl and couldn''t hate you."


    "Yeah? So I say you don''t know your girlfriend." Lobana said and the sound of a wooden plate falling to the floor was heard.


    The two women looked back and Anemus was there, stunned with wide eyes.


    "Anemus." Athena said and Anemus turned her back and flew. "Anemus!"


    "What was this?" Lobana asked and Athena''s face shook. "What are you doing?" Lobana frowned and asked. "Go after her! I''ll take care of your daughter."


    Athena switched places with Lobana, thanked the woman, spread her wings and flew after Anemus.


    "Anemus, stop!" Athena screamed but Anemus increased her speed and Athena did the same. "Anemus, you haven''t talked to me since we met, wait!"


    "Leave me alone! Go back to your girlfriend!" Anemus said in a tearful voice.


    "Wait! Are you jealous?" Athena said smiling without realizing it.


    Anemus hovered in midair as she turned with a furious expression. "I''m not jealous! And why the smirk?"


    Athena touched her lips and continued to smile even after realizing it. She approached Anemus, who tried to move away from her, but Athena hold her hand.


    "Two years ago, what I told you is the truth butˇ­" Athena took a deep breath, feeling her heart sink in fear of being rejected. "Does it really matter?"


    Remembering Naph''s words, Athena threw all the past behind her and wanted Anemus to do the same, because just then they could walk together into a future.


    "Huh?" Anemus made a confused expression and then her face cleared as she understood what Athena meant. "No... It doesn''t matter." Anemus looked down, still avoiding Athena''s eyes.


    Anemus had already forgiven Athena and now that she had gathered the courage to talk to Athena, but the existence of a girlfriend made her heart shudder and her courage fade into fear.


    Fear of losing Athena or maybe having already lost her to someone else.


    "But it doesn''t matter anymore how I feel about you eitherˇ­" Anemus muttered.


    Athena gave a slight smile. "Of course it matters..." Athena pulled Anemus closer and lifted her face. "I love you as much or more than you love me!"


    Looking into Athena''s dark eyes, Anemus wore an expression of mixed hesitation and happiness.


    Happiness to hear those words and hesitation because the other person in Athena''s heart.


    "But what about your girlfriend?"


    "What have about her? She and I already had this conversation. I told her that I loved you too and she said she''d have trouble sharing me." Athena caressed Anemus'' face with the back of her hand. "What will you do?"


    Anemus frowned again and backed away from Athena. "No..."


    "Huh?" Athena''s happy smile turned into a frustrated smile.


    "I will not share you with anyone else, Athena." Anemus'' face was slightly red and Athena could see the flame of anger in her eyes. "You will have to choose, Athena. She or I, who do you choose?"

 Chapter 89 - The World Below - Athenas Choice

    "Athena, I love you."


    Anemus'' vulnerable gaze broke my heart, butˇ­


    "Yes I love you! I love you so much I don''t know what to do without you!"


    Anemus turned her back on me. I love you too but I also love Mifa...


    "I''ve loved you since you were still Hades and even if you say that it wasn''t true... that it wasn''t real, for me it was real. Every year I spent with you, every decade, it was all real and I have you I loved.".


    I know it was... I know that and I love you too, but please...


    "I love you and I don''t want half your love. You''re going to have to choose."


    ... Don''t do that.


    ....


    ...na!


    ..thena!


    (Athena!) Ella called in a loud voice, looking at Athena.


    Athena and Ella were in their draconic forms, flying to the floating islands. On Ella''s back were the children and on Athena''s were Foti¨˘ and Faena, Hercules was on Kima because Ella didn''t want him on her back and the others were on their mounts.


    (...Sorry...) Athena apologized upon awakening from her thoughts. (I was thinking...)


    (Hm...) Ella looked straight ahead. (I need you to clarify something for me.)


    (And what would it be?) Athena breathed her sadness and looked at the scene in front of her.


    A large island, half of continent Kastigo, floated with a number of other smaller islands around it.


    From some islands, waterfalls flowed and spread in the form of rain to the world below, forming beautiful rainbows.


    In others, monsters opened and closed repeatedly their wings surrounding them, fighting or devouring each other.


    All the islands had different characteristics, some had ice forming around them, some had sand raining from them, and some had vines that stretched and swayed around them.


    However, despite all their differences, they all had one thing in common and it was that underneath all the islands were mana crystals that glowed in many different colors and intensity.


    All those colors mixed with the morning light created a scene so beautiful that maybe it was something you would only find in fantasy books. But Athena couldn''t see the beauty in front of her, she was completely devastated by the choice she made.


    (Athena!) Ella called again. (Pay attention!)


    She had been talking to Athena, but Athena didn''t seem to hear.


    (Okay, sorry.) Athena cleared her mind as her attention focused on Ella''s voice. (What you want to know?)


    "Sorry to be in the way, Athena and Ella, but could you guys talk using your voices?" Hercules interrupted. "Every time you guys talk, I feel you guys talking right in my head and that''s a little annoying."


    (If we use our voices, you will all pass out.) Ella rolled her eyes and continued her conversation with Athena. (What happened and how did you manage to remain the same with that much darkness in you?)


    (I absorbed Faena''s powers, all of it.) Athena said and the people who listened gained expressions of trepidation. (And for the second question...) Athena thought for a moment and answered. (I''m human.)


    (Huh?!)


    (Ella, humans are creatures made up of various things that have gone through their lives, but negative feelings are the only things that are part of their existence.) Athena tried to explain. (No... It gets too ambiguous... Hate, fear, envy, greed, all negative feelings are natural things for humans and as a high-human, this is stronger in me. That must be why mine race sided with Faena and not Lhia.)


    (Wait... Let me get this straight. You mean you managed to deal with corruption because your race is corrupt by nature?) Ella frowned.


    (Exactly.) Athena confirmed without giving much importance to the conversation.


    "And where is the goddess of destruction now?" Lobana asked.


    (On my back.) Athena said nonchalantly.


    ""Huh?!"" Everyone but Foti¨˘, Anemus and Athena exclaimed their shock.


    "This child in Foti¨˘''s lap is the goddess of destruction?" Lunnia asked with wide eyes.


    The conversation about Faena continued and Athena answered questions with short answers, not explaining much, leaving people frustrated.


    After an hour of flying, they finally reached the surface of the floating islands and were on the outskirts of Qartur, the dwarf kingdom.


    A mountainous and smoky kingdom because of the active volcano that was actually a great furnace where the hardest metals like adamantine and black iron were melted.


    Everyone was impressed by the sight of the cities scattered across all the mountains they passed. Well, not everyone was impressed.


    Athena and Anemus flew almost automatically with their minds lost in thought.


    ***


    "Choose?" Athena''s face had a complicated expression.


    "Yes." Anemus responded hopelessly. "She or me?"


    "And what happens after I choose?" Athena asked in a serious voice.


    Anemus was silent for a moment and then looked Athena in the eye. "If you choose me, we can travel the world together again like we used to do before..." Anemus hesitated to speak of what separated them. "Wasn''t that what you wanted? Travel and see the world?"


    "What if I choose Mifa?" Athena asked, ignoring Anemus'' attempt to get Athena to choose her.


    Anemus made a sour expression and looked away. "So... I''m going back to that cabin in the forest where Hades once abandoned me..."


    Athena swallowed her frustration and sadness at hearing Anemus and turned away.


    "Anemusˇ­" Athena lowered her head and in a pained voice she said the words that neither Anemus or herself understood or refused to understand. "I won''t choose you and I won''t abandon Mifa." Tears welled up in Athena''s eyes without Anemus seeing. "I''ve gotten used to being incomplete with your absence, but I don''t want to live without her."


    ***


    Basilian was surrounded by soldiers in yellow and black armor.


    The flags hoisted had a black griffin crowned on a yellow background, showing which kingdom they came from, and while the basilican people protested Serien and Mifa''s cowardice, they were in the throne room doing nothing.


    "Serien, I can go over there and crush them." Mifa said while hiding her arms. "You''re still his wife and that''s why you''re my owner too. Give me the order!" Mifa begged. "Why are you trying to make peace with Mizhar after what they''ve did?"


    Serien was seated on her throne to the right of Athena''s throne and in her arms was only one of her children.


    "They will kill my babies if we do anything!"


    Mifa made a complicated expression and then shrill roars echoed throughout the place followed by tremors and thunderous explosion noise.


    Athena was in a hurry and left the group behind as she flew at high speed.


    The speed was high enough to make Foti¨˘ almost fall off her mother''s back.


    She wanted to take the weight off her chest for rejecting Anemus and hugging Mifa, but when she had the capital of her kingdom in her field of vision, Basilian was under siege by an army of millions.


    Without asking what was going on or who they were, Athena roared with ferocity and cast dozens of small spells strong enough to obliterate the army, but weak enough to not destroy the city.


    Seeing her mother attack, Foti¨˘ also identified the army as an enemy and from above the dragon, she rained fire on the soldiers who died a miserable death. But despite all the deaths, a few soldiers managed to mount their mounts and flee away.


    The people of Basilian cheered to see that the dragon was attacking their enemies, but then, when it was all over, they shivered and despaired as see that the dragon was looking down on the city.


    However, although they feared for their lives, under Athena''s influence, the Basilic people learned not to bow their heads again.


    Just as they begged, with swords and spears in hand, for Serien and Mifa to go to war, now they, even trembling, they were prepared to die fighting even if they couldn''t even harm the dragon.


    Still transformed into a hideous creature, Athena looked at those people and smiled with pride inside.


    (Put down your weapons, your queen has returned.) Athena said with authority.


    The people frowned and a riot broke out among those thousands of men and women. They wouldn''t accept a dragon claiming that she was their queen when the throne was still empty, but the turmoil didn''t last long.


    As Athena started to descend in the middle of the city, she transformed and a chorus of fascination resounded from the crowd as the pitch-black haired woman in a white satin dress appeared with two other girls.


    "Make way." Athena said and the crowd split as they walked.


    Few there recognized Athena because of her new appearance, but even so they made their way without questioning because of the dignity Athena displayed when walking and also because no one there was stupid enough to provoke a dragon that was peacefully walking among them.


    When she reached the gates in the palace walls, the gates didn''t open as Athena expected and the soldiers refused to open, then Athena took them down with just one punch.


    "Frankly..." Athena snarled at the soldiers that beginning to surround her. "What''s your problem? Don''t you recognize your queen?"


    A young soldier with red hair approached and with a fierce look said. "The queen is dead. I haven''t had a chance to serve her closely, but I remember her beauty perfectly." The young man said with a passionate look. "She had white hair, eyes that looked like emerald gems and not those coal hairs and those dirty pond eyes like yours!"


    "You didn''t have a chance to serve me, huhˇ­" Athena smiled and walked among the soldiers who were suddenly on the ground. "What the hell is happening?"


    "Mommy, what did you do with them?" Foti¨˘ asked with admiration in her voice.


    "You couldn''t follow it with your eyes?"


    "No."


    "And you there? Could see it?" Athena asked Faena.


    "You hit them all. Proof of that are the fist marks in the abdomen region of their armor." Faena said as she jumped over one of the soldiers.


    Athena put her arm around Foti¨˘, hugging her. "Don''t worry, she''s very old and has a lot of experience." Athena joked. "I''ll ask Sahari to train you."


    "Train me in what?" Fotia asked. "Aunt Lunnia already trained me."


    "Yeah? What did she make you do?" Athena and Foti¨˘, followed by Faena, conversed as they lazily crossed the palace gardens.


    After a while, they were in front of the throne room which was somewhat different from what Athena remembered.


    The heavy lion-carved doors were no longer black but white, and when she opened the doors the place was lit up, the curtains she liked so much had been replaced by white veils and the torches by chandeliers.


    Athena entered the place feeling that she was in a strange place and no one who was already there stopped her.


    As soon as the knights saw Athena enter those doors, all thirty knights drew their swords and thrust them into the ground as they knelt.


    "Hm..." Athena uttered her satisfaction, looked at Serien and Mifa and frowned.


    Serien was in a terrible state, her hair looked dry and brittle, her eyes had big dark circles under her eyes and she looked scared, but Serien''s state didn''t shock Athena more than seeing that Mifa''s neck had a metal collar, but it was forgotten at the moment that a smile appeared on her lover''s face.


    "A-Athena!" Mifa smiled a smile of genuine happiness and ran with tears in her eyes. "Athena!"


    Athena waited for Mifa and received the young woman in her arms. They hugged each other tight, as if they never wanted to part again and exchanged glances.


    "Hi sweetie." Athena smiled with her whole face. "Missed me?"


    "You have no idea..." Mifa said and pulled Athena into a warm kiss.


    Foti¨˘ tilted her head to the side when she saw the scene of her mother hugging a woman she didn''t know and felt her face heat up when the two kissed.


    "Waaah~!" Foti¨˘ hid her face while she looked through her fingers.

 Chapter 90 - Atena And Mifas Time - Extra

    Sponsored Chapter "(ˇđˇöˇđ")


    I can hardly believe it... That someone actually paid for a specific chapter.


    Well, thank you! And I must thank you too because I had to do a lot of research on sex between girls. I had never read any yuri or shoujo ai, Girl on Girl and etcetera... with erotic content.


    It was fun.... In the stories that I read there was a lot more romance and development than in straight ones...


    Ah! I was able to use this chapter to spread some information and close some holes that would take me longer to close. So thank you very much for sponsoring and for giving me this opportunity. :v


    Anyway... I hope you like the chapter you sponsored. (>ˇö< )


    WARNING: ADULT CONTENT BELOW.


    All J.


    _____________________


    The two were already at a distance that it was possible to feel each other''s breathing. They looked into each other''s eyes as if they were hypnotized.


    Athena kissed Mifa''s face, caressing her face with her lips until it reached the girl''s lips. Athena gave her a peck, they faced each other again, with smiles on their moist lips and then kissed each other passionately.


    Mifa''s heart was pounding loudly, but it wasn''t just Mifa''s heart that was racing. Athena''s heart beat as fast as Mifa''s and together, they felt shivers at each other''s touch and their heads fluttered with each breath.


    Athena smiled at the kiss and then whispered.


    "I love you."


    Mifa smiled in a light, happy sight and their lips met again, in a hot, passionate kiss, full of happiness.


    They no longer needed words, just that warm kiss that early winter.


    Athena and Mifa exchanged warm, wet kisses for a short while until they ran out of breath or patience.


    As soon as their lips parted, Athena kissed Mifa''s slender neck as she pulled down the straps of Athena''s dress, revealing her firm and soft breasts.


    Mifa lightly stroked Athena''s stiffened nipples as she bit her lover''s neck as arousal took control of Athena''s body.


    Like a hungry beast, Athena threw Mifa against the bed and ripped off her pants, leaving the moisture exposed. Athena finished taking off her dress, getting completely naked and licked her lips looking Mifa in the eyes.


    Mifa''s heart felt like that of a hunt about to be devoured by its hunter, a mixture of fear, excitement and anxiety, and as Athena dove between her legs, Mifa let a loud moan escape at the feel of Athena''s tongue.


    "Ah! A~thena...!" Mifa pulled Athena''s hair up and Athena climbed her groin, licking it to her navel. "That... what was that?"


    Athena was skilled with her tongue and lips, and for the first time after hating Luana so much, inwardly Athena thanked her for teaching her so well.


    "This is my proof that I''m going to make you very happy." Athena said with a naughty smile.


    Mifa let go of Athena''s hair, who wasted no time and returned to give pleasure to Mifa who moaned and writhed.


    Athena caressed Mifa''s entrance as she licked and sucked on her clit. She preparing Mifa who expelled a viscous liquid that Athena licked up every time it appeared.


    When Athena realized that her lover was ready, Athena slowly penetrated her with her index finger and then her middle one, and rose to Mifa''s lips.


    Hours later, when they were done, the cloudy afternoon was long gone, and they lay naked on the bed in that dark, stuffy room.


    "That was amazing..." Mifa said staring at the sky through the blurry skylight.


    Athena lay on her stomach, staring into Mifa''s almond eyes and kissed her collarbone. "I''m glad you liked it."


    They exchanged looks.


    "What''s it?" Mifa asked when Athena''s expression changed.


    Athena remembered that she had a lot to tell Mifa. She didn''t want to hide anything and so she told everything she had to.


    "Let me tell you a story about my past, which is really just that, a distant past I was afraid of." Athena lay down beside Mifa, staring at the ceiling. "I..."


    Athena told Mifa everything she lived. How she lived as Arthur, what she remembered from the time she wandered in the dark as a soul and a little of what she had lived until she separated from Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Lunnia.


    "So you mean you''re not just 341?" Mifa said as if burying all the rest of Athena''s past.


    "Huh?" Athena looked at Mifa with a surprised look. "Aren''t you angry or surprised at everything I told you? Aren''t you going to call me crazy or need some time to process all this?"


    Mifa smiled and hugged her beloved. "Silly, I don''t care about your past. Of course, I would be lying if I said I''m not surprised, but what I most want is our future and not your past."


    Athena''s eyes filled with tears as she felt her chest lighten and felt Mifa''s love. At that moment she loved Mifa more, more than anyone else.


    The two of them lay there for...


    Well, the time didn''t matter to them.


    Even with all the darkness in the room, there was still a subtle light from the skylight in the ceiling above the bed, and Athena could see in her face that Mifa was looking at her with a lecherous gaze.


    Athena stared at Mifa for a second, she knew what that look meant, because she also looked at her the same way.


    Athena put a hand on Mifa''s face, combing her damp hair behind her fluffy ear. Athena approached her face to Mifa''s very slowly and she felt Mifa breathing with her face pressed to hers, as if they were waiting for the moment when one of the two would consummate the act they both wanted.


    This time it was Mifa who did it. She kissed Athena''s lips, the lips of her first love.


    For a second, Mifa felt all that feeling consume her when their tongues touched and she seemed to want to burn in the heat of passion from Athena''s lips.


    "I''m not going anywhereˇ­" Athena whispered in a smile to calm down Mifa.


    Mifa brushed Athena''s hair out of her lover''s face and Athena pulled her in for another kiss. A kiss so tender and slow, enjoying every detail of her lips dancing.


    Soon after, her tongues met again and once again joined in the dance. Their tongues danced between their mouths without ungluing, savoring the warm taste of each other.


    Even having already kissed, that was something new. Kissing in that slow, lingering way was different, the lips were softer, the details prevailed.


    They were loving each other like this, kissing slowly, memorizing every inch of their lips and savoring, satisfying their hungers for each other, for a time that felt short and yet long as if time had stopped.


    That was a strange and familiar feeling. They had already had sex, but loving each other like that felt so good.


    When they were done, Mifa lay down beside Athena, with her hand going around her beloved''s neck, and her face resting on her shoulder, saying nothing, so they slept.


    In the morning, they woke up late still naked on that bed. They dressed and went down to the deck, where they ate breakfast in an awkward silence, cause the others was there with slightly or intensely red faces.


    They didn''t say anything about what had happened the night before and the others didn''t say anything about what they heard, but they treated them differently than they did before, that morning they were already a couple.


    But there was someone who wasn''t happy about it. Well, not the fact that Athena and Mifa are happy together, but the fact that she lost her room.


    The Valkyrie''s ship, Glory of the Goddess, had only adjoining rooms, four in total. The only room where the couple could have privacy without disturbing anyone was the captain''s room, Lobana''s room, who reluctantly gave it up.


    "I''ll charge extra for making me sleep outside my room." Lobana said and Athena handed her a box of magic gems.


    Lobana didn''t expect that, but also couldn''t refuse. She was a mercenary after all.


    In Basilian, when Athena wasn''t solving kingdom affairs with Serien, they were together.


    It was a cold and snowy afternoon, but Athena and Mifa rode to a lake.


    The lake was frozen as expected, but that didn''t matter as what they wanted to see was what Serien said was a beautiful place in winter.


    They sat on a rock by the lake and waited until early evening when it all started.


    Winter spirits began to dance on the ice of the lake, illuminating the place with their faint blue lights.


    Spirits were nymphs who lost their masters and died before becoming fairies. They were a sad but romantic existence. It because what kept them in that state, was the waiting for the return of their belovers.


    "Serien said there is a legend that when their belovers return... When they reincarnate, the spirits will return to them and vanish into their mana as if they were returning home." Athena said in a low voice with Mifa in her arms.


    It was a morbid legend with a certain beauty and romanticism that drew couples to this place even in the harsh winter.


    They stayed there talking and watching the spirits dance.


    The topic of their conversation was nothing grand, they just talked about the simple everyday life until they got to what they liked.


    Mifa liked the smell of wet grass in the mornings after rainy nights, of undercooked meat and apple juice with goat''s milk. She also loved running and the smell of sunshine on clean sheets, but what she loved the most was the scent of rose, oak and blood that Athena had.


    Athena memorized everything Mifa said she liked, she didn''t want to forget anything and repeatedly recalled what Mifa said.


    "Now it''s your turn... What do you like?"


    "Well..."


    Athena liked the fresh air of the night, the old brandy from Gion''s collection, she liked cheese and the sweet smell of camellias and gardenias.


    Athena didn''t say to Mifa, but that was Anemus'' perfume. But Athena loved the scent of Mifa too.


    The unique scent of field flowers and honey with a certain wildness. Athena wanted to smell that scent forever and that''s why, whenever she had the opportunity, she sniffs Mifa''s hair or neck that ended up resulting in a kiss or hickey.


    ***


    Even though the place was famous for its romanticism, at that moment they were alone and only the spirits witnessed what was happening.


    They wore dresses, Athena wore white and Mifa wore blue, and they wore fur coats over everything to keep warm.


    When they got up, they threw the coats on the rock where they were sitting and holding hands, they walked to the spirits and with only the howl of the wind as music, they began to dance along with the spirits.


    Mifa was clumsy and Athena, as she had already taken dance lessons as a child when she was Arthur, had a certain skill, but none of that made any difference to them who smiled and laughed at every fall and slip.


    In that magical scenary they kissed again, almost as romantic or more romantic than the first time, it didn''t matter. That would stay in their memories forever.


    Days later, after morning training, Mifa was helping Athena and Serien with documents in the palace library.


    In the last ten days they had few moments alone and that''s why Mifa cast glances at Athena, who was starting to get impatient.


    "Serien, how about we take a break?" Athena suggested as holding hand with Mifa who was sitting beside her. "I want some tea to relax a little."


    Serien massaged her shoulders and rose from her seat. "Then I''ll ask the servants to do it."


    "Thanks."


    As soon as the library door closed after Serien left, Athena pulled Mifa for a kiss.


    It was an intense, lustful kiss. Athena bit Mifa''s lips and she got all excited, got up from her seat and sat spread-legged in Athena''s lap.


    Athena hugged Mifa while kissing her, placed her on the table and they started to cling right there on the table, over the documents.


    Athena was kissing Mifa while laying her down on the furniture, with her body on top of Mifa''s, feeling her curves, her legs, her groin and her breasts, Athena began to kiss Mifa''s neck, down to her breasts.


    Mifa arched her back at the touch of Athena who took the opportunity to rip her blouse off, exposing her breasts and began to caress them, kissing them.


    Athena bit her nipples lightly, making them all prickly, making Mifa''s skin goose bumps and making her moan softly and restrained while Athena played with her nipples.


    Then Athena went lower and lower with her mouth, passing Mifa''s belly to her groin.


    Athena took off Mifa''s black leather shorts and with her mouth salivating, she fell into her beloved''s flesh, which was already all wet with excitement.


    Mifa was smooth and soft, Athena loved how her clit quickly hardened and licked it like a candy.


    The feeling was so wonderful that Mifa was having a hard time containing her moans, she was doing her best to not let it escape cause there were soldiers outside the door.


    However, when Athena stuck two fingers inside, massaging her insides and stimulating her clitoris, making her come for the first time in days, Mifa howled fiercely.


    Luckily for Mifa, just like the soldiers who stood guard at the door of the royal room, all soldiers or servants in the palace were deaf to these types of occurrences.


    Even if they listened, they didn''t comment and if they saw something, they forgot.


    After she finished smearing herself, Athena stood up. She took off all her clothes and stared at Mifa for a second.


    She said it was Mifa''s turn, so Athena layd down and asked Mifa to go over to her.


    Mifa rose and went to her, started kissing her, rubbing her body against hers. She rubbed her damp flesh against Athena''s thighs while squeezing her breasts.


    Athena pushed Mifa''s head, making her go from her mouth to her breasts. Just as Athena did to her, Mifa also sucked her breasts, bit, kissed, Mifa did everything that was her right with Athena''s breasts.


    Then Athena guided her again, pushing Mifa down to her crotch. Athena''s was beautiful, very fleshy and with the closed lips of a totally pure virgin.


    Mifa started licking Athena''s wet flesh until she heard Athena moan. Then she kissed, licked, sucked on her clit until her jaw went numb.


    Athena squirmed on the table and twisted her toes as she enjoyed it all in Mifa''s face, who continued to licking Athena with her almost rough tongue.


    The two of them fell exhausted onto the table, hugging each other, panting and sweating.


    They stayed there until when Mifa heard something. Serien was coming back and they were both naked. They hurriedly got up, grabbed their clothes, and ran into the bookcases as they laughed.


    "What are we going to do, Athena?" Mifa asked as see through the books, the door opens and Serien appeared.


    Athena dropped her clothes on the floor and grabbed Mifa''s upturned ass who let out a sigh when she felt one of Athena''s fingers in her entrance.


    "Let''s continue..." Athena whispered in Mifa''s ear, who cringed in a shiver.


    Athena knelt behind Mifa, parted her buttocks and stuck her tongue in her wet entrance, causing Mifa to whip her furry tail.


    "A-Athena~..." Mifa spoke softly in a moan. "S-she- Hm! She will notiiiice..."


    Athena ignored Mifa''s protest and bit her ass lovingly and then licked the mark she left.


    Mifa protested, but did not push Athena away, letting herself be stimulated to the point where she felt her legs tremble.


    When Athena started kissing and sucking her neck and back, and again thrust her fingers in her insides, Mifa rolled her eyes and squirted as she came, taking a deep breath and cringing, feeling her body being swept away by the pleasure.


    After that, annoyed by Athena''s behavior, Mifa filled Athena''s ear with lectures in their room, but that too ended up on the bed.


    "I love you, Athena..." Mifa said with her eyes closed and her head on Athena''s shoulder.


    Athena smiled slightly and kissed the girl''s lips. "I love you too, my little wild one."

 Chapter 91 - Queens Wrath - Time Without The Queen - Part 1

    Away from Basilica, Ella and the group of people who accompanied her were still on the outskirts of Qartur.


    They traveled at a speed that took children into account.


    That''s because if Ella also increased her speed, the children would be thrown to their deaths by the pressure of the air, and the others on mounts like pegasus and grimera wouldn''t be able to keep up with the dragons'' speed.


    This pace of travel gave Lunnia, who was uncomfortable with the atmosphere between Athena and Anemus, the opportunity to ask what had happened and try to help her friends.


    "What happened between you and Athena?" Lunnia asked bluntly..


    "Athena..." Anemus sat on Achilles'' back, hugged Lunnia''s back and cried. "Athena rejected me...."


    "Hah? How so?" Lunnia squeaked.


    Anemus told everything she and Athena had talked about. Anemus'' ultimatum and Athena''s decision to not choose her and not break up with Mifa.


    "Fuh~!" Lunnia sighed her indignation. "Frankly, Anemus, you went too far asking her this."


    "And what did you expect? That I would accept this nonsense that Athena wants to do?"


    "Yeah... I know it''s none of my business..." Hein, who was clinging to Yrio over a lashas, ??said. "Why didn''t you just accept her proposal and steal her little by little? You know, she''s your master, right? Things might take a while, but an hour she''d wait longer for you."


    Anemus looked at the red woman and felt some inferiority when comparing her sizes. "Yes, you are right."


    "Of course I-"


    "This is none of your business." Anemus said in a dry voice. "And she is not my master."


    "How not? Are you going to deny your origin just because you guys fought?" Lunnia frowned.


    "It''s not that... I was born of her, but at the same time, she''s not my master." Anemus said, leaving Lunnia and Hein even more confused. "So much so that I can''t use the "Eternal Bond" on her like Foti¨˘ did."


    "''Eternal Bond''? What is it?" Hein asked not caring about Anemus'' rudeness.


    "From what I understood when she explained. It''s a magic that only you, nymphs, can use." Lobana, who was listening to the conversation, said. "With this magic, the nymph and the master will be united for eternity and even after death and reincarnation, they will meet because they are linked by the soul."


    "Exactly." Anemus confirmed Lobana''s explanation. "Being linked to her master, the nymph will be able to feel and talk to them even if they are far away from each other." She complimented and then concluded. "But, that''s not just good stuff..."


    A smile appeared on Hein''s face, who hugged Yrio more passionately, not listening to Anemus. "Yrio, can we do the ''Eternal Bond''?!"


    "Do you know how to use this magic? There''s nothing I want more than to spend my eternity with you." Yrio replied and the two kissed.


    The other three women flew away from the couple in love and the conversation about Athena continued.


    "...And why didn''t you go with her?" Lunnia asked.


    "I couldn''t keep up with Athena at that speed..." Anemus said in a low voice.


    "Lie better, wind nymph." Lunnia mocked Anemus'' lie and insisted. "Come on, why didn''t you go with her?"


    "..."


    ***


    When their lips touched, Mifa and Athena felt as if they had returned home, felt complete.


    The kiss wasn''t long and they only used their lips, but it was still full of passion and desire and when their lips parted, they both smiled with all their hearts.


    "I knew you were aliveˇ­" Mifa whispered into her smile.


    Athena wiped the tears that continued to roll down on Mifa''s face and kissed her again. "Forgive me for disappearing for so long."


    "No..." Mifa shook her head slowly. "You don''t need to apologize. All that matters is that you''re back."


    They stayed like that, whispering to each other, for some time. Foti¨˘ and Faena watched with their faces glowing red and Serien''s eyes widened as she finally realized Athena''s presence when she came to her sense.


    "A-Athena, Athena, Athena!" Serien rose from the throne and ran desperately to the couple. "Athena, please give the kingdom to King of Mizhar? Please! I beg you!" With her son in her arms, Serien knelt at Athena''s feet. "Please Athena!"


    Athena looked at Serien and then at Mifa''s collar around her neck and strange marks on her wrists.


    Athena''s eyes darkened with a brief fury and in a cold voice, Athena asked Mifa. "What happened?"


    Mifa looked at Serien with a pitying look, took a deep breath and began to speak.


    "It all started two years ago, shortly after you disappeared..."


    ***


    A month after Athena disappeared, Serien had guided negotiations with Den to the point that the empire was reduced to a principality.


    Basilica tripled in size practically overnight and in the beginning this led to revolts by the former nobles of the empire.


    They demanded to be paid or the privilege of being a self-governing territories even within the borders of the kingdom.


    "At the time Serien..." Mifa looked at Serien who was shaking with her son in her arms. "...She was following your footsteps. Like me, she also believed that you were alive..."


    Athena, from the top of the steps leading to the thrones, looked at the princess and in her mind thanked Serien. But then Athena wondered why she should thank Serien. It was she who had forced her to become a queen.


    Athena frowned momentarily and threw her thanks to Serien into the limbo of oblivion and continued listening to the story Mifa was narrating.


    "As regent, Serien sent armies and within six months, all of Basilica''s new territories were at peace and prospering under Serien''s iron fist..."


    Another two months passed and that''s when it all started.


    In order to take advantage of the fact that Serien is young and currently in the highest position of power in the kingdom...


    "Wait!" Athena suddenly interrupt Mifa.


    "What?"


    "If we are triple of what we were before I disappeared, why are we still a kingdom?" Athena asked with noticeable frustration in her voice.


    Mifa laughed. "Serien said that only you could claim the title of ''Empire'' for Basilica and decided to wait for your return."


    Athena looked at Serien and her grief-stricken state, and again felt gratitude to the princess.


    "Then it is decided, I am the empress!" Athena said and a round of applause echoed from the knights. "Continues."


    "Where I was?" Mifa''s ears twitched to the left as she tried to remember and then straightened again as clarity came to her face. "Ah yes, several nobles from all over the kingdoms have come to find Serien..."


    In the beginning we were cordial and welcomed them with the best for the kingdom.


    After all, having good neighbors is the best thing for the future of a kingdom, if that kingdom is not in the path of continental conquest.


    The first to make his move was the grand duke of the draconian kingdom.


    "We welcomed him with open arms because he was a distant uncle of Mhia, but we soon regretted it."


    ***


    "Your Majesty-" The man with white and gray hair started to speak, but was soon interrupted by Serien.


    "Highness." Serien corrected. "Her Majesty is..." The princess refused to continue her sentence. "I''m just the Princess Regent, refer to me as ''Highness''."


    The duke''s eyes suddenly changed to reptilian eyes. The same eyes Mhia had shown before shifting. But he didn''t, the man showed a wry smile instead.


    "Well then..." The duke gave a sour smile. "Your Highness, I would like to unite our kingdoms with marriage."


    The man and Serien walked through the courtyard of the palace, where the princesses and the prince played. They were Serien''s younger sisters and younger brother, and the duke looked at them when he talked about marriage.


    "I find this a little difficult to happen." Serien replied. "I, as Princess Regent, cannot leave the kingdom to marry and I doubt that you would want to leave your great territory in Drakar, and move to a kingdom that does not serve the dragons as if they were gods."


    "Hm... Your Highness is right..." The man agreed. "I believe that bringing Drakianism to your kingdom will not be good for either kingdom..."


    "It certainly won''t be good." Serien answered firmly. "Basilica is a kingdom without a dominant religion and all the temples pay taxes. Those that don''t, if they don''t have a good justification, are confiscated and disbanded even if by force. Those were the orders of Her Majesty."


    "..." The man made a brief silence and spoke again. "So why not one of your sisters?"


    "Hah?" Serien made a disgusted expression.


    Her sisters were eight and six year olds, they were ageless and not ready for marriage. Besides, Serien didn''t want them to marry out of politics.


    Despite her mature appearance and attitude, Serien was a love dreamy twenty-year-old girl. But only when it concerned her sisters.


    "Mister Dian, must I doubt the decency of your hobbies?" Serien asked with as much respect as that question allowed.


    "Oh! No, please don''t get me wrong." Said the man with another fake smile. "I would wait until she was of age."


    "Let me think for today. Tomorrow at this time I will inform you of my decision."


    After that, Serien quickly called for Mhia and convinced her to speak out everything she knew about Dian.


    "I must confess he is not one of the most decent men in Drakar, but he is strong and my family is very rich, in addition to the military power over which he has authority."


    "Then it''s decided." Serien said and the day passed.


    In the throne room some new visitors were present when Serien decided to inform Grand Duke Dian of her decision.


    "And what would be your decision, Your Ma- uhum! Your Highness."


    "I have decided that I want you as far away from Basilica as possible. Please leave today." Serien said with a cold look.


    "Huh?" The Duke gaped.


    His face color first turned pale and then red as the others there began to snicker.


    "Please do not misunderstand me." Serien continued. "I just don''t think you''re good enough for my six- and eight-year-old sisters."


    After that, one nobleman after another made their proposals.


    A kingdom to the east wanted to buy fog elves as if they were merchandise and Serien said nothing, but the next day, that noble was on his way to the forest of the elves and was never seen again.


    Another nobleman wanted Serien to convert to their kingdom''s religion. He was from a distant kingdom northwest of the Principality of Elsna and that kingdom was undergoing religious conquest.


    However, Basilica had banished the power of religion and Serien was already fanatical about another new religion that was secretly beginning to gain too many believers.


    She had not abandoned her faith in Lhia, but that faith was weaker as a new one took hold of her heart.


    "Serien still keeps this man in the dungeons..."


    In short, Serien sent all the nobles sent to her to different destinations that ended in a brief war. Those kingdoms that were rejected by Serien, allied and declared war against Basilica.


    "That''s when Mizhar''s kingdom approached of Basilica and also when I discovered my new powers... The powers you gave to me."

 Chapter 92 - Queens Wrath - Time Without The Queen - Part 2

    From above her throne, Serien looked at an elegant man.


    This man was a nobleman of the Mizhar kingdom, a kingdom northeast of Basilica''s new frontiers.


    The princess''s face was static, but her heart was racing and her pupils dilated, that was a new feeling for Serien.


    A strange and uneasy feeling started to take hold of her heart and it started when she saw Duke Veron Qallhu.


    The man had bronze skin, brown hair, dark, drooping eyes, and he looked youthful despite being middle-aged, which gave his smiling face a unique charm.


    "What does the Duke of Mizhar want to come from so far?" Serien asked in a tone that was sure and firm despite her sudden nervousness.


    "First, I want to congratulate your highness about the conquering of your kingdom...." Veron bowed subtly.


    "Thank you, but I''m not the one who deserves to be congratulated." Serien replied. "Her Majesty..."


    "Ah.. Yes, I heard. It''s a shame." Veron made a pained expression. "I wanted to meet such a woman."


    Serien laid her face tediously in the palm of her hand and smiled slightly. "You will be able to meet her, I assure you."


    After so much refraining from talking about Athena, Serien was tired and now, if asked, she would openly talk about her belief in Athena''s survival.


    Veron didn''t understand that smile and affirmation, but he didn''t showed his lack of understanding too.


    He wanted to look good all the time and now he had one more reason to do so.


    As soon as he laid his eyes on Serien''s long silvery black hair and delicate face, Veron wanted her.


    "So what do you want?" Serien urged him on.


    "My king wishes to form an alliance with your kingdom." Veron said with a thin smile. "A few months ago, a bard arrived in our kingdom singing ''The Battle of the Dragon Queen''. I must say that was a fantastic tale..."


    At that moment the doors to the throne room opened and a subtly husky voice was heard.


    "It''s not just a tale." Mifa said. "It is the pure truth."


    "You are..."


    "Nobody important." Mifa responded as she passed the man. "Serien, six armies have been sighted marching on the northern, eastern, and northwestern borders."


    Serien rose from the throne with a frown on her face. "Have you talked to Oliana and summoned Sir Noil?"


    "The knights have already left with Athena''s platoon. And Oliana is gathering the available Valkyries." Mifa said and Serien sighed in relief. "The problem is that we are three weeks late and they may have already crossed the borders."


    "Any chance of victory?" Serien asked in a whisper.


    "But of course! There is no chance of defeat." Mifa said confidently. "I too am going to the battlefield. I will defend this kingdom with everything I have until Athena returns."


    The war did not last long. They weren''t as fast as the wars that Athena was present, but it was still very fast.


    This was due to Mifa transforming into a twelve meters tall, dark gray giant wolf that breathed air and fire pressurized that shredded and burned everything in its path.


    During the war, Mifa became famous with both allied and enemy soldiers.


    Whenever she appeared on the battlefield, the enemy''s morale dropped and the morale of the Basilic soldiers exploded.


    In a short time she was called by another name and a legend arose with that name.


    Legend said that the saint of beasts was the goddess of animals incarnate.


    An entity that showed its ferocity on the battlefield. Devouring, tearing apart and burning men as if they were nothing.


    Two months was all the allied kingdoms endured until they declared defeat and had to face rebellions by their own people because of a war that only served to sacrifice soldiers.


    In order not to take the kingdoms, Serien demanded a sum in damages and ten years of tribute, and they didn''t deny it.


    Upon returning from the war, Serien and Sahari were stunned by the power Mifa demonstrated and insistently asked how she was so strong.


    "That''s the power Athena gave me." Mifa said. "She put something inside me that changed my race."


    "And what is your race now?"


    "I am a fenrir."


    Little was known about the fenrir race. Most of the information had about the race was mixed with legends, but it was known that the fenrir is from who originated all the beastmen.


    Serien saw in this an opportunity to increase the power of the kingdom. Using Mifa''s prowess as a pretext, Serien crowned Mifa as a princess consort.


    Even if Mifa wasn''t as strong as Athena, she was a force to be reckoned with, and Serien didn''t want to lose that power.


    Mifa didn''t want to, but she didn''t complain either as the freedom that came with the title was greater. With it she could enter the reserved wing of the palace library, where older grimoires were stored.


    Days passed and Mifa realized that something was different about Serien. Especially when she was with the Duke of Mizhar, Veron.


    They were closer and Serien smiled foolishly next to him, just like Mifa smiled when she was with Athena.


    (This can be bad...) Mifa thought when she saw them in the garden.


    Mifa didn''t like Veron. They spoke little, but she couldn''t form a good impression of the man who always had a smile on his face.


    (I''ll keep an eye on him.)


    Another two months passed and Athena had been away for ten months.


    Serien was very happy wearing a beautiful evening gown, jewels that brought out the black of her hair and flowers that matched the purple of her eyes.


    "Are you really going to marry Duke Voron?" Mifa asked.


    She was wearing a short white dress, her hair was loose and falling with all its volume over her face.


    She was sitting in an armchair near Serien''s bedroom window and reading one of the grimoires she spent so much time reading.


    "It''s ''Veron'', Mifa. And yes, I will marry him." Serien said with a huge smile.


    Mifa breathed her disapproval. "You know he can be an enemy, right?"


    "..."


    "Look, I don''t want to hinder your happiness, but you are acting as the ruler of Athena''s kingdom and I must warn you that in the first aggressive move he makes, I will kill him."


    "I''ll keep that in mind." Serien replied in a low voice and she was no longer smiling.


    Serien and Veron''s wedding was majestic.


    All of Basilian celebrated and partied with the couple who took a carriage ride through the capital.


    Without a king or queen to perform the ceremony, Mifa was the one who married them even though she was reluctant and vigilant towards the groom.


    Months passed and during that time, Veron traveled frequently between the kingdoms.


    Normally, Veron was to have been stripped of all titles given by the king of Mizhar and would lose possession of his territory in his home kingdom, but that didn''t happen.


    Veron remained Duke of Mizhar and still had possession of his territories, and it was very suspicious to Mifa that had placed a spy among Veron''s servants.


    "That''s weird..." Mifa told Serien.


    "What is weird?"


    "Your husband travels so often."


    "Apparently he has to manage his possessions..." Serien said as she read some documents. "Do you still keep your spy with him?"


    "..."


    "Be calm, I won''t tell him." Serien looked at Mifa. "But I want to know if I can still trust him as much as you do."


    "Afraid he has another wife in Mizhar?"


    "No... You know I don''t trust him blindly either."


    "Really? I thought you were crushing on him."


    "I love him, but I also loved my dad." Serien replied.


    With that answer, Mifa got her answer to her doubt for Serien''s sense of priorities.


    For Serien, the kingdom always came first. Friends, family and love came after her people.


    She had what it took to be a good queen, but she wasn''t strong enough to protect her people and that made her disqualify herself.


    Time passed, Serien became pregnant and Mifa continued her surveillance of Veron while researching spells that could bring Athena back.


    Veron''s movements got weirder at this time. He began to travel more often and his core friendships with the nobles of Basilica increased considerably.


    And one night, in bed with Serien, Veron made his first obvious slip.


    "My love, don''t you think if you had the nobles helping you run the kingdom, things wouldn''t be lighter for you?"


    At that moment Serien was silent. She didn''t want him to get in more trouble.


    He knew that the political power of the nobles had been abolished in Basilica and yet he was trying to get Serien to empower those same nobles.


    Serien was in her eighth month of pregnancy and she didn''t want Veron to be killed before her child was born and so she made the matter drop without even starting.


    After that, Veron went on to meet former Dukes of Basilica. They had several secret meetings in isolated places. But just as Mifa had placed a spy among Veron''s servants, Serien had spies with every noble in the kingdom and was aware of what was happening.


    (Why?) Serien asked in her mind when she received the information.


    She already knew the answer. Veron was just a puppet of the King of Mizhar. She didn''t know the whole plan, but with the obvious stuff from the information gathered, she was able to deduce some of what was going on.


    Veron was urging the nobles to act and take control of the kingdom. The purpose of this act was still unknown to Serien, but it was crystal clear that Veron, her husband, her first love, was a damned traitor.


    But it was too early to make his actions public. Serien had a big belly and spent most of her time in bed. She wanted more time, just a little more... So she hid the information about the matter.


    This information was something that Mifa''s spy couldn''t get from just being Veron''s servant, and Serien took advantage of that fact.


    She didn''t know that love could be so detrimental to the decisions a person should make.


    This love that made her want her husband to meet her child, made her make a stupid decision.


    (Just another month...)

 Chapter 93 - Queens Wrath - Time Without The Queen - Final Part

    After killing the rebel nobles in the throne room, Mifa walked through the palace corridors leaving a trail of blood behind.


    She was on her way to Serien''s room, where Veron was also, but she wasn''t counting on what the duke had already planned.


    Veron was in the bedroom with two of his children in his arms when the door opened with a bloody hand staining the white wood.


    Upon opening the door, Mifa looked at Veron with a bloodlust that had been growing for almost two years, but when she stepped into the room, strange writings that were drawn on the floor glowed and began to tie themselves on her body.


    Veron, who smiled kindly at his children, smiled victoriously while looking at Mifa from above.


    "I see you got rid of that garbage for me." Said the man.


    "W-what is this? What did you do?" Mifa asked and looked at Serien she seemed to be in a state of hypnosis while nursing her daughter. "Serien!".


    Serien looked at Mifa with empty eyes, smiled and looked back at the girl who was sucking her breast hungrily.


    "She can''t do anything." Veron said as he laid his children down in the crib. "In order to not have to hurt my sweet love, I had to put her under an illusion."


    "Bastard!" Mifa growled and screamed as she was hit by excruciating pain in her wrists and ankles.


    "No, no... If you are so wild and disloyal to your master, the slavery seal will torture you."


    Veron went to the closet and from inside a drawer took a dark metal collar and put it around Mifa''s neck.


    "My slaves have to wear this." Veron said as he walked away. "Um! Looks good on a bitch like you. Huhuhu..."


    "What''s your goal now?" Mifa asked, kneeling with fierce eyes.


    "I will have Serien hand over the kingdom to me and together with his majesty, the king of Mizhar, I will rule the continent. The first man, the first emperor, to conquer the entire continent."


    "As if the Basilicians were going to obey you..." Mifa scoffed and the pain was equal, making Mifa clench her teeth.


    "If they don''t obey, I will simply threaten to kill Serien, you, the children and make them obey."


    Veron did not know that Basilica''s coronation was something different.


    One could only become king or queen in two ways and one of them, not even Serien knew.


    Unlike any other kingdom, if someone with Serien''s blood didn''t crown him using the coronation skill, the people would never recognize him.


    It was a strange skill that belonged solely to Serien''s family. This skill had a territorial effect and only within the original territory of Basilica.


    This skill caused a kind of brainwashing and engraved the face of the new ruler in people''s minds.


    The people may or may not be loyal to the new ruler, but they would always recognize the crowned one as ruler as long they recognized that person appearance.


    Well, maybe, if there was enough time for the people, they would recognize the person just like in other kingdoms.


    Anyway, Mifa knew all this because she had read it in an old diary in the forbidden wing of the library. Now she was Veron''s slave, but that didn''t mean she would voluntarily tell him everything that she knew.


    Veron looked at Mifa''s claws and felt a little nervous. Mifa was his, but that didn''t mean she couldn''t attack him.


    "Let me tell you about the slavery seal. If-"


    "Whatever I do to you, I will be punished equivalently." Mifa said with fierce eyes. "I know this spell."


    Mifa had already read so many books and grimorios that she could be called an expert in magic. She knew all the spells had in the library and the ''Slavery Seal'' was one of them.


    "If I insult you or disobey you, I will feel pain. If I hurt you, I will be hurt in the same place, if I kill you..." Mifa said and Veron opened a big smile.


    "Glad you know your place. Now..." Veron looked at Serien. "My sweet Serien..." The man kissed Serien''s forehead affectionately and then caressed his daughter''s face. "I will be the ruler of the kingdom, right?"


    "..." Serien looked at the man and smiled sweetly.


    "She was so against me putting my plan into action..." Veron smiled at Mifa who made a disgusted expression. "She even begged me to not do that. But of course she would be. Like it or not, she is the queen of this kingdom."


    Mifa said nothing. Because if she did, she would feel pain for contradicting her master. But also why she saw an opportunity in this action.


    "Then why don''t you go to the throne room and sit on the throne? Didn''t you get Serien''s permission? You''re almost the king of Basilica now." Mifa said.


    She wanted to inflate Veron''s ego as she, surreptitiously, began cast a ritual magic in her mind to awaken Serien.


    This was a flaw of ''Slavery Seal''. The slave could still use magic and skill freely, but could not undo ''Slavery Seal'' alone.


    "Hmˇ­" Veron narrowed his eyes still smiling. "You''re right, let''s go."


    Veron left the room feeling victorious and Mifa followed behind as she cast the spell on Serien.


    As a ritual, the magic would take a while to take effect, but once Serien regained consciousness, she would be free, or so Mifa hoped.


    With a smug attitude, Veron entered the throne room, passed the servants cleaning the bodies without even looking, and started up the ten steps that led to the thrones.


    This caught the attention of the knights present there. No one climbed the steps except Athena, Serien or Mifa.


    There were some exceptions like messengers and servants, but these were for work and Veron didn''t work in Basilica.


    As soon as Veron reached the last step and touched the arm of Athena''s throne, the swords were drawn all at once.


    Veron quickly turned around with wide eyes. This was the second time Mifa had seen him without a smile.


    "Lord, step away from the throne!" Said in a low voice the knight on the left side of the thrones.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Veron said in a choked voice. "Her Highness, Princess Serien has ordered me to take care of the affairs of the kingdom, right Miss Mifa?"


    Mifa smiled, she would feel pain, but it would be worth it. "He is lying!" Mifa said, the marks on her body glowed and she screamed as she fell writhing in pain.


    The knights looked at Mifa and were momentarily stunned, but then turned back to Veron.


    "What have you done to the princess consort?"


    "N-no, I didn''t do anything!" Veron was beginning to see his mistake.


    He got carried away by greed and forgot to prepare the ground for such a situation.


    Perhaps if he had looked at the servants cleaning the bodies there, he would have seen the mind control crystal he had given Duke Ewllen, but his pomp would not allow it.


    Few words from Mifa made Veron fall into that situation. No, that wasn''t Mifa''s fault, but his greed, his anxiety for true power.


    "Mifa, do you think it will stay this way? I''ll get out of here without a single scratch."


    Mifa smiled a pained but victorious smile. "Yeah? And how are you going to do that?"


    "Transform into direwolf form and kill everyone here!" Veron shouted the order, but Mifa refused, screamed and fainted from the pain.


    The knights looked at Mifa and the faces, which were invisible to Veron because of the helmets, were twisted in anger.


    The throne room soon became a battleground.


    The knights advanced with skills, spells and fencing towards Veron who responded with his spells.


    He didn''t have more mana than the knights who also used martial energy, but he was more skillful.


    Veron cast spells with speed and low mana consumption. This opened a breach in the encirclement of the knights and the man took the opportunity to flee after knocking out four knights.


    He ran through the corridors with twenty-six other knights in his track.


    He used {Haste} to increase his speed and get away from the knights. When he entered the room, he used {Petrify} on the door, turning it into a hard wall of stone.


    However, Serien was inside the room and was already conscious.


    Without waiting for Veron turn to her, Serien launch {Holy Arrow} and hit Veron in the back.


    Or so it should be.


    When Serien''s magic struck her husband''s back, the golden arrow of light shattered without causing any harm.


    "Seri..." Veron said with a troubled look. "You..."


    "You bastard!" Serien roared with an expression of an angry lioness. "You threatened your own children!"


    Even though she was trapped in an illusion, Serien was still there, in the back of her mind, listening to everything that was happening in the room.


    She couldn''t forgive Veron for using her children like that. She felt her heart being crushed by the love she felt for that man and from the debris, hatred and disgust aroused.


    Serien cast another four holy spells with a real desire to kill Veron. Those were {Holyfire}, {Hand of Justice}, {Sacred Judgment} and {Divine Rain}, but nothing happened to Veron who approached with each spell cast.


    Every time a spell hit Veron, his chest glowed green and nothing else happened. With tears in his eyes, Veron cast {Sleep} on Serien who fell asleep in his arms instantly.


    He was in a hurry, the stone wall he created was starting to crack with every impact that came from the outside.


    Veron laid Serien on the bed and went to the crib where three babies slept despite all the noise.


    Thena, a girl with thick black hair, Seron, a boy with silvery brown hair, and Verien, a boy with silver hair.


    With the exception of the hair, the three were very similar, no, identical. Veron loved them with all his heart and couldn''t bear to be away from his children forever.


    "Seri, forgive me." Veron whispered an apology he thought was futile and hugged Thena and Verien.


    When the knights entered, Veron and two of the babies were gone. Serien screamed like a wounded animal when she woke up and couldn''t find her children.


    Since then, the princess has never been the same.

 Chapter 94 - Queens Wrath - Damnation - Part 2

    "Riehene..."


    The explosions continued and the screams of the women around him, grew more and more shrill. And maybe, somewhere nearby, someone else was screaming, but what mattered to Pales was under stones and bricks.


    "Rie... hene..."


    Riehene wasn''t nearly one of his favorite women, but she was his most beloved daughter..


    He loved her so much he couldn''t stop himself from holding her to him forever, butˇ­


    Pales rose from his pillows and through the deep cracks in the floor, he walked to the pool of blood that was seeping from the huddle of something that had just been his bedroom ceiling.


    The man heard nothing else, everything was so far away that it seemed he was dreaming.


    "A dream..."


    This could only be a dream. There was no way his beloved daughter could die a miserable death like that.


    Not the daughter he''d raised so carefully and lovingly since she was born when he hadn''t even been crowned yet.


    The daughter he loved more than the queen herself.


    "That''s a dream! I..."


    Pales looked up at the hole in the ceiling and something hot ran out of his eyes, his heart ached and his lips trembled.


    "This have to be a dream..."


    The hot blood under his feet couldn''t be real.


    "Your Majesty!" Veron called and was astonished to see the king cry.


    That''s because Pales never cried, not even when his beloved father died, or at least if he cried, he never let anyone see it.


    "Veronˇ­" Pales smiled upon seeing his good friend''s face. "You are also in my dream..."


    "Your Majesty-"


    The man tried to go to his king, but another explosion happened, the ground shook and a column fell in his path.


    Veron looked at the women of the harem and saw that those who were not screaming in fear, were screaming in pain with wounds to their shoulders, heads and legs.


    "Pales, you have to leave the palace!" Veron said and the noise and trembling ceased.


    ***


    On a prairie in the southern lands of Basilica, horsemen, thousands of them, made their horses run harder as they were chased, trampled and burned by a gigantic and menacing wolf and a pyromaniac on its back.


    Mifa and Foti¨˘ seemed to have fun with all that killing.


    Mifa bumped into horses, causing them to fall on their riders and letting others run away only to chase them and snap at them in a sound of screams and bones crunching.


    Meanwhile, Foti¨˘ cast her spells in a way that made it look like a festival of fireworks that hit the targets and exploded repeatedly, causing a fire in the greenish field.


    Their victims were the remnants of the Mizhardian army that had besieged Basilian until a few hours ago.


    That faltered to be the worst day of their lives, because first a dragon attacked them for no apparent reason, decimating their friends, compatriots and loved ones in an oppressive way.


    Now a wolf and a mad arsonist slaughtered them and played with their lives as a cat plays with a mouse before killing it and leaving it dying on the ground.


    They already saw their fates sealed and were ready to give up when a powerful voice echoed across the field, drawing everyone''s attention there.


    "Faena!" Screamed a man- No. Screamed a four-winged angel, followed by hundreds or thousands of other angels.


    ***


    Shortly after Athena made her pronouncement and began her attack on Mizhar''s capital, Anemus arrived at the scene and came across a scene she didn''t think Athena would do.


    Athena rained spells on the palace and surroundings as if she were some kind of mad genocide, making the memory of Hades resurface in Anemus'' mind.


    A man with short black hair, hideous red eyes and a wickedly mad smile.


    This was what Hades looked like when he attacked cities, towns and villages, killing innocent people like it was the most common thing in the world.


    However, Athena wasn''t smiling, quite the contrary, her expression couldn''t be any colder than the one on her face.


    It was more like watching a god demonstrate his divinity than a wicked madman doing a massacre for fun. But for some reason, it made Anemus feel just as disgusted as when she witnessed Hades'' actions.


    "In the end, they really are the same person..." Anemus said to herself and flew closer to Athena. "Athena, what are you doing?"


    Athena stopped bombing the palace and looked at Anemus. Anemus had an expression of sadness on her beautiful face and seeing this, Athena''s heart filled with pain.


    "What''s with that expression?" Athena asked and reached out to caress Anemus'' face who held and lowered Athena''s hand.


    "I made a question." Anemus looked into Athena''s eyes. "You said you wouldn''t turn into a crazy, perverse psychopath like you were like Hades. Why are you doing this?"


    Anemus saw in the eyes of colors that didn''t belong to Athena, a thin yet deep, cold and wicked darkness, but she knew that Athena was still Athena.


    The fact that Athena tried to caress her face was proof of that. Anemus gripped Athena''s hand tightly and pursing her lips, she waited for an answer.


    "I am condemning them to death." Athena responded with a cold voice and a look that seemed to cut through Anemus. "This is the fate of those who hurt the ones I love."


    Athena pulled away from Anemus and raised her hand again against the city below.


    "So why don''t you blow it all up at once? You''re just torturing them!"


    "So what?"


    "Huh?"


    "So what if I''m torturing them? If they didn''t want this, they wouldn''t have attacked what belongs to me. That''s their damnation."


    "But this is..." Anemus was wide-eyed and trembling as hearing such unreasonableness.


    "Anemus, is that what you came after me for?" Athena looked at Anemus with an almost sad look.


    "No, butˇ­" Anemus wondered if she could still love Athena the way she was. (I loved Hades, but...) She didn''t know if she could love another cruel being. (No. Anemus, you have to stop separating them! In the end, cruelty and malice was a natural for them... Her.) Anemus reached Athena again and lowered the woman''s arms. "You don''t need that to condemn them."


    ***


    The riders looked up and leapt from their horses to their knees on the ground in the midst of the fire.


    Being in the presence of so many angels and an archangel was something that people who followed the religion of holy light had always dreamed of, and they didn''t mind dying to pay their respects.


    The angels there were dressed in white armor that seemed light despite their sturdiness and their weapons were of the most varied.


    "Hand over Faena." Said the man at the front of the army. "Hand it over and maybe we''ll spare your miserable heretic lives!"


    Mifa, Foti¨˘ and Faena looked at the angels. The wolf with bloodstained paws and muzzle snarled, Faena clung to Foti¨˘ tightly, and Foti¨˘''s hair flared with natural hostility toward the angels.


    Angels used to kill nymphs that were not born of nature. This is because the nymphs were a sinful existence that blasphemes the name of Lhia, said to be creator of the world and life.


    Foti¨˘ didn''t know about this history, she just didn''t like the beings who looked at her from above as if she were inferior.


    "What if we don''t give her to you?" Foti¨˘ asked with an expression that didn''t match her beauty.


    The angel didn''t respond, just signaled and the army behind him advanced.


    Foti¨˘ and Mifa did not wait for them to close the distance between them and dodging spells cast against them, the two cast fire spells and breath out wind, fire and water elements against the army that insistently continued advancing even with the death of several of their own.


    However, the number was too large for them to handle alone and angels began to make accurate attacks that despite the fur and meat resistant of Mifa, caused considerable damage.


    ""Foti¨˘, I think we''ll have to flee."" Mifa said when the sky was already flooded with winged beings.


    The battle had been going on for a considerable time and Foti¨˘ was starting to run out of mana, but the number of soldiers showed no signs of decreasing or hesitating even though the ground was covered with the bodies of dead angels.


    Foti¨˘ lay on Mifa''s back, grabbing the wolf''s fur and agreeing to flee. After Mifa broke through with a blast of power from a fire breath, Mifa ran with all her might towards Mizhar.


    ***


    Inside the palace, Veron helped Pales escape, followed by two servants he held in his arms, Thena and Verien.


    They passed through corridors that were partly blocked by debris and dodged corpses and dying wounded along the way.


    "You two better protect my kids with your lives!" Veron said.


    "Kids..." Pales grumbled.


    "Pales pull yourself together! You are the king of Mizhar!"


    "Veron, this isn''t a dream is it?"


    "I would love it if it was." Veron responded and twisted his mouth in disgust.


    Veron was only in the capital for a few days, settling matters with the two other Dukes of Mizhar.


    He tried to convince them the war would have good results, until Athena''s voice boomed through the room and rubble collapsed on the blond and red heads of the men in front of him, crushing them to death.


    It was then that he knew that maybe he had pulled a demon''s tail and was now trying to get away as fast as possible.


    When they finally left the palace, Veron felt the heat of the sun that shone with intensity, not caring about the situation in which he found himself.


    Veron took a tighter grip on Pales'' hand and pulled him toward the horses that had lost their riders and wandered lost among the bodies and wreckage.


    However, in the middle of his path two winged women descended from the sky.


    "A man in his late thirties, dark brown hair and two babies..." Anemus said. "I think we''ve found who you should really condemn, Athena."

 Chapter 95 - Queens Wrath - Damnation - Final Part

    "What do you mean by that?" Athena asked.


    Her mouth was crooked, almost bordering on anger in her indignation at hearing what Anemus said.


    "You don''t have to kill thousands or millions to condemn those who wronged with you." Anemus said almost in a pleading tone. "What do the people have to do with it? What have they done to you?"


    "They have the same blood."


    "They have? Do the poor wretches who struggle every day to survive have the same blood as those who live in this palace?" Anemus complained pointing to the place where bodies and destruction lay.


    "If the ruler makes mistakes, the people pay with him!"


    "By the gods, Athena! Listen to what you''re talking about!?" Anemus urged, her arms outstretched in sheer bewilderment. "If that logic worked, the world would no longer exist!"


    Athena scratched her black hair and squinted as if she wanted to deny something and turned back to look at the palace with burning anger..


    Anemus continued her indignant speech and Athena complained about her anger and gestured aggressively while defending the reason for her actions, talking about Serien, Serien''s children and Mifa.


    At the sound of Mifa''s name, Anemus'' ears, which were slightly long like an elf''s, fluttered and her face turned red.


    "So that''s what this is about? Are you going to kill thousands or millions of people for her?" Anemus screamed and stomped in the air in a way that would make a dull thud on the ground, if there was one to step on. "And I?"


    Suddenly the issue was no longer genocide or revenge, but their relationship.


    They argued with aggressive gestures and swear words, shouting, but never touching.


    Tears streamed from the eyes of the two women who were screaming in an attempt to make the other listen, but in the end they were just incomprehensible screams until...


    "I love you!"


    "What did you say?" Anemus asked.


    Her startled green eyes were wide, red and filled with incessant tears that ran down her slender, delicate face.


    Athena turned her face away, letting a long silence drift.


    For her, that subject was already over. Athena didn''t want to hurt Anemus further, but her consideration also hurt the nymph.


    She didn''t want to, but the words came out again as if they forced their way up her throat, tongue, and lips.


    "I love youˇ­" Athena repeated softly. "And no, that''s not just because they hurt Mifa. My friend, Serien... They stole her children and told her to hand over the kingdom if she wanted them to live."


    "..."


    Anemus was silent, listening to everything Athena had to say. Well, I wasn''t listening to everything. Her mind stopped on Athena''s vows of love and kept going around it. She hadn''t expected to hear it right there, in that moment of turmoil between them.


    "I wouldn''t have minded if she did." Athena continued. "But that idiot would sacrifice herself if her life brought disgrace to her people."


    Athena rubbed the back of her neck under her hair so dark it didn''t reflect light. Then she told Anemus, very briefly, everything Mifa had told her.


    Anemus suddenly shook her head, awaking herself from her thoughts and making an effort to remember what Athena had said after the blessed phrase that had stagnated in her mind.


    After a brief effort, finally Anemus could understand what Athena was doing.


    They were silent for a while and then Anemus took a deep breath and apologized for calling her crazy, wicked and genocidal during the argument.


    "You didn''t call me crazyˇ­" Athena said with a playful smile. "Anemus..."


    The two approached again, calmer, without tears, but there was still an invisible wall between them that separated them.


    "...We have so much to talk about..." Athena didn''t know what to do with her hands and kept intertwining and squeezing her fingers together. "And I want us to put all the dots on the i''s, but now..."


    "Yes, I know." Anemus said then lowered her eyes. "Athena, look..."


    It was almost as if it were fate, two men followed by two women dressed in white veils emerged from inside the palace.


    That was just when a strangeness started to grow between them.


    They sighed in relief.


    Athena and Anemus looked at each other, smiled and descended, flying lower, blocking the way of the group who ran to somewhere that didn''t matter to the two women.


    "A man in his late thirties, dark brown hair and two babies..." Anemus said. "I think we''ve found who you should really condemn, Athena."


    Athena''s eyes traveled from Veron to the children in the women''s arms. Two identical babies with differences in their hair, black and silver respectively.


    Anemus placed a hand on Athena''s shoulder and brought her mouth close to Athena''s ear in whispers.


    "Don''t kill them too quickly." Anemus said and walked away.


    When she said that, Anemus'' heart sped up and shuddered that she was stoking the evil in Athena, but she thought that only this way Athena would be satisfied.


    "Anemusˇ­" Athena landed and retracted her wings. "Get the kids."


    Hearing this, Veron''s eyes looked to his children and he threw himself on the path between the nymph and the babies with mana flowing in his hands.


    "What do you want with my kids?" Veron asked in a menacing voice. "You won''t touch them!"


    Anemus looked at the man and then at Athena who was rummaging the body of a dead soldier.


    "A word of advice..." Anemus said as she landed. "Worry about yourself."


    Anemus dodged the man and walked over to the children. Then Veron quickly shouted the magic he was ready to use and... nothing.


    The magic he used had wind element and the wind refused to harm one of its ladies.


    The wind simply swirled around Anemus as he caress her golden hair and so was gone.


    "Looks like you still have the guts." Athena said behind Veron''s back. "I respect this."


    Veron turned, feeling a lump in his dry throat and looked at Athena''s bloody face, a slight smile on her rosy lips.


    "I killed the other one." Athena continued. "He was the king? Well... He was useless, he was already broken." The smile grew and Athena''s eyes grew horrifying. "But you..."


    Anemus didn''t look and tried not to hear the sound of screams and flesh being cut, ripped from the man''s bones and then healed as the man begged to live a little longer.


    Anemus didn''t want to see this side of Athena. She has seen Athena kill many, but she has never seen her torture anyone.


    She didn''t want to remember that and with the help of the wind, she tried to drive away the smell of blood, shit and death that came from behind her back.


    Anemus would remember that day forever.


    Ignoring Veron''s plea for mercy, forgiveness, and death, Athena slashed at his flesh with the exotic dagger she''d stolen from the soldier''s lifeless body and shattered the exposed bones with her claws.


    Kneeling, Veron screamed and cried with agony and pain in his voice, while piss ran down his legs and something more slimy and smelly took place in his pants.


    "I thought I''d gouge out your eyesˇ­" Athena said with an almost happy face. "What do you think?"


    "N-no... Please... Enough already..." Verom begged as he held a long, reddish pink and fat rope of meat from his belly.


    "Ah! I almost forgot!" Athena stepped on the man, ignoring his cry, forcing him to lie down and shoved his gut back into his abdomen and healed him. "You are not going to die now."


    Five minutes had already passed and that felt like an eternity to Veron. The pain made it an eternity.


    "Did you know Serien still wants to see you? I promised I would take you to her."


    Lying on the floor, feeling anemic for a moment as the magic regenerated the amount of blood in his body, Veron was panting fiercely and feeling cold.


    However, it wasn''t from the cold that he shivered. Veron tried to look into the face of his tormentor, but her thick black hair only allowed him to see the shadow of a wide, happy smile.


    That was scary. Not being able to face who was doing him so much harm, drained his courage and with the lack of it, fear took and squeezed his heart. But hearing Serien''s name and that she wanted to see him...


    "Arh..."


    Veron thought that there was the light of hope, the heat that would take him out of that pain. He would just have to wait a little longer, hold on a little longer, and he would be in the arms of his loved woman who had such a great heart that she forgave him and wanted him back.


    Athena smiled wider at the relief that washed over Veron''s face. She was glad he lasted so long and went back to destroying his bones, tearing out his flesh, piercing his organs and healing him as the man screamed.


    "No, no, no! I don''t want it anymore! Please... Enough!" Veron screamed again and just as Athens was about to repeat it all again, Anemus shouted her name


    Athena looked at Anemus and followed the nymph''s eyes and so saw Mifa being chased by hundreds of thousands of angels.


    Or would that be millions? It was hard to tell.


    Athena dropped Veron on the bloody floor and with wide-eye, glowing in blind fury at seeing wounds beneath Mifa''s brown fur, she flew off in a leap, transforming into a menacingly large dragon that roared a low-pitched, distorted roar.


    As soon as Athena passed her, Mifa abruptly stopped and looked back to where Athena was flying.


    In the split second that Athena flew past her and she didn''t look back. In the single second, the city she''d just passed, the people she''d seen pull away and make way for her, it was all now a sea ??of ??destruction, fire, smoke and dust in varying shades of red.


    Angels fell from the sky like rain under the uncontrolled attack of Athena who spewed fire, ice, red, blue, white, and black rays, and formed tornadoes of wind and darkness.


    At that moment, Anemus, Mifa, Faena, Foti¨˘ and all the people of Mizhar kingdom thought the same thing.


    The world will end today.

 Chapter 96 - Queens Wrath - Chaos

    Anemus fell to her knees as she conceived what was happening.


    It was all so fast and chaotic that she didn''t fully process that hellish scenario.


    Athena- No.


    The shadow-scaled dragon circled over and among the white winged army and dropped them to the ground like flaming flies.


    And in a swipe of the beast''s great scaly claw, a four-winged angel fell beside Anemus.


    Anemus looked at the man with long golden hair and crumpled helmet with awe and hostility.


    The nymph grabbed the infants she was holding and spread her wings, flying close to the giant wolf, wounded and stunned by the chaos that was taking place.


    "Foti¨˘!" shouted Anemus with deep confusion in her voice.. "Here, take care of them."


    "Anemus, Mommy is-..."


    "I know, I saw. No, I''m seeing!"


    ""How did this happen?" Mifa asked with her mouth full of sharp teeth. ""She does not-.."


    "I do not know!" Anemus yelled at the wolf. "She was..."


    Anemus fell silent and looked at Veron as she remembered the man. What she saw made her mind even more confused.


    The four-winged angel, the archangel, had his hand on Veron''s chest and they both glowed with a wavering golden light in shades of white.


    Suddenly the light intensified and the world was bathed in a shimmering golden glow.


    The light was warm and comforting, making people who were touched by it feel calm and at peace.


    Everyone but the dragon, that flew towards the light without anyone seeing.


    When the light went out, the dragon that was once Athena was in a fierce battle against the archangel who now had eight wings on his back and a spear of pure light in his hands.


    Anemus urged them, the wolf with Foti¨˘ and the others, to all flee from there.


    "Anemus, what about you?"


    "Me?" Anemus looked at the battle that would not end so soon. "Athena will need me. Now, go!" She would stay and if Athena lost... (No, Athena won''t...)


    Inside the dragon, Athena''s mind was mended by dense, pervasive darkness, tying her and binding her with chains as the wrath was injected into her body.


    At that moment, even her soul was like that of a chaotic dragon and then when she saw the light, she attacked.


    It penetrated the scales, burned the flesh and hit her soul.


    A soul painted in darkness could not resist so much light that with a violent and murderous aggression it hit her, causing her to react.


    "I am Doutrina!" Screamed the archangel. "And today, in Lhia''s name, I will seal Faena for eternity!"


    Not giving a damn what the archangel was saying, the dragon hit him with a breath of boiling blue lightning that also hit and split the ground, creating intense tremors throughout.


    Not satisfied, the dragon stomped its claws against the ground, three, four times creating waves of earth and tremors as strong as the previous ones and then another elemental breath.


    This time, darkness like lost souls blasted from the giant reptile''s mouth and instantly rotted the ground as the energy touched it. Eroding stones into polluted dark sand and making the earth swallow like desert funnels.


    ***


    For some unknown reason, even after Athena slaughtered tens of thousands of angels, their numbers didn''t decreased.


    It was as if with every one killed, two emerged to replace the fallen one and now that the dragon was busy squashing another target, the winged army was free to complete its mission.


    They surrounded the giant, brown and bloody wolf who had a young girl and children on it''s back, and attacked without any mercy even seeing the infants in the nymph''s arms.


    Mifa withstood the blows received and spat blasts of fire, blades of wind and ice stakes to drive away the creatures worshiped as gods, or something close to it, while Foti¨˘ struggled with her almost exhausted mana.


    Even with difficulty keeping conscious, Foti¨˘ kept a fire shield that moved around her, melting weapons and burning the angels to death, but all in vain.


    The angels continued to attack and tug at Faena, ripping her dress and tearing out her hair. But Faena showed surprising strength in her slender arms and clung to Foti¨˘ with everything she had.


    Anemus watched Athena not knowing what to do and when she looked back and saw Foti¨˘''s situation.


    As seeing it, Anemus flew casting a protective spell around the wolf and in a fierce assault, the nymph cast spells that a nymph of her element should not be able to use .


    Spears of fire struck and burned angels that fell in flames from the sky, blades of wind slashed them and lightnings fell from the sky at the command of Anemus, and struck tens or hundreds of angels at the same time, while columns of ice suddenly appeared and imprisoned numberless others angels inside it.


    But even that didn''t stop the angels, who with irritating persistence continued to attack the wind dome that Anemus had created.


    As she fights, Anemus saw an angel grab another and, as if him were a shield, use him against the dome of sharp winds that shredded the angel''s flesh, painting the dome in red.


    As showing the white of the screaming angel''s skull, they both broke through the now red wall and grabbed Faena.


    Foti¨˘ had nothing else to use, not even an drop of mana would leave her body even if she tried hard.


    Well, maybe if she did, she''d still be able to use a spell one last time and then fall down lifeless. Obviously she didn''t.


    She would not be so foolish as to die from something Lunnia had warned her so many times to be careful about. In this way, Foti¨˘ was just using her physical strength, which wasn''t that great, to hold the baby in her arms.


    Which turned out to be an arduous task when her body is so weak from the lack of mana.


    With the jolts caused by the angels and Mifa''s footsteps, Foti¨˘ lost her balance and slipped off Mifa''s back, who quickly returned to her original form, kicked the angels and grabbed Foti¨˘ and Faena in midair.


    "We will have to fight in the traditional way." Mifa said and looked at Foti¨˘ who was panting because of her fright. "Where are my clothes?"


    "They are with me." Faena said with a deformed swelling in her belly.


    The girl lifted the dress and pulled out a yellow dress, a pair of short brown leather boots and a black leather strap with several daggers attached to it.


    "Perfect, but I won''t need the boots." Mifa said while picking up her belongings.


    With her eyes on the angels still lying on the ground, Mifa quickly put on her dress which, as quickly as it was put on, gained red spots, and then jumped in a rush against the rising angels again and against those who, imitating the two first angels, entered the dome.


    It was seven to one and the battle quickly escalated, just as it was outside.


    ***


    Away from the depravity of battle that subjugated Mizhardians who had nothing to do with that all, the lands on the north were not so different.


    Greaters and lessers demons and hordes of demonic creatures walked over the northern islands and the northernmost part of the floating continent, causing tragedy wherever they passed.


    Unlike the demon lords who continued their paths to where they felt the call of darkness draw them.


    The demon and demonic creatures attacked any living thing without discrimination. Were they children, old, woman, male, white, black, human or inhuman.


    Anyone who lacked the strength to fight and subjugate the cruel and untempered enemy were killed in a variety of ways.


    However, unlike other places, Veand did not face any difficulties.


    Demons and creatures passed quietly through the cold lands of the kingdom. Which caused even more fear and anxiety in the people.


    But which- Better, who caused this was someone who shouldn''t even be in this kingdom, or awake.


    Theik¨®s, a young blue dragon that woke up due to the stimulus of the presence of another dragon that suddenly appeared in the world.


    Before that, she slept peacefully in the catacombs of the kings of Veand, as the first queen of the kingdom.


    Now she was looking out the window with a bored look as she held an almost empty cup.


    The woman in the short light blue dress turned her face, looking at the man behind the desk with her big, sharp sapphire blue eyes and sighed.


    "They''re taking a long time to get through."


    "Maybe if they weren''t too scared, they would have passed by." King Elanor said, looked up at the woman and smiled a suggestive smile.


    "I do not want." Theik¨®s said and looked back at the snowy land through the window. "With such an intense presence coming from the south... I''m not in the mood to copulate with you."


    Elanor''s warm gaze, turned cold at Theik¨®s rejection and the man turned back to looking at the documents on his desk, thinking that perhaps if Edrik hadn''t run away, he wouldn''t be in even more of a hurry for an heir.


    "Well you won''t be able to get out of here for a while."


    "I know... Fuh..." Theik¨®s sighed anxiously again and again.


    "Why do you want to meet this dragon so badly? Maybe it''s an old lover?"


    Theik¨®s smiled at her reflection in the windowpane and found Elanor''s jealousy cute, but said nothing.


    She wanted to find the dragon responsible for waking her five hundred thousand years earlier. But as soon as she woke up, the presence disappeared and now, two years later, she felt the presence of the one who woke her up again.


    Theik¨®s wanted to see him, wanted to hear him and wanted to have a child of this dragon so different that it caught her attention even while she slept a sleep of three thousand years, but...


    Theik¨®s was linked to Veand for another thousand years by a blood oath and as long as Veand was in danger, she could not leave the kingdom''s territory.


    "Fuu..." Theik¨®s sighed again, blowing her bangs as she shrugged.


    ***


    Athena''s attacks continued unabated and Doutrina did nothing. He couldn''t do anything as he was overwhelmed by one blast after another that made him sprawl on the ground like a puppet with no strings.


    The archangel was truly surprised that this continued to happen even after devouring a soul that should have doubled his powers.


    This situation continued until the ground cracked, crumbled, swallowed and he was hurled downward to the other side of the mainland island.


    "What is happening?" Doutrina''s bright eyes were wide for the first time in his life. "I should have the upper hand in this battle since my enemy is a dark being..."


    Doutrina decapitated a wyvern that flew towards him and looked at the power that was pouring out of the hole from which he was expelled like a piece of turd.


    He didn''t like that.


    Even though he hadn''t been hurt in any way, he didn''t like the bitter taste that permeated the inside of his mouth.


    The intimate taste of defeat.


    Doutrina was one of six archangels to fight alongside Lhia against Faena and the Demon Lords, and even though he was the weakest of them, he should have had enough power to defeat a being of darkness that wasn''t a demon lord or Faena herself.


    "What is this thing?"


    Doutrina''s heart, which should always be calm, was agitated, beating hard and his skin tingled with the cold that crept up his spine.


    "Fear? Me?" Doutrina laughed. "Impossible! An archangel can''t have fear... Can?"


    If they had, none of them would know. On the very day the angels were born, Lhia was sealed by the accursed saint and taught her children nothing.


    Suddenly, Doutrina was seized by a deep and sinister grief as he remembered his brothers and sisters killed during that battle, his stomach turned in his core and he wanted to vomit but, nothing came out.


    That was the effect of taking a soul for himself when he didn''t have one himself. The feelings, the desires, the pain came with what he thought was just energy.


    Doutrina began to tremble with every noise that came from above and seeing the oppressive power that came out of that hole.


    And then everything fell silent.


    There was no more power falling from the hole, just sand and no more rumbling noises echoing through the earth, just natural noises.


    ***


    Anemus and Mifa fought hard and fiercely.


    Their abilities didn''t lag behind at all against the angels, but no matter how much they killed, the angels just didn''t decreased their numbers.


    In the end, Mifa lost too much blood to continue fighting and fell motionless to the ground.


    Anemus ran out of mana and several angels held her to the ground.


    With Anemus'' mana exhausted, the magic that had protected Foti¨˘, Faena, the children and Mifa, was gone.


    Now, clinging to Foti¨˘, Faena cried and resisted as she could, while Foti¨˘ who also clung to Faena and was beaten while she tried to protect the babies too.


    "Faena is someone Mommy saved! I won''t let you take her!" Foti¨˘ yelled in a broken, hoarse voice. "Let her go! Mom!"


    The angels, even with all of Foti¨˘''s protests, did not move away and then, an open hand appeared in front of Foti¨˘''s eyes and shone a bluish white light.


    "No...!" Anemus tried to scream when she saw what was about to happen to Foti¨˘. "Don''t do that! Athena!"


    They called, but Athena''s mind was completely dark.


    An endless pitch where the woman''s conscience slumbered, giving way to a dense and bloodthirsty fury.


    All that was possible to hear there, were the high and accelerated beats of the her heart and in the form of an insane dragon, attacked the ground where it was not even known if there was something there.


    "Athena, please!" Faena cried out, pleading in her helplessness. "You owe me this! Save me!"


    Darkness...


    "Mommy..."


    Darkness...


    "Athena!"


    Darkness...


    "Athena..."


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Darkness...


    Mommy!


    Athena!


    Athena...


    Light.

 Chapter 97 - Queens Wrath - The Feelings In The Dark

    Of all the magical elements, the dark element was the only one that exerted influence on people''s minds, corrupting their souls little by little with strong negative feelings.


    The reason for this was because the dark element came from the feelings and memories of those who had died and fallen to hellish damnation.


    The feelings and memories of souls became demonic energy and from demonic energy came the dark element.


    So in the end, the dark element was just negative memories and feelings that tried to corrupt Athena just like it had done with Faena.


    However, instead of being corrupted, Athena made peace with herself, defeated her demons and forgave her past. She got rid of her negative feelings, her anger and rancor, and with that she acquired a power that could shake the world. But this power was aggressive and Athena did not have complete control over it.


    There were so many feelings at once that if she didn''t pay attention, she would easily go crazy.


    Ever since she took it from Faena, Athena had been keeping the darkness in check, but....


    Athena was trapped in darkness, in the deepest part of her mind where she only heard the turbulent beat of her raging heart.


    She was in that state because of her own feelings.


    The sadness that the fight with Anemus brought her, the anger and the thirst for revenge for what Veron did to Serien and Mifa.


    These feelings fanned the darkness within her and made it overflow, trying to drown the mind of Athena who resisted as she made her attack against Mizhar.


    However, when she was calming down while torturing Veron, Athena lowered her guard and upon seeing Mifa injured, the fury flooded her mind and the darkness intensified that feeling.


    In that darkness, as she was held captive by her own power, Athena remembered a phrase someone in the distant past had said.


    There is no feeling more harmful than anger.


    Athena laughed as if she mocked herself and realized the presence in front of her. "Have you come to see how I drown in my own feelings?" Athena snarled angrily.


    "..."


    Athena lifted her head and looked at the creature in front of her. The creature had her face, her beauty, her body, but its eyes were nothing like hers. Athena narrowed her eyes, staring into the large black eyes of the creature made of darkness.


    It was like looking into a mirror that showed the worst version of her.


    "I will get out of here..."


    "When?" Athena widened her eyes at the creature''s macabre voice. "When are you going to get out of here?" The creature smiled. A smile as macabre as its voice. "After everyone you love die?"


    That thing until then had never spoken, just stood there, in the dark, silent with only the noise of a violent heartbeat filled with rage.


    Athena was stunned.


    "Or maybe when we kill everyone you love?"


    Athena didn''t answered.


    The moment she heard those words, she felt her anger grow stronger and soon realized what that thing that mimicked her appearance was trying to do.


    "We will kill everything and everyone!"


    "No, I will control you again! This body is mine and you are just my power!"


    The thing broke into a wide smile. "I''m you..." The thing said and disappeared, melting into the darkness.


    Those words stayed with Athena, echoed in her mind and made her understand. The feelings were hers, purely hers. All the dark element was doing was intensifying it and using Athena''s body to externalize those feelings.


    Athena saw a way out of that situation, oblivious to what was happening to her beloved ones.


    Outside, while trying to find a way out of her situation, in the form of a raging dragon, Athena still continued her furious attack against the ground, not caring if the target of all those attacks was alive or not.


    At that same moment, three of the most important people to Athena were facing their impending deaths.


    In fact, they weren''t "three of the most important people to Athena".


    They were the most important people.


    No one else in that world mattered as much to her as those three women.


    Anemus...


    She was lying with her face being pressed to the ground by an angel while others held and broke her wings and arms.


    Foti¨˘...


    She had three angels holding her and beating her as she cried out for Athena and protected Serien''s children. She also held Faena who was pulled and cried for help. Besides, an angel was about to cast some kind of magic against Foti¨˘.


    Mifa...


    She was unconscious, her yellow dress was wet, red, bloody, marking her body. Around her, a group of angels watched her carefully so that she didn''t get up and attack again as she had done just minutes ago. She had become a symbol of threat to their mission.


    Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Faena shout Athena''s name in their urgencies.


    They fought bravely and skillfully, and slew hundreds or perhaps thousands of those bastards. But the angels had a unique mechanism that as long as an archangel is around, even if millions of angels die, more will continue to arise.


    This was possible because the presence of an archangel made the place part of the Garden. And the Garden always created more angels with the mana of dead angels.


    It was an unfair fight and impossible to win from the beginning.


    In the dark of her mind, Athena was still fighting her own anger. She was trying to calm her fury, at least the mental one, and take control of her body again.


    This was like swim in a sea of ??boiling, muddy water. It was painful, infuriating and tiring, consuming every mental strength Athena had.


    Athena was alone and the pain she felt consumed her. She was ready to give up all that shit and drown in that sea of ??hate. But then she heard something, a voice coming from somewhere in the middle of that rage and the rumbling noise of her heart.


    "Mommy!"


    Through all that thundering noise of her angry heart, Athena could hear Foti¨˘''s needy voice.


    Foti¨˘''s voice echoed in Athena''s mind and a light appeared. Athena gathered her pain, her anger and ran, swam, flew through that darkness, chasing the voice of her beloved daughter.


    "Foti¨˘!"


    "Mommy, help me!"


    "I am going!"


    However, the reality was different.


    Athena was not going.


    She was still an insane dragon attacking the ground repeatedly while her daughter screams and cries her name.


    Foti¨˘ looked at the hand in front of her eyes and could see that the angel''s magic was ready. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a smile.


    "Mommy, goodbye."


    She felt the light in front of her eyes intensify and prepared to never wake up again.


    Within the darkness, Athena stopped running and start thinking about Foti¨˘, about her silly jokes when she was still a child. The happy times they spent together during the trip to Sigma, her insatiable hunger and even her antics.


    This brought peace to the heart of Athena who took a deep breath feeling happiness take the place of fury.


    As soon as Athena opened her eyes fixed on the cloud of dust that covered the ground, still in dragon form, she looked for Foti¨˘ and when she found her, the dragon disappeared along with all the angels around Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Mifa.


    "..." Foti¨˘ opened her eyes when she didn''t feel the pain of death and a smile of true happiness bloomed on her face.


    "Sorry! I took so long..." Athena said as she hugged her daughter. "I''m sorry. Thank god! I made it in time." Athena kissed Foti¨˘''s hair several times in a desperate way as only a mother would and hugged her tight. "I almost lost you..."


    N/A: I couldn''t think of anything better than "Thank god". If you have a better expression for the situation, let me know. :)


    "I''m okay now, mommy." Foti¨˘ said, consoling Athena. "I am fine."


    It was a lie, she wasn''t fine.


    Foti¨˘''s wrist was broken, blood was running from her nose, and her left eye was swollen, with the size of a golf ball. On top of that, she had two broken ribs.


    Foti¨˘ couldn''t be okay with all this, but she coped magnificently. She just needed to recover some mana and could cast {Flames of Life} to heal herself. For her, all that was trivial and she didn''t want to bother her mother with something so trivial.


    However, Athena was not blind and could see that every time her daughter moved, a new grimace appeared on Foti¨˘''s face. Seeing it, Athena quickly cast {Total Heal} on Foti¨˘ and kissed her another dozen times.


    After this, she healed Faena without showing any concern for her. Faena was the healthiest there after Serien''s children.


    Athena walked to where Anemus was and crouched beside her. "Anemus..."


    "You took so long..." Anemus said with a smile on her lips.


    "I know... Forgive me..." Athena said and healed Anemus.


    Things between them were better, but they were still awkward with each other and didn''t know how to behave, what expression to make or what to say.


    They had a lot to say, but none of them couldn''t and after healing Anemus, with a complicated expression Athena walk away.


    As for Anemus, she bit her lip and just watched Athena walk away towards Mifa.


    Athena''s heart shuddered at the sight of Mifa''s condition. She wondered if her beloved was still alive and was afraid to find out. This opened several gaps for the darkness to take control of her feelings again, but Athena remained steadfast as she took a deep breath, calming herself, and knelt beside Mifa.


    "Look what they did to you, my sweet..." Athena took Mifa in her arms, bringing the young woman''s head to her chest and realized that she was still breathing. "You are so strong..." Athena sighed in relief.


    Hugging Mifa, Athena caressed the wound''s face and cast {Excelsis}, an unclassified healing spell.


    Athena could have used divine or origin magic, but she didn''t have time to search through the Akashic Records in her mind.


    She didn''t want to waste any more time.


    As soon as the magic was activated, a golden, blue and white light originated from Athena and Mifa, and painted the world with its colors.


    The light felt a strange sense of security, comfort, and warmth, healing everyone it touched. No matter how old or severe the wound was, if the light touched the wounded, it was healed almost instantly.


    When the light went out, a slight smile took place on Mifa''s lips. Her wounds had disappeared as if they had never existed and Athena sighed in relief again.


    "I was dreaming about youˇ­" said Mifa with her eyes half closed.


    "And what was the dream like?"


    "We were at the edge of an endless lake and you kissed me." Mifa played with Athena''s hair. "Athena, your hair..."


    "!!!" Athena looked at the lock of her hair Mifa played with and widened her eyes in surprise. "White... My hair are back to white..."


    Athena had taken full control of the malevolent power within her. It may even sound too clich¨¦, but that was only possible because of the love she felt.


    The proof of that was her appearance. Athena''s hair had returned to being platinum-white blond and her eyes shimmered in emerald green as they were in their originality.


    Anemus looked at them from afar and noticed the change in Athena''s appearance, as well in her mana.


    Until then, Athena''s mana made her appear to be swimming in a gooey black mud that kept rippling violently around her. Now it was as if Athena was expelling a thick black smoke that lazily surrounded her body.


    Anemus felt a bitterness in her mouth at the thought that Mifa had caused this change in Athena and flew towards them.


    "How long do you intend to stick together?"


    "Anemus, look, my hair is back to normal!"


    "Does not matter." Anemus lied turning her face to the angels in the sky. "What are we going to do with them? I don''t have enough mana to fight."


    "Me too, Mom, I don''t have mana to keep fighting." Foti¨˘ informed as she approached with Faena and the babies in her arms.


    "And you took my powersˇ­" Faena grumbled.


    "What are you doing here then?" Athena asked and the girl with long black hair looked away.


    Faena didn''t want Athena to know that she was afraid of being alone and dying if anyone found out her identity.


    Athena looked at the angels and then at the hole in the ground away from them, where the archangel lurked like a marmot.


    "I''m going to kill them all." Athena said softly as she rose from the ground with Mifa in her arms.


    "Athena, I can still fight." Mifa said as she jumped from Athena''s arms to the ground.


    "It won''t be necessary."


    "But..."


    "It''s okay, I won''t lose control anymore." Athena smiled. "Nevermore."


    After that, began an endless massacre of angels that died and appeared more and everything repeated again.


    The angels didn''t even have a chance to fly towards Faena. Every time they tried, they were bombarded with spells and skills that, before touching the ground, disappeared as if it had never existed.


    Angels fall to their deaths in many different ways.


    Athena plucked their wings, arms, legs and heads using only her hands or destroyed them to the nothoness with skills and spells that if a scholar saw, he wouldn''t know what spells and skills they were.


    Seeing his brothers and sisters being once again massacred by Athena, Doutrina could no longer stand grief, sadness, fear and hatred. He swallowed all these feelings and with his eyes bright and filled with tears, he flew into battle with his spear of light in hand.


    "Stop killing my brothers and sisters!" Shouted Doutrina. "Leave them alone, damn you! I''m going to kill you!"


    Unfortunately for the archangel, Athena did not hear or pretended not to hear and continued the endless one-sided battle.


    At a distance long enough for an attack, Doutrina spun his upper body and hurled his spear that cut through the air like a beam of light and hit Athena in the back, exploding in golden light.


    """Athena!"""

 Chapter 98 - Queens Wrath - The Queen Has Returned - Part 1

    "I''m serious, Athena!" Anemus grunted by who knows how many times. "I thought he really hurt you."


    (Fufufu~ That tickled.) Athena said. (For the first time I felt my ribs tingle.)


    "That wasn''t funny, Athena!" Mifa also complained. "Do you have any idea how much that worried me?"


    "Mommy is super strong!" Foti¨˘ said with a big smile.


    "Just because she have my powers...".


    (My powers!)


    "My!"


    (My!)


    "Argh! Shut up you two!" Anemus yelled and everyone was silent for a long moment.


    After being hit by Doutrina''s spear of light, Athena stole a sword along the arm of an angel and controlling her strength, she played with the archangel until she gets tired and kills him for good.


    With the archangel''s death, the angelic army was soon decimated without any resistance strong enough to stop Athena, who smiled a big smile as she ripped heads and wings left and right, making angels rain down on the burning capital.


    (Hm...) Athena broke the silence. (These kids are very quiet, aren''t they?)


    "I put them to sleep with magic. They''ll only wake up when I undo the spell. It''s great that they still don''t have the willpower to resist mind control spells." Anemus informed by flying backwards to face one of the huge emerald green reptilian eyes.


    "Uaah~... Using magic on babies..." Foti¨˘ said with disapproval, making a face of disgust.


    They continued talking as they flew back to Basilian. The content of the conversation varied between the history of the travels of Athena, Anemus and Foti¨˘, the time that Athena spent absent. And there were moments when Athena and Mifa subtly flirted, making Anemus sulk.


    Athena, transformed into a dragon, carried Foti¨˘, Mifa, Faena and the children on her back while Anemus flew around her. The pace was lazy for the babies'' sake, but that slowness gave them the opportunity to enjoy that starry night.


    The air was cool and pleasant, even though it was summer and at that altitude there were no insects to bother them.


    Long minutes had passed since they had departed Mizhar''s capital, but if they looked back, they could still see the smoke and dust of the city in the distance, lit by the flame of chaos and destruction left by the group.


    "Mommy, I''m hungry..." Foti¨˘ complained when the topic of conversation changed to Edrik.


    (Don''t change the subject.) Athena said on a laugh. (She pretended to be a man because she wanted to find the love of her life?)


    "She did, and the love of her life was Fotia!" Anemus laughed.


    "I don''t like that pervert."


    (But how does everyone in that kingdom think she is a man?)


    "Seems like it was the doing of her mother, the queen." Anemus explained. "The king wanted an heir and as Edrik is a girl, from an early age the queen taught her to be a man."


    (And what did you guys did after the serenade?)


    "Foti¨˘ was furious and jumped from the second floor window while casting spells against them." Anemus took a fruit basket from her [Dimensional Bag] and handed it over to Foti¨˘. "I feel sorry for the minstrels who had their instruments burnt."


    (I imagine that Samy solved everything...)


    "Did not!" Foti¨˘ denied. "It was Yrio and Hein who protected that depraved woman from me."


    (Who?)


    "Your friend, Yrio and his girlfriend Hein." Foti¨˘ repeated and bit an apple and handed the basket to Mifa.


    (Do I have a friend by that name?)


    "Poor him, Athena!" Anemus said and sat on the back of the platinum dragon. "Well, that''s when Theik¨®s appeared and saved the city from the destruction the battle between the three was causing."


    (Theikos?)


    "A very strong woman who held us for two days in the city''s prison. That''s how we became friends with that strange group."


    "Speaking of strength..." Mifa said. "Athena, what did you put inside me two years ago?"


    (Oh! That? I don''t understand much either, it''s something called "Seed of Origin". I don''t know if it''s a skill or magic...)


    "You put something inside me that you didn''t even know what it was?" Mifa narrowed her eyes in feigned anger.


    (Well... forgive me?)


    "Later!" Mifa said turning her sulky face to the side and then laughing.


    Anemus watched that warm interaction between Mifa and Athena, and with a sad expression, she thought it could be Athena and her, but she remained silent with a slight sad smile.


    ***


    On a muddy ground, not by rain or any other source of water, but by blood, five mighty beings were sprawled in their own pools of blood.


    All around, thousands of infernal beings also lay on the ground, some already dead and others still in the process of dying, staining the ground red.


    A man with dark hair and sky blue eyes, tucked into a dirty jerkin, crawled until he reached the only person standing in that new cemetery. "Lu-Lucifer... Why?"


    The beautiful woman with long black hair, red eyes and clear white wings looked at the man with a disinterested look. "You really are my little brotherˇ­ so tough."


    "W-why did you attack us?"


    Lucifer narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Azazel, you told Michael that I was in our mother''s world..."


    Azazel widened his eyes and tried to flap his wings, but they were no longer on his back.


    "L-Luci, isn''t it-"


    Lucifer stepped on her brother''s back with her bare feet smeared with black and red mud. "You disappointed me, little brother..."


    "N-no, wait-!"


    The grotesque noise of bones and flesh being crushed resonated disgustingly across the field of the dying moans of demonic creatures.


    "And thank me for just sending you back to the cage." Lucifer flapped her wings and flew away.


    That night, most of the infernal creatures disappeared from the world, with the exception of Lucifer''s subordinates.


    Lucifer herself flew south with a speed comparable to that of a dragon.


    A/N: A dragon''s speed is 530 km/h.


    ***


    Two days passed and the news of the destruction of Mizhar''s capital was still unknown to the world, except Basilian and the nearby cities like Reiden, Amardand and the almost fully built Athens.


    Back at Basilian, Athena, Mifa, Anemus and Foti¨˘ received from Lobana and Lunnia, floods of questions about what had happened and at the dinner table, after returning the children to Serien, Athena told everything she remembered, having Anemus and Mifa to complete the gaps in the history.


    Hearing the details of everything that had happened, the servants in the place were elated and had difficulty hiding the happiness they felt, and that way quickly the news spread like fire in hay.


    The other people at the table were not as interested in what happened as Lobana and Lunnia were.


    Upon hearing that Foti¨˘ could have died, Edrik clung to the nymph while crying like if she had really died.


    Yrio was awestruck all the time. Mizhar was his home country and despite having no family or any connection to the kingdom, he was astonished to learn that the streets where he robbed and run in his childhood no longer existed.


    Ella didn''t even hear the conversation. Nothing about politics or human or inhuman wars interested her, it never did interest her. She wanted to hear about Athena''s powers, but none of that was mentioned.


    Hercules wasn''t paying attention and hadn''t heard a single part of the conversation, he hadn''t even touched the food on his plate. The reason was Anemus, whom the young man was staring dreamily at. However, all he got was Athena''s withering look, which practically told him to back off.


    Later, as soon as they entered the room that looked more like a library, Athena and Mifa clung in a passionate kiss, killing the longing they felt, but nothing more than that happened. They were tired and as soon as they got on bed, they fell asleep after a few exchanges of kisses.


    However, the next day, from that room with the dark and heavy wooden door, came heated vows of love amid passionate moans as they said each other''s names.


    As always, the guards in front of that door went deaf and smiled at their wistful deafness.


    ***


    "How are you?"


    Serien was nursing her daughter when Athena entered her room without any reservation.


    "I''m better, your majesty."


    The princess still had large dark circles painting the surroundings of her purple eyes and her silvery black hair that was once silky still sported a lifeless look.


    ''She''s definitely not okayˇ­'' Athena said in a whispered thought.


    "Majesty-"


    "Serien, we''re alone, it doesn''t have to be so formal."


    Serien looked at Athena who was smiling slightly and also gave a slight smile as she felt a little safer.


    "Athena, thank you." Serien looked into her sovereign''s eyes. "Thank you so much for bringing them back to me."


    Athena smiled widely and sat down on the bed beside the princess. She didn''t know if it would work or if Serien would need rest, but she still cast {Excelsis} by touching Serien on the head.


    Serien was taken by surprise when her body glowed and brightly lit up the entire room.


    The light came out through the bedroom door and windows and hit the guards at the door, and a servant who was passing in the garden at that very moment. The servant, already of advanced age, was invigorated by having her pains healed and the guard who had constant back pain, no longer felt any pain when the light went out.


    Serien opened her eyes and over her daughter, her hair cascaded with a unique silver shine and her complexion was more flushed and looked full of life again.


    "Much better." Athena stroked the princess''s silky hair. "Well, now I have to go."


    "Iˇ­" Serien was shocked that Athena could use that kind of magic. "...I''ll finish nursing them- Huh?!" But more than shocked, she was relieved and happy. So happy that she started crying without even realizing it. "Athena, thank you! Thank you!"


    "You can take the day off. There''s nothing important for you to do today." Athena said with a gentle smile and left the room.


    ***


    Anemus and Mifa faced each other in Athena''s newly rearranged room. They were sitting at a table carved from black oak and pretending to read and drink lemon tea that was already cold.


    Mifa wore little, as she had not left the room after a warm morning with Athena. She wore only a revealing robe of transparent blue silk, laced with white linen around her breasts, which, by the way, were bigger than Anemus''s.


    "Aren''t you going to wear anything more appropriate?" Anemus broke the silence.


    "I''m in my room, I''d rather be comfortable." Mifa replied with a fake smile. ''Camellia and gardenia...''


    The scent that came from Anemus, the scent that Athena said she liked. A sweet but still gentle chirping that caught Mifa''s sensitive nostrils and left her insecure.


    Mifa shook her head, pushing away her anxiety and went back to pretending to read her book which she had no idea about what it was.


    "Isn''t this room Athena''s?" Anemus asked with a meaningful look which Mifa didn''t notice.


    Mifa looked up as she turned a page that ended with the sentence "Her skin sweetness was delicious." and she looked at the door when she heard Athena''s footsteps. She stood up and when the door opened, she looped her arms around Athena''s neck and kissed her.


    Even having noticed Anemus there, Athena didn''t push Mifa away and instead returned the kiss that ended in a sighed smile.


    "What was this?" Athena asked with a hungry look.


    Mifa looked into Athena''s eyes with a questioning look. "Camellia and gardenia, isn''t it?"


    At the time Athena understood what that question meant and pressed her lips together without looking away. "I didn''t lied."


    Mifa smiled and pecked Athena''s lips. "I know, but you could have told me this was her perfume."


    "What are you talking about?" Anemus asked with a red face and moist eyes.


    "Your perfume..." Athena replied and looked at Mifa who simply raised an eyebrow. That meant a lot, and Athena responded firmly. "...I love your perfume."


    "Heh~" Mifa pulled away from Athena with a teasing smile.


    "Of course, I love yours too!"


    "Of course you do." Mifa threw her long hair over her shoulder, making her perfume travel to Athena. "You proved it to me earlier."


    "Uhum!" Anemus cleared her throat. "So, why have you call me here?"


    Athena and Mifa took their places at the table and after a servant brought fresh tea and left the room, they, the three women, began to discuss the relationship in a long and heated conversation.

 Chapter 99 - Queens Wrath - The Queen Has Returned - Part 2

    It still was dark when Hercules woke up in the room he shared with Malana, Kalta and Idna.


    The air was cool and pleasant, but not for the young man. That cold air reminded him of when the Nova Odeon had burned while he slept after being beat-up by the demon lords, without having saved a single person.


    Still lying on his bed, Hercules squinted, adjusting to the dawn''s darkness, and let out a long, heavy sigh.


    Since he had talked to Athena about Mammon''s death, his mind had been lighter and cleaner, but for some unknown reason, he felt rather sentimental lying in that room.


    Rolling over in bed, laying on his stomach to try to go back to sleep, but the screams in his mind echoed, pleading for mercy and revenge, even though he has never heard such screams.


    The young man rolled over a dozen more times and, unable to sleep, he flung himself out of bed, grabbed his new sword, and silently left the room.


    The palace was deserted at that hour. Hercules looked everywhere, looking for the guards, but not a living soul was present.. He thought maybe it was a shift change or something like that and continued his way down the bleak, cold, lonely hallway.


    When he finally reached his destination, Hercules unsheathed his white-bladed sword like polished bones and took a deep breath, concentrating.


    Hercules descended from a family of famous swordsmen in the previous world, but he only came to learn the art of swordsmanship in this world and had no knowledge of rituals or anything else that one should do before a training, he just repeated what his master taught him.


    The young man held the sword with the blade in front of his eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly with his eyes closed until he reached the minimum concentration in his turbulent mind.


    Hercules stood there, on that lawn in the garden, with only the sound of the water fountain, and the breeze that blew through the walls and columns of the palace, making the soothing harmony in the background. Then, still with his eyes closed, he saw his enemies advancing with fierce fangs and sharp claws at him.


    The infernal creatures of various shapes and sizes had hungry, sinister eyes, and they all drooled as they stumbled over a piece of the young man who moved, dodging, stabbing, pirouetting, and impaling his imaginary enemies.


    Lunnia, who had been there the longest and had not been noticed by the young man, looked at those movements and silently let a long, disappointed sigh escape her lips.


    This was one of the many nights the woman spent awake, as due to her demonic blood, she was rarely sleepy. She were there in silence, alone.


    Those nights that once displeased and depressed her, now made her look forward to the next dawn. Because now, every day was noisy and didn''t always smell of blood and death.


    Anyway, in silence, Lunnia continued to watch Hercules move to and fro, losing his breath or tripping over his own feet, and wondered how the young man was still alive.


    Not being able to see it for another second, the woman rose from the stone bench where she was sitting.


    "You make too many useless moves that could cost you your life."


    "Huh?!!" Hercules jumped away from where the voice came and opened his black eyes wide with fright. "H-how? S-since when?"


    Lunnia had worn her transformation ring since meeting in the world below and hadn''t taken it off since.


    Her current appearance was that of a young and not-so-pretty, but charming freckled redhead with big, round, blue eyes. She wore dark gray leather pants and a frilly red blouse that accentuated her breasts.


    Lunnia raised an eyebrow significantly at the swordman''s lack of awareness and let her shoulders slump in yet another disappointment.


    "How did you manage to survive for so long?"


    "Huh?" Hercules blinked his eyes a few times, like if computing the question in his mind, and his expression of surprise changed to clarity, and he shrugged. "I always fought like this and I always won-"


    Lunnia cocked her head to the side and nodded, understanding that pause. "That''s what I thought..."


    Hercules looked away.


    "Try it that way..."


    ***


    In the morning, Ella sat at the table where sat a beautiful woman with long black hair who stood out from the various drunks, harlots and travelers in a charming and bustling tavern, as no one else there had wings, and if they did, it wouldn''t be like hers, of so pure white that almost glowed.


    "Did you really think no one would notice you?"


    "!!"


    "No need to rush to answer. Chew, I can wait."


    The winged woman chewed on her food, savoring something that might have been grape pie, Ella couldn''t tell. The smell of the place made the dragon''s keen scent confused and the plate in front of the red-eyed woman was empty and clean as if it had never been used.


    As soon as Lucifer landed on Basilian, an illegal entry by the way, she was amazed. Since the gates of hell opened, she had never even set foot in human cities. Lucifer wanted to live a quiet life, without the attention of Jehovah, her father, or the rancor of her mother, Asherah, for having remained by her father''s side.


    So, followed by demonic hordes, Lucifer flew to the far north as soon as she passed through the gates, and there she erected an immense castle of stone and ice where she remained for four thousand years.


    However, the news of Mammon''s death and the arrival of her younger brother, Michael, made Lucifer uneasy. The death of the demon lord of greed was hilarious news for the bored Lucifer, but Michael''s arrival was something that made her apprehensive, as Michael could only want one thing, to control her.


    Lucifer needed strong allies to confront the one who locked her in a cage at the bottom of hell after plotting with her older brother, Raphael, to make her father feel threatened by her presence.


    Lucifer wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and lazily emptied her mug with a frothy blue drink that Ella had no idea what it was.


    "I wasn''t hiding." said Lucifer. "I came for Faena."


    "...Faena died." Ella lied after a brief silence.


    This was purely to see the reaction of such a powerful being to the bad news.


    Ella''s hobby once again prevailed over her morals. For her, there was nothing more interesting than watching and experiencing powerful beings.


    Before the gods were banished, she hardly ever slept, the world was too much fun for her to sleep.


    Ella still remembered the time when she had made bets with Ertala, goddess of war, and the two of them had caused wars and eagerly awaited the results. Then Ella complained that Ertala cheated by blessing warriors of her "team", and the battle between goddess and dragon went on for centuries until they made another bet.


    Lucifer rolled her eyes up and down thoughtfully and shrugged. "Then I want to talk to the person who has a strength..." Lucifer narrowed her eyes briefly. "This person is a little more powerful than you... Is it another dragon?"


    "..." Ella had no answer. (That''s a good question... After all, what is Athena?) Ella thought for a long time without coming to any conclusions. Athena was a mystery to her, even though she already knew so much about her past, and that was what made Athena so interesting to her. "She says she''s a high-human."


    "Hm..." Lucifer looked at the people around. "Didn''t they go extinct around 400 years ago?"


    "I do not know." Ella motioned for the waitress. "I was sleeping that day."


    ***


    While waiting to talk to Athena, before even entering the room, Anemus was in the palace gardens where Lunnia was using a white scabbard to beat Hercules when he missed a move.


    Anemus was so deeply thoughtful, that not even Hercules'' moans of pain didn''t bothered her. She was thinking about Hades, her old, manic and only master.


    A powerful and dangerous dark mage with a strong desire for mass murder, and wicked man to everyone but her.


    At some point, as she faced a vulture or maybe an eagle soaring in the sunny sky, she began to think about Athena too. Even though she had already accepted the fact that they were the same person, she still compared them and tried to highlight the similarities and differences between the two.


    Anemus sighed and shook her head slowly as she shook off the haunting thoughts that surfaced as she compared them.


    "It''s useless to compare them even if they''re not the same person. Hades is dead..." Anemus blew the words into the wind and rose from her seat in the garden. "She must have already returned to her room..."


    She fluttered her wings, ruffling her feathers, then stretched her wings spreading them wide as she did the same with her arms, and left the noisy garden behind as she headed for the interior of the palace.


    ***


    "Wait, don''t come in yet." Said Mifa from inside the room.


    Anemus knew that Athena and Mifa had slept together the night before and didn''t mind hearing Athena''s lover''s voice coming from inside that room, or tried not to bother, feel jealous or ashamed in front of the guards there.


    After a while the door opened and Anemus frowned upon seeing the garment Mifa was wearing.


    (Is she trying to tease me?) The nymph thought, sticking up her upturned nose and entering the room. "But what is this mess?"


    The room had books and scrolls scattered everywhere, even on the bed. Anemus rested her eyes on some titles and soon realized that the vast majority there were about magical phenomena, magical theories and ancient spells.


    "These are books I took from the library as I tried to locate Athena or bring her back." Mifa explained while tying her hair in a knot.


    "Bring her back?"


    "Yes, apparently she had ceased to exist because of a very powerful magic..." Mifa pressed her lips together, staring at the books and remembering the days of research into the night. "I''ve never been able to find anything that could really help bring her back, butˇ­" She sighed in relief and smiled slightly. It was a really happy smile.


    The two were silent for a moment, then Anemus insisted on calling servants to take the books back to the library and tidy the room.


    Long minutes passed before Athena arrived, and during that time, the pair were pricking each other while maintaining a false cordiality in conversations interspersed with long, uncomfortable silences.


    After a while, Athena finally arrived and the long-awaited conversation, relationship discussion or love dispute began. In the beginning there was nothing wrong, they talked civilly, without petty teasing or anything else that could lead to a more intense discussion, but not for long.


    Anemus was starting to talk about the time she spent with Athena and that she loved her for much longer, as well as having more right to be by Athena''s side than Mifa, who did not deny any of the nymph''s claims. Instead of arguing, Mifa calmly claimed her position as girlfriend and that her love for Athena would not lose in anything to what Anemus felt.


    As for Athena, every time she tried to calm things down, Mifa and Anemus told her to be quiet while the two still hadn''t finished making all their arguments clear.


    After so much talking and making clear all the feelings they had for each other, Anemus, Mifa and Athena sighed heavily.


    Anemus looked at Mifa who remained calm all the time and wanted to have those iron nerves. But she didn''t know, Mifa was trying not to yell at the nymph to stop being so selfish and nasty.


    Mifa wanted so much to slap that pretty pink face, so that way Anemus would stop thinking only about what she wanted and look at the entire painting. But instead of slapping, Mifa made objective observations about what Anemus wanted and what her real options were.


    "You have four paths to go, considering I''m not going to break up with Athena." Mifa said with an expression so serious it was almost threatening. "One: You can accept things as they are and also be Athena''s girlfriend." Mifa looked at Athena who was swinging her leg frantically under the table. "Two: You can give her up and just be a friend. I''d rather like that." Mifa smiled at Anemus soon gained bitter looks on her face. "Three: You can give her up and go away. But I don''t think that''s something you two want." Athena shook her head denying the idea. "And four: You can wait."


    "Wait?" Anemus asked not understanding what she meant by that and thought until her expression twitched. "Do you have any idea how long this would take?"


    "No, but does it matter?" Mifa smiled.


    Nymphs weren''t immortal, but they live as long as elves. Mifa hoped that Anemus would be there for Athena when she had gone. Even without knowing how long a fenrir would live, Mifa deduced that it would only be for a few hundred years and was relieved to know that there would be someone Athena could lean on at that moment.


    Mifa''s words stayed in Anemus'' mind. The nymph drummed her fingers on the tabletop and another thoughtful sigh escaped as she stared into Athena''s emerald eyes. She had four options, which Mifa cited with painful frankness for both Anemus and Athena.


    (Accepting this kind of relationship would be proof of love...) Anemus thought.


    "What will your decision be?" Athena asked biting the inside of her lip in anxiety.


    "I have two conditions."


    "What?"


    "First of all, I want you to me-..." Anemus looked at Mifa. "Promise us you won''t have anyone else."


    "I just want you two." Athena responded immediately. "Just you two."


    "Promise?" Mifa asked with an encouraging smile.


    "Promise." Athena said looking at Mifa and then looked at Anemus. "I promise I just want you two."


    Anemus sighed and Mifa''s smile widened to a satisfied smile.


    "The second promise I want from you..." Anemus thought more about what she wanted to say and at the last moment, she changed what she wanted. "Promise me that you will love us equally and that everything you do with one will do with the other."


    At that moment, Mifa, who was sipping a little of her tea, choked and held back a laugh. That proposal was open to so many things and she realized that Anemus might come to regret it, but she said nothing.


    "I promise." Athena said and hid a laugh in a smile. "I promise that whatever I do to Mifa, I will do to you and vice versa."


    "Excellent." Anemus said, raising an eyebrow at those reactions and with a red face, she continued. "Then I want a kiss."


    "I want more than that." Athena said.


    "I''m going to go get some exercise, enjoy the rest of the morning." Mifa said as she got up from her seat and started to pick up her clothes.


    "Huh?"


    Athena leaned across the table and pulled Anemus in for a kiss.


    Minutes later, after Mifa left the room, Anemus understood how all-encompassing the last promise, which she herself had envisioned, was.

 Chapter 100 - Queens Wrath - The Queen Has Returned - Final Part

    After a strenuous training with Lunnia, Hercules was sitting on the walls surrounding the palace, looking down to the city and becoming even more intrigued by that sense of familiarity that Basilian gave him.


    "What are you thinking?"


    "I feel like I''ve already been here..."


    Hercules looked at Lunnia who sat beside him and watched the movement in the stone streets near the palace walls.


    Children running with a dog, a couple looking at a window of dresses, a man sitting alone on a wooden bench in the shade of a tree while reading a book and several hundred other people coming and going through those streets.


    Lunnia smiled at all that life and tranquility.


    "How?"


    With a complicated expression, Hercules looked at Lunnia. "When I looked at this city two days ago, I felt like I was coming home, but..." The young man looked again at the city. "...I''ve never been here."


    "How it would be possible?" Lunnia asked with a raised eyebrow. "Remembering a place you''ve never been, how is that possible?"


    "I don''t know..." Hercules replied in a sighed and wistful voice.


    "I heard from the children that you came from Odeon and I remember that kingdom was nothing like that."


    "Have you ever been to Odeon? Now I understand how you know Odeonian so well."


    "Yes, two hundred years ago..." Lunnia said with a pained look. "I never thought I would speak that language again." Lunnia''s mouth twisted as the memories resurfaced in her mind. "That''s where I got this ring from someone I thought was my friend."


    Hercules looked at Lunnia''s upraised hand and on her ring finger a golden ring with a small purple stone.


    "Wasn''t that ring''s stone red earlier?"


    "It changes color depending on how much mana it absorbs from me. Tomorrow it will probably be blue."


    "Wait! Two hundred years? What are you?"


    "...I..." Lunnia pursed her lips and rose. "I have to... I have a place to go."


    "Huh?! Hey wait-... I did something wrong?" Hercules wondered as he watched Lunnia walk away.


    ***


    In the palace kitchen, a large place like a great hall with three stone ovens, several cabinets attached to the walls and barrels in the corners, Faena and Foti¨˘ gorged themselves on confectionery and pastries like there was no tomorrow while the cooks continued to produce more and more food for them.


    "Ah! Faena, what is this?"


    "I don''t know, but it''s delicious! Look at all that cream!"


    Faena broke a sugary bread stuffed with pumpkin cream and grated coconut and handed a half to Foti¨˘.


    "Wow! I want another one!"


    In another part of the palace, after Mifa returned from her exercises and entered the room, Anemus was naked on the bed and panting fiercely as still feeling her legs go weak. The place was filled with a bittersweet smell, sweat, camellias, gardenias, oak, and soap.


    "Did you guys stay in this for a whole hour?" Mifa asked Athena.


    Athena''s room was very large and luxuriously furnished. Although she didn''t like all that luxury, there were certain luxuries that Athena insisted on making the most of. For example, the large porcelain bathtub inlaid with silver and gold beside the windowpane overlooks the palace''s internal gardens.


    "Want to continue what we started?" Athena asked.


    Mifa didn''t answer, she simply took off her sweaty clothes and stepped into the bathtub filled with hot foaming water, kissed Athena between her breasts and smiled mischievously.


    An hour later, around ten in the morning, Anemus, Athena and Mifa were hungry after so many "exercises" in bed and so they went to the kitchen where, behind a mountain of sweets, Foti¨˘ and Faena were sitting with their backs turned at each other with their bloated bellies.


    "For the goddess!" exclaimed Mifa as she covered her sensitive nose.


    As soon as he saw Athena, a very thin man ran up to the women and bowed deeply, making his thinning hair move lazily.


    "Your majesty, I tried to stop them but..."


    "It''s okay..." Athena looked at Fotia who had blue tones in her happy face. "She is fine?"


    "With how much they ate, I wonder..." Replied the cook.


    "Foti¨˘, it''s just me and Lunnia to turn our backs and you lose control, huh!?"


    "Anemus... Burf!" Foti¨˘ opened one of her crimson eyes and smiled after a small belch. "Here is the paradise..."


    "For me it''s hell... Blergth!" Mifa said and ran away.


    "Don''t let them eat like that in the future, later I''ll give you the times and how much they can eat. I don''t want them to get fat." Athena said and the cook nodded firmly. "Anemus, I''ll go check on Mifa."


    "Right." Anemus said to Athena''s back and blushed like a chili as she bit her lip as she looked at Athena''s ass. "I''ll..."


    Athena wore skintight black leather pants that reminded Anemus of the woman''s naked body. The nymph was confused to feel even more attraction to Athena after having slept with her. They had seen each other naked so many times before. Anemus wondered why she felt even more attracted now.


    "Did you and Mom make up?" Foti¨˘ asked, she was still living her definitely sweet happiness. "You''re making the same expression Mommy did when she met Mifa."


    Anemus gave a smug smile and puffed out her almost nonexistent chest. "Now you can call me ''Mom'' too-" As Anemus spoke, Foti¨˘ made an unpleasant face. "What''s with that face?"


    ***


    Later that day, Hercules wanted to talk to Athena after finding out why that sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu he felt about Basilian. After knocking on Serien''s office door for a long time, Hercules opened the door and saw Athena and Mifa talking about the new capital being built.


    "Why another four years?" Athena complained.


    "Because Tarna and the other cities we destroyed on the way there."


    "What does this have to do with the new city?"


    "The treasure of the empire was all lost when you opened a hole on the ground... I still haven''t been able to process your entire story these past two years..." Mifa scratched her ear and moved them slightly. "Anyway, Basilica''s coffers are almost empty."


    "What about the money system I said? That was to make things cheaper."


    "And that accomplished its purpose."


    "Then?"


    "But only Basilica has adopted this system. Qartur is the only country that has raw materials to sell that would speed up the construction and our mountains are occupied by giants."


    "Which tribe?"


    "Huh?"


    "Which tribe of giants occupies our mountains?"


    "It''s the tribe-"


    "I''ve been knocking on the door for a while now, are you pretending not to hear me?" Hercules interrupted.


    "How did you guess?" Athena replied with irony and Mifa frowned when she didn''t understand what the two were talking about. "What do you want? Ah! I haven''t forgotten my debt to you."


    "That''s not why I came..." Hercules scowled. "And why is she making that face?"


    Athena looked at Mifa and smiled. "Mifa, this is a language from that place I told you."


    "And why don''t you converse normally, using Basilican or the common language?" Mifa asked in frustration.


    "Common language?" Athena asked and suddenly she knew what it was. The convenience of the Akashic Records was something Athena was still unaccustomed to, though she always used it for power. "Ah! No need to explain, I just remembered. He doesn''t know the languages ??of this continent."


    "Well, if he''s going to live around here, he''d better learn. About the capital..."


    "About that, I have an idea. The Valkyries must still have some of the perfect diamonds I gave them. Use them and if that''s not enough..." Athena wrote a letter, sealed it with her imperial seal and handed it to Mifa . "Go to Reiden and give this to Charles."


    "Right..." Mifa took the envelope and before leaving she kissed Athena''s hair. "Then I''ll be gone for a few days."


    "Take Foti¨˘ and Faena with you."


    "Huh? Why?"


    "I want to get them out of the kitchen. Call Lunnia too. She can pull that kid''s reins."


    Mifa smiled, said goodbye once more and left. Hercules watched the behavior of the two women towards each other with strangeness. But he still believed that Athena had a boyfriend and saw Mifa only as a very close friend of the woman.


    "So what do you want?"


    "Iˇ­" Athena didn''t look at Hercules as he spoke and it made him feel like he was talking to a wall. "I... won''t you look at me?"


    "Do I need to look at you so I can hear you?" Athena was in a great mood and teasing the young man made things even better. "I need to finish this now, I still have a few things to sort out, like who I should put to manage the noble territories that were executed."


    "Why don''t you let the people choose a ruler in each territory?"


    "Did this kind of politics in our world work?"


    "I don''t know, but we chose, didn''t we?"


    "We choose, but once the chosen got the power, the vast majority of people suffered."


    "But that was also their choice..."


    Athena looked up for the first time to look at Hercules since he entered the office. "Wrong, that was the choice of the majority and not everyone. It is not because the majority chose that everyone should suffer. And so I''m going to choose the pawns who like to live."


    "Isn''t this a dictatorship?" Hercules asked in a voice full of boldness.


    "This country is not a republic, this is an Empire and I its Empress." Athena responded with a sharp look that made the young man''s face pale.


    "A-anyway, I didn''t come to talk about politics."


    "Then get to the point."


    "I want you to tell me everything you know about this world." Hercules said with a hard expression. "I want to find a way back to ourˇŞto my world."


    ***


    Athena was lying in her room with Anemus trying to read a book beside her, while the nymph stroked her wet hair. She had just come out of the shower and was wearing only a panties and a thin black silk blouse, a real temptation for Anemus as she tried to concentrate on her reading.


    Anemus wore a long, dark red dress with no straps, sticking to her body only by a thin thread around her neck. Athena was always breathless when she saw how beautiful Anemus was, but not now.


    The day had been mentally exhausting. Athena had spent the entire day doing the work that was normally Serien''s, while keeping her attention on the powerful mana that came from someone who was with Ella.


    Athena wondered who it could be and couldn''t take her attention away from that power as the person walked all over the capital with Ella. But when night fell, both Ella and the person she was with, left without causing any problems in town.


    ''Did something happen?''


    "Hm?"


    "It''s nothing importantˇ­" Athena hugged Anemus'' waist, pushing the worry out of her mind and kissing her beloved nymph on the sides, making Anemus flinch with a tickle, and changed the subject. "In a week there will have the empire foundation festival, on that day I have a surprise for you, Foti¨˘ and Mifa."


    "And what would this surprise be?" Anemus asked as she abandoned the book and shyly slipped her fingers over Athena''s collarbone.


    "It wouldn''t be a surprise if I told you." Athena smiled at the nymph''s gentle touch that was soft and warm. "Some merchants will come tomorrow, you can buy any dress you like and choose something for me, Fotia and Mifa too."


    "Hm..." Anemus pouted.


    "What?"


    "I know you love Mifa too, but do you really need to keep talking about her when it''s just you and me?"


    "Jealousy?" Athena smiled mischievously.


    "..."


    Anemus turned her face away, but her ears twitched slightly, causing Athena to laugh and stand up. "You do not need that." Athena kissed Anemus'' head. "I swore to love you both in the same away, with the same intensityˇ­" Athena placed her hand on Anemus'' stomach and started down as she kissed her neck. "With the same desire and excitement..."


    With each kiss from Athena, Anemus felt delicious shivers down her back and silent gasps escape her lips.


    "Athenaˇ­" Anemus whispered. "...I thought you were tired...Hm..."


    "I''m never tired of you." Athena said and her hand slipped between Anemus'' legs over her dress. "If I don''t hold back, I''d be in this room devouring you two all day."


    Athena took off her silk blouse and pushed Anemus against the bed in a way that her wings were spread all over, getting Athena''s attention.


    "Do you want me to make your wings appear only when you want them?"


    "Huh?! Can you do it?" Anemus'' eyes gleam in that half-light from the candles.


    She never liked her wings, she liked her small breasts better than her wings. Anemus envied Foti¨˘ and Hein for evolving without an advanced mutation and being just nymphs.


    "I can, but it will hurt, at the very least it will cause discomfort." Anemus pressed her lips together and swallowed the saliva in her mouth apprehensively before nodding. "Take a deep breath and relax." Athena said and when Anemus took a deep breath, Athena impaled the nymph with her fist on the chest.


    Anemus couldn''t scream despite the pain and fright, she couldn''t exhale even though her lungs were full of air and she was starting to lose focus and filled with fear when she heard Athena''s voice again.


    "It''s okay, it''ll be over soon."


    With Athena''s voice came a heat and chills in her chest. Anemus wondered if she was losing too much blood and that was why she was feeling cold and hot at the same time, but it was nothing like that.


    Athena had gotten better at manipulating someone''s mana and ever since Mifa asked her what Athena had put inside her, Athena had been studying the ''Seed of Origin'' with the help of the Akashic Records.


    However, Anemus could not receive the Seed of Origin since the nymphs did not originate from a being, but from the natural mana of a person or the world, so Athena strengthened Anemus, pushing her evolution to the maximum by mixing her chaotic mana with Anemus'' mana that shone a golden and dark green light.


    When it was over, Athena pull out her hand from Anemus'' chest and the girl finally let out the air trapped in her lungs.


    Anemus glowed for a while longer as the changes in her body still took place. Her golden-green hair took on dark shades of black, becoming a dark amber green, her eyes that began to close, took on shades of turquoise and her wings disappeared.


    "Sleep well, my fairy." Athena said kissing her on the lips.


    After cleaning the blood from Anemus'' body and changing the sheets, Athena laid the girl on the bed, covered her, dressed, and the two slept peacefully.

 Chapter 101 - My Sincere Thanks

    Before actually starting this volume, I want to say a few things.


    First of all, thank you so much for following "Last Played" so far, these months of writing this story were fantastic and part of it was due to your support.


    I never thought this story would go this far, to the point where it even had a sponsored chapter, you guys are really amazing.


    Frankly, this story wasn''t even supposed to have existed initially. The plan was to write a few chapters, ten at most, and stop. Brcause I was writing another story and I just started writing this story because I had such a writer''s block that even J couldn''t break it.


    I started "Last Played" as a way to clear my mind and so this story was born and grew to that point.


    A hundred chapters for a story that was only supposed to have ten? Honestly wow! I was also curious about how this story would end and that, along with your interactions, kept me writing.


    And speaking in the end, this is the last volume, it will probably be the longest.


    After that, I''m going to disappear a little bit. I''m going to read some stories I want to read here, on WN, and The Witcher books that I bought and are waiting for me.


    Going back to the stories here on WN, there are some dramas that I read the first three or four chapters and wow! I look forward to reading. As I finish or reach the latest released chapters, I''ll put them on my favorites list.


    Some of them are from some of you, so write it down, I want to read as much as I can, especially with my vacation coming up shortly.


    Hands on the keyboard!


    Now I want to give special thanks to my good readers and correctors, HeavenlyGod and Xenoveia. You helped me a lot with your corrections and suggestions, which greatly improved the story and even helped me to study with the grammar that has rules that my brain refuses to learn... Anyway, you guys are awesome! Thanks. :*


    I still have a lot of words left until I get to a thousand, which is the minimum words per chapter I usually write. Taking that into account, I''m going to mention some things and events in the story that should have happened and didn''t happen and other little things, like characters I had presented and disappeared.


    Come on.


    Characters that should be dead, but by some mysterious action of fate, are alive.


    Foti¨˘


    Anemus


    Lobana


    Samy


    Serien


    Lunnia


    Hercules


    All of these had chapters written of their deaths and I ended up not releasing them. Foti¨˘ was why I found the scene too cruel to a little girl so cute and the rest I don''t remember why I dropped the idea of ??killing them, but that''s okay.


    Characters that simply disappeared after an apparition.


    Reiden''s Honest Guard


    Does anyone remember this guy? He was supposed to have been more prominent in Reiden''s arc, but I ended up leaving him aside or I would have ended up shipping him with Athena.


    Well, he''s alive and now he''s the head of the guard at Reiden. And he''s getting rid of the banditry on the outskirts of town little by little. He''s a nice guy who has a wife and an eight-year-old daughter... No, wait, there''s almost four years in history already, so she must be twelve or so. He was also on the list of characters who would die, but it wasn''t worth mentioning him above.


    Mila, the tavern waitress.


    Another character that never appeared again. I still regret the kiss I wrote in that chapter. If I ever rewrite this story, that''s something I''m going to change. I even have a way to improve that.


    She was to be Athena''s first lover, but I ended up giving up on the idea and today I see it would be interesting to see the progression of how she would grow and become stronger. Well, not that she would. Because she has seven younger siblings which she has to support with the help of the three other older siblings.


    Charles, the banker.


    He was going to show up recently, but do what?


    All I have to say about him is that he''s a big daddy. His love for his daughter is so great that he is almost equal to King Pales.


    Speaking of Charles, the bank''s receptionist, Iris never appeared again either. And look, she was supposed to be the cause of the romantic drama between Athena and Mila, but I also ruled it out.


    I don''t know much about her, except that she''s engaged and with the tax reforms Athena brought about, her savings have doubled to the point she can buy her own house in the prime district of Reiden.


    Ah! She will soon discover that her fiance is a slaver who kidnaps children in the suburbs to sell to rich perverts. The guard is keeping an eye on him.


    Does what I just wrote fit as a spoiler?


    Do I have anything else to say? Let me think...


    Ah! Den, the prince of Elsna.


    He''s doing fine, he married a duchess, the daughter of one of the ducal families who were massacred at Sued''s behest. She wasn''t home that day and ended up surviving.


    Anyway, Den is being a great ruler for the principality and is managing to keep up with the country''s debt to Basilica.


    He''s just not good in bed, leading the princess consort to betray him with the butler, gardener, and treasure minister.


    She is pregnant and has no idea who the child''s father is.


    Well, she''s probably going to be executed.


    I think that''s it.


    Once again, thank you so much for reading this story and keep reading until the end. I don''t know yet how it goes, but I hope it will be something interesting for you and me until the very end.


    Kisses, see ya!


    Wow! It''s three in the morning already. I stopped writing this a couple dozen times in the last four hours.


    I''m reading a book called "The Katherine Theorem", a very funny and cute silly teenage romance. I highly recommend it to anyone with a broken heart, not that I am.


    After all, she would have to give me another chance to be able to break it, which won''t happen, since she married a nobody...


    I started talking too much after saying goodbye... Now it''s serious. Goodbye!


    See ya soon!

 Chapter 102 - Among Saints - Gions Act

    Long ago, when there were still no islands floating in the sky and the Kastigo continent was burning in a millenary war between races, four youngs traveled together on an adventure.


    They were guided by their desires and dreams, fighting anyone who oppressed the weakest. These youngs became a force to be feared as they accumulated deeds and heroes from forgotten tales and songs, and eventually became saints without even knowing what made them worthy of being such existences.


    Their names, Gion, Lanar, Nimo and Ytria, were chanted in all directions when they ended the war and later these names were cursed by the very people who had worshiped them. But that was only after they found the place where a goddess was sealed.


    In the village where Ytria was born, were a very old legend that told of a goddess who was banished and sealed in the distant lands to the north of the continent. But the legend ended there, it said nothing about why she was punished or her alignment, and this always piqued Ytria''s interest, making the girl spend the three years she was in the school town, researching seals, gods and magic.


    Uran, a lone goddess, abandoned by her own family and locked by her own mother in an eternal prison.


    Ytria found the goddess''s situation rather sad and cruel, and wanted to help the miserable existence that was that goddess. With the help of Gion and Nimo, Ytria managed to recreate one of the keys to the goddess''s seal.


    The goddess was so happy that, after countless years of silence and whining, she could hear someone else''s voice and being such a miserable existence, when the four young saints found her, she gifted them so that one day they might return.


    Lanar would never miss with his bow a target he could see and in addition to having the best sword skill in the world, he could use every skill he had seen only once.


    Nimo would have the wisdom to use any magic and the world would provide her with the mana needed if she lacked mana, thus guiding her race to peace as she had always wanted.


    To Ytria, her favourite, the one gifted with a dark power hitherto dormant, Uran gave her power.


    As for Gion, he didn''t want power. Gion had always been a scholar, he grew up in a school town for fifteen years and learned to question the existence of everything.


    He wanted to know more, but his life was short or so he thought, as there was no one to teach them that time for them no longer mattered.


    With this thirst for knowledge, Gion wanted time instead of wisdom. He didn''t want easy wisdom, there was no fun in gaining knowledge that way, he was a scholar and as such, he wanted to strive to have that knowledge. But to do it he needed time and in his ignorance, asked what he would regret bitterly having asked.


    "I want immortality!"


    Uran was a goddess, but her stigma was the end, the utter destruction of everything. It would be impossible for her to create something without end, besides, she felt affronted to have her gift rejected by a mere human.


    "You will die, but you will always come back after such a painful death like a phoenix. When one day you look for death, it will turn its back to you, you will see everyone you love die and only the one who holds the sword can kill you ."


    Uran was merciless like any other god and as a form of punishment, she distorted the request of Gion who had been satisfied without knowing the reality of Uran''s words.


    "All I ask in return is for you to come back here more often and talk to me." Uran asked and the youth departed.


    A year passed and Uran waited, two years, three, four, five years passed and they didn''t come back.


    Feeling betrayed, the goddess used Ytria and brought the true essence of the power dormant within the young woman who unknowingly was used to send a message to the world that had forgotten her.


    Ytria became the apostle of the goddess of destruction, the first Tormentor and soon the sweet, cheerful and smiling Ytria became a ruthless assassin, a destroyer destroying everything she saw with overwhelming power.


    The young redhead walked across the continent decimating cities and kingdoms without caring, destroying the peace that the four venerable saints had built in five years.


    The world that the four friends had built disappeared with each step of the Tormentor and not even the three saints together could stop it.


    Ytria made no effort in her path of destruction. It was as if, while she maintained a static expression, Ytria''s every move turned buildings into rubble, life into death and something to nothing, leveling people, houses, palaces and mountains under her feet without meeting any resistance.


    At the same time, Gion was experimenting with homunculi and mana crystals that had lost their strength and were just empty batteries.


    He had the idea of ??using these homunculi to take Ytria''s powers, weaken her and seal her until they found a way to bring her back.


    The former, dubbed Neu, positive, and Eun, negative, shaped to look like Ytria, were a major failure. They failed to absorb even one percent of Ytria''s powers and nearly broke, being saved by Lanar who lost an arm in the process.


    Not caring about the failure, Gion returned to square zero and with the help of Nimo, he created Faena and Lhia, darkness and light.


    They were a hundred times stronger than their predecessors, and while the saints fought and distracted the Tormentor.


    They were using everything they had to at least survive, while Faena and Lhia took all the power of Ytria for themselves.


    In the midst of a field of land that was out of sight, where it had once been a great kingdom, Ytria fell limp to her knees and sobs were audible in that silence.


    "Ytria?"


    Gion approached, the woman sobbing and crying to the point that her shoulders shook.


    "Gion..."


    The woman''s tearful, sad voice pierced Gion''s ears and squeezed his heart. Gion knelt in front of Ytria and hugged her, but it wasn''t over yet.


    "Not!" Ytria pushed Gion away from her. "You have to kill me! I can''t live, my powers are coming back! Kill me!"


    "But-"


    "Gion, look what I''ve done! I destroyed Ellora! The kingdom we saved is gone! This power is controlling me!"


    "But we can seal you and-"


    "Yes, seal me after you kill me-" Ytria said and squirmed as she was invaded by a wave of mana that her body was beginning to absorb. "H-hurry!"


    With painful expressions, the three saints did as Ytria asked. Lanar, still without an arm, stabbed her in the chest with his sword while Nimo made it painless with magic and Gion, along with Faena and Lhia, enveloped Ytria''s body in a large crystal formed by mana.


    They were exhausted to the point where they couldn''t even cry. The three just sat around the crystal that imprisoned Ytria and stayed there, in absolute silence, but...


    The silence was short-lived, Faena and Lhia had gained consciousness after receiving so much power and they were the opposite of each other. Lhia had won Ytria''s righteous and brave side, while Faena won the woman''s fears and feelings and was soon taken over by the darkness that came with Ytria''s powers.


    Faena, a lovely little child, had become a symbol of destruction just like the one who gave her life and Lhia wanting to protect what Ytria died for, tried to stop her sister and so, weeks of destruction kept happening and the scale got even bigger when the gates of hell opened and angels appeared.


    For the common people, the ones being slaughtered in the midst of all that, it was no longer a battle between two people, it was a war between goddesses, an evil goddess and a just and saving goddess with their armies of demons and angels.


    When Lhia saw that the rest of the continent was in danger, with all the miasma that escaped from the open gates of hell and corrupted everything it touched, she abandoned the fight against her sister and used all her power to lift the islands to heaven as Faena continued to destroy everything around her, wildly followed by demonic hordes.


    As Lhia weakened and Faena lost control, Gion and Nimo used them as keys to Ytria''s seal, sealed the two and launched them to the world below.


    Gion isolated himself in the undersea kingdom of Sigma and with the help of the royal family, hid Ytria in the depths of the kingdom, Nimo isolated herself in the ancient forest of the elves, where she started a new community and Lanar built a kingdom, had children, grandchildren and as a Immortal, he watched them die and repeated his cycle of happiness and sadness until the fateful day of his murder.


    ***


    The day before Lunnia, Fotia and Anemus left, Gion was once again alone before Ytria''s crystallized body.


    He watched the woman''s memories being hologrammed on the rocky walls of that place and once again vowed to bring her back.


    After millennia of studies, the druid believed that Ytria''s soul had not reincarnated and was now looking for a way to resurrect his beloved.


    Gion admired Ytria''s beauty in silence in that great cavernous room. His mournful eyes had a gentle and affectionate glow. He loved her for over four thousand years without ever having said a word, without ever having the opportunity to say how much he loved her and that love never faded.


    The druid tried to kill himself thousands or millions of times so that he would join Ytria, but he only felt pain in his countless deaths and not even Lanar, who he thought would be his executioner, could kill him.


    Gion cursed the goddess over and over again and cursed himself in equal proportion, regretting that he couldn''t die.


    "I shouldn''t have asked for this..."


    The man has repented again and again over thousands of years and still regrets.


    "I''ll bring you back, my love..." Gion whispered as he caressed the crystal at the level of her face eternalized in the mana crystal. "I swear."


    Gion turned and in slow steps, walked away with the squeak of his dark green tunic dragging on the hard, cold ground, then the impossible happened.


    The mana crystal where Ytria was a seal, that should have been eternal, began to crack from the bottom up with fine grooves.


    Gion''s purple eyes widened and his brows arched, his face heated and tears welled up and streamed from his eyes as his heart raced.


    "Ytria!"


    Gion ran back to the crystal that had stopped cracking and knelt before that eternal prison as he wept and desperately scratched the grooves until he painted them with the blood from the cuts that appeared on his fingers.


    "Are you coming back..."


    Gion''s hopeful voice echoed around the room without him realizing, or more likely not caring, that it wasn''t natural.


    "I will destroy the seals!"

 Chapter 103 - Between Saints - Imperial Festival

    On the same day that Athena rose from the darkness after taking Faena''s powers and unsealing her, a large crack appeared in the mana crystal that held Ytria.


    "I need to start acting." Gion told Neu and Eun. "We have to leave."


    "Yes, Master." The girls responded in one voice.


    Followed by the girls who wore equally lacy dresses, decorated with various ruffles, but in different colors, Gion, who wore a blue tunic with floral details in green, left his castle. His destination was the forest of the elves.


    In the mist elves'' forest, after the tower of darkness had risen to the sky and spread to all parts of the world, Nimo was preparing to go to the place where Faena had been sealed, until a servant entered her room.


    "Lady Nimo, three people have arrived and wish to see you."


    "Three people? Haven''t identified themselves?"


    "It''s a man accompanied by two girls. He said his name was Gion."


    "Tsk!" Nimo frowned as soon as she heard the name. "Say him that I''ll be there soon." The servant bowed and left, leaving the elf alone with a bitter expression on her face. "What does that psychopath want with me?"


    In an elegant room inside the palace of the elders in the great tree located in the center of the mist elf village, Gion sat on a long wood couch with dark red pillows while Neu and Eun stood behind him.


    Nimo looked at the three people and twisted her lips as if she were chewing something bitter. This was anger, disgust and disaffection, all mixed up in a feeling of revulsion the woman felt for Gion.


    Since long before all misfortune befell their group, Nimo detested the druid. That''s because Gion was obsessive and had an almost possessive behavior towards Ytria, and the elf didn''t like that.


    Nimo often warned Ytria about Gion, but the girl always laughed and joked with her concern, causing Nimo to spend much longer time with the girl than necessary, as she feared that Gion would one day do something.


    "You''re still cold to me, even after more than four thousand years..." Gion said as he rose from the couch to greet his old friend.


    "If you didn''t give me a reason toˇ­" Nimo looked at the homunculi bowing to her. "I hope you didn''t do anything to them just because they look like her."


    "You belittle my decency."


    "Said the man who keeps the body of a woman who didn''t even love him in his basement." Nimo scoffed as she sat down, and upon hearing this, Gion''s smile trembled, but it didn''t fade. "Let''s cut to the chase, Gion. I have things to do and I believe you do too."


    "Do these things have to do with the darkness that spread across the world moments ago?" Gion asked with a cynical smile on his face, the smile Nimo hated the most. "I think it''s too late, Faena is already free."


    "How do you know that?" Nimo asked impatiently.


    Gion was silent briefly as he sipped the freshly brewed blue bitter cherries tea. "If I said them was a good friend of ours who broke the seal, would you know who them is?"


    "??"


    "Why, Nimo, the saint of magic who has the blessing of wisdom can''t guess even with so much information?"


    "Gion, stop playing games!"


    "Athena..."


    "Huh?!"


    "A while ago, she was injured in a fight and I, while healing her, put a spy spell on her." Gion said without showing any remorse while Nimo had her disgust for Gion even more evident on her face. "That was for her own good, she was about to become another Tormentor and I had to keep an eye on her. Stop looking at me like that..."


    Nimo turned her face away, trying to fix her expression and sighed, tired of being in Gion''s presence. "How did she did it? How did she manage to undo our seal? It should be impossible for an ordinary person."


    "And what is common in that woman?"


    For the first time, Nimo smiled in Gion''s presence without Ytria or Lanar present. She placed her right hand on her pelvic region, hugged her torso in a way that accentuated her large breasts and blushed "You''re right... Nothing about her is common."


    Gion coughed into his clenched hand, disguising his discomfort, and returned to the subject. "Nimo, Ytria''s seal cracked even before Athena interfered, she''s coming back."


    Nimo''s expression quickly changed, her face paled and her eyes darkened. "What have you do?"


    "I didn''t do anything..." Gion''s gaze cooled, making Nimo shiver. "Yet."


    "..."


    "I''ll bring her back."


    "You wouldn''t dare! Not after all we''ve had to do. Not after all we''ve suffered!"


    "All we have suffered?" Gion set his cup down on the saucer on the coffee table between them. "Only I have suffered, Nimo! Only me! You came to play house with your people, Lanar created a kingdom and then died like an idiot to some cheap usurper sent from Elsna and I was the one who watched over her body! I was the guardian of her grave! Do you know how I felt?" Gion, without realizing it, cried out his remorse. "The pain, the emptiness, the loneliness I felt as I spent millennia looking at that face frozen in that damn crystal day after day!?"


    "I won''t let you bring her back! She wouldn''t want it! She was the one who suffered the most from all that!" Nimo also yelled. "You don''t even know if she''s normal again! No, actually, if she''s alive, she sure as hell won''t be normal. All of that will happen again, I won''t allow it!"


    Nimo''s hands filled with a condensation of mana and Gion plucked his staff from his subspace and thus began the first battle between the two. Which was what Gion wanted, as he knew Nimo would never agree to break Lhia''s seal, which only the elf could undo.


    Gion intended to tire Nimo and bewitch her, controlling her to unseal and then release her again.


    The means for this did not matter, let alone what it would cost.


    ***


    On the thirteenth day after her return, Athena declared a national holiday and a festival took place on that day, the festival of founding the Basilican Empire.


    All cities, towns and villages were in celebration and with them, the merchants were more than happy. That''s because Athena had exempted them from sales and purchase taxes on the day of foundation, and the merchants'' purses grew by the minute.


    In Basilian, people danced, sang, ate, drank, and laughed as if there were no more worries. And inside the palace, Athena watched Mifa and Anemus get dressed and make up, with a lustful look, she bit her lips wanting to rip them from their clothes and devour them.


    Anemus had cut her hair to her waist and had it loose like an amber-green veil, she wore a blue and white strapless dress that had thin silver chains dangling at the waist and long white silk gloves.


    Around her neck was a necklace of emeralds and platinum, and in her ears, emerald earrings dangled with every movement.


    "You are wonderful!" Athena said when Anemus finished her mild makeup.


    "You think?" Anemus blushed.


    "Absolutely beautiful and if we weren''t going to go public, I''d rip you out of that dress right now." Athena said as she hugged her lovely fairy from behind.


    "Keep those hands off me, you pervert." Anemus said, kissed Athena''s lips quickly and fled out of the room.


    "She''s happy, but I don''t understand why..." Mifa said as she approached Athena with her dress open at the back. "Do you close these locks for me?"


    Athena smiled when she saw Mifa''s bare coppery back and with each lock she closed, she kissed her beloved''s skin, causing slight shivers that raised the strands of hair on Mifa''s nape.


    "She likes to party, but she always tries to act composed to look mature."


    "Hm... Can you- Ha! Will you stop it? Hrm... It''s making me feel like doing it."


    "Really? So..." Athena slid her hand down Mifa''s back until she reached an opening on the dress at the base of her spine, where her tail began, and stroked her, making Mifa arch her back. "Why don''t we take off our clothes and-"


    "Not!" Mifa jumped away. "It was like a hell to put on this thing and have my face painted to get it all screwed up in a few minutes."


    Athena looked at Mifa''s dress. It was a relatively simple white dress, but still quite elegant, long with a big cut that showed her right thigh halfway and something corset-like in the abdomen.


    Her makeup was almost nonexistent, just a mild shadow almost unremarkable in her eyelids, and on her lips a soft red paint.


    Her long hair was tied back at the end with a silver barrette decorated with a fire opal and yellow sapphires.


    Mifa didn''t like necklaces or earrings, but on her ears there was a thin golden chain that joined behind her head with a small diamond hanging in the middle.


    To Athena, her women were like works of art that should be admired for being so beautiful and to others, they were objects of overwhelming desire like a hypnotic flower on the wall of an abyss.


    In the palace, the party would be in the ballroom, where the nobles who did not oppose Athena gathered with smiling faces.


    The hall glowed with golden light from the crystal chandeliers, bouquets of red and black roses decorated the bases of the windows that had their thick red curtains open, and at the top of a stairs that led to the interior of the palace, five thrones were lined up.


    Four of the thrones were silver and among them, a golden throne, bigger than the others, showed to everyone that Athena had returned.


    The nobles who were there wondered why of five thrones, if there were only three people in the entire nation that it had real political power.


    Their answer came as the heavy tall doors to the hall opened with the announcement of the royal herald.


    Wearing a long white dress with gold threads that formed stars on the skirt of the dress, Athena entered with a black robe over her shoulders and a crown that had two lions facing a sword and across the crown, small red sapphire stones studded the crown.


    The colors highlighted the cold green of her eyes and her blood red lips. But no one there could look at her for long at her entrance. For as soon as Athena entered the place, all the women bowed as the men dropped to their left knee, with the right fist clenched on chest.


    Seeing this scene, Athena smiled with satisfaction and continued her way to the omnipotent thrones at the top of the stairs covered by a long red carpet, and Serien, Mifa, Anemus and Foti¨˘ followed close behind.


    Serien wore a scarlet dress with black ruffles and a diadem with a white topaz gem in the center.


    Foti¨˘ dressed more comfortably, a short white dress with a black ribbon tied around her waist, forming a bow on her back, her hair was braided here and there, and she was barefoot with black and white stripes on her ankles.


    "Thanks for coming." Athena said. She was standing alone at the top of the stairs, allowing the guests to rise from their bows. "Today is a day to celebrate. Two years ago we conquered the empire and assimilated most of its territory. This was a great achievement and I thank you for gathering the soldiers then." It wasn''t as if any of them had any choice but to obey, but Athena wanted to show gratitude anyway. "With Serien''s administration, Basilica is no longer a small kingdom, but an empire and today we begin a new era of prosperity for Basilica."


    Athena lifted a goblet filled with liqueur and everyone followed her with their glasses raised, followed by a chorus.


    "Prosperity for Basilica!"


    Athena smiled captivating men and women and then waved to the minstrels in the corner of the room. "Enjoy the party!"


    During the party, Mifa took Foti¨˘ to dance and Athena took Anemus, as if she encouraged the other couples to do the same.


    After days of being coached by Lunnia and talking to the woman, Hercules, who now had his mind full of hope after Athena told him everything she knew about this world, had begun to develop feelings for his new friend and teacher, and was easily encouraged by Athena''s act.


    "Do you grant me the honor of this dance?" Hercules asked as he bowed with one hand on his chest and the other extended to Lunnia. His face was red, as were the tips of his ears.


    Lunnia laughed and placed her right hand over the left of the young man who smiled.


    Lunnia was exuberantly beautiful. Her fire-kissed hair, half braided and half loose, fell over her shoulders and her makeup accentuated the blue of her eyes, she was wearing a long night-blue dress and long night-blue gloves.


    Hercules wore a military uniform which the Knights of Basilica wore in ceremonies and feasts.


    The uniform consisted of a grayish blue tailcoat, white pants, black boots, and white gloves.


    His hair which was no longer long, giving a fresher, cleaner look to the young man''s appearance and took away the air of young ladies present in the hall.


    "Did you notice there are a lot of girls looking at you?"


    "Just as you''ve acquired quite a few admirers..."


    The couple laughed and continued dancing, leaving Athena surprised that Lunnia knew how to dance. But Lunnia didn''t know, she simply followed the rhythm of the music and allowed herself to be guided by Hercules in the waltz that was played by the musicians.


    "Those two are falling in love." Anemus commented quietly to Athena.


    "This is good and bad at the same time..."


    "Yes, I know that." Anemus gave a sad smile. "I hope they don''t get hurt."


    "I hope he doesn''t hurt her."


    With the sounds of laughter, cups ringing and music, the party in the palace proceeded as calmly as a party could be and when the bells of the old Cathedral of the extinct Temple of Light, sounded, signaling 10 at night, everyone followed Athena to the garden bathed in light of the three moons.


    Athena was standing near the fountain shaped in a sentinel gargoyle with two waning waterfalls sapling from it''s eyes.


    In front of the empress, Serien, Anemus, Mifa and Foti¨˘ knelt on a red carpet with octahedron patterns in gold.


    The women had their heads bowed before the empress and the people finally understood why the two extra thrones. They could finally accept that the Aust Basilica royal family was no longer the sovereign of their nation.


    After a brief speech, Athena placed crowns with star crystals of different colors on each one''s head and consecrated them with titles.


    Serien was no longer Princess Regent, but Queen Regent. She would keep ruling the empire in Athena''s absence. The queen swore loyalty to the Empire and vowed that her descendants would too.


    Hearing the Serien''s vows to be faithful to the Empire and not the Empress, Athena smiled as some of those present there found it an affront.


    Serien''s platinum crown had an azure star crystal amidst two roses and this would be the new Serien family crest which would no longer bear Veron''s family name, but "Laedadel" which meant "Loyal to Duty".


    Mifa was no longer the princess consort, but the Guardian Queen and had as much power as Serien. Her platinum crown had a red crystal in the middle of two wolves and Athena gave Mifa a name that was part of her.


    "Kardi¨˘? What does "Kardi¨˘" mean?" Mifa asked.


    Athena bent down and whispered. "Heart, I''m giving part of it to you." Making the young queen blush slightly.


    Anemus didn''t want to be queen or have any responsibility other than Athena.


    Thus, Athena consecrated Anemus a princess and her crown had a crystal also red, but inside a pentagram.


    Like Mifa, Anemus received the name Kardi¨˘, but she only came to know the meaning hours later.


    And finally it was Foti¨˘''s turn, who seemed anxious and restless.


    Her crown was different from all others. It was like Athena''s, it had two lions and between them, in place of a sword, there was a star crystal.


    The crystal in Foti¨˘''s crown was also the only one to glow strangely, flickering an orange color as if it had a flame trapped inside the crystal.


    Foti¨˘ was named after her mother, with the "De''l Inna" last name, which meant "Light of the Nation" and felt weird. Well, not even Athena had gotten used to the name she had been given, but she didn''t reject it. Foti¨˘ was crowned imperial successor princess.


    When the coronation ceremony ended after Mifa and Anemus'' vows to Athena and a few more words from the empress, everyone in the garden was kneeling before the new imperial royalty.


    A/N: I don''t remember what the royal reference to empire would be. In fact, I don''t even know if there''s anything like that, so I put in "imperial royalty". If there have a word for it, let me know and I''ll change it later.


    ***


    "I am exhausted!" Athena said as she threw herself onto her back on the bed.


    "Me too..." Mifa agreed as she crawled onto the bed after taking off her heels that were already hurting her feet. "I never dance again."


    "Have you stepped on Athena''s feet a lot?" Anemus asked teasingly as she took off her makeup and clothes. "I liked the party."


    "I''d rather fight for days than participate in another grueling party like thisˇ­" Athena said and a quick knock on the door resounded in the room.


    Athena waited for Anemus to cover herself and opened the door.


    In front of the opened door of Athena''s room, a light brown haired knight was standing there and on his face, a hard expression showed his concern.


    "Forgive my-"


    "Cut to the chase."


    "Yes, forgive me, but there is a group of about twenty young high elves wanting to speak to your excellency."

 Chapter 104 - Between Saints - Connections

    Late at night, in a room with a long black oak table, surrounded by thirty equally black chairs, Athena listened to the story of the representative of the elves.


    The representative was like most elves. Tall, thin, young, long golden hair, too white skin, blue eyes and long pointed ears.


    The man had an expression of distress and grief on his face. His eyes were red from crying and his lips trembled with every word.


    "After destroying the whole village and half the forest with the battle...." The man said gasping in tears.


    "What happened after they destroyed the forest?" Athena asked calmly.


    "...The elder and the man fought for a few more hours and then, to protect us, the elder sacrificed herself and was defeated..."


    "She died?" Athena narrowed her eyes at the thought of Nimo. "Nimo died?"


    "No..." The man replied and Athena sighed in relief. "She was taken by the man."


    "Who was the person she was fighting?" Athena asked.


    "They wasn''t just one." The man said while lowering his head. "They was a man and twin girls. They said their names were Gion, Neu and Eun. The soldiers fought and managed to capture one of the girls, but..."


    "Gion? Why?"


    As far as Athena knew, Gion and Nimo were friends and it didn''t make sense for the two to fight on such an aggressive scale. At least not for Athena.


    As she tried to think of a reason for such an act, Anemus entered the room bringing a tea set.


    "Sorry, I heard that last part and I have something to tell you about two important things I haven''t had a chance to bring up yet." Anemus set the tray on the table and looked at the man and then at Athena. "One is about Gion and the other is about Foti¨˘, but no one else should listen."


    Athena looked at the elf who quickly understood the look that told him to leave. The man got up from his seat and left the room after saying goodbye, leaving only Athena and Anemus in the place.


    Anemus sat next to Athena and pouring tea she began to tell Athena everything Gion had told her about the woman trapped in the mana crystal in the underground of the castle and about the Tormentor.


    Athena already had part of the information about the Tormentor and quickly understood what Anemus was referring to. Uran already had told her a part of the story about Gion and Nimo''s group. Now with what Anemus told her, she could understand the situation better. But there was still a part of the story that was missing and didn''t allow her to see the entire painting.


    "It still doesn''t explain why Gion and Nimo fight..."


    Anemus sipped her tea and thought briefly. "If that child really is Faena, wouldn''t she have the necessary information?"


    "Of course, Faena is their creation!" Athena said with a more relaxed face. "So, what do you have to say about Foti¨˘?"


    "Foti¨˘ said that a while ago she used a magic on you..."


    "Magic?" Athena thought for a moment, trying to remember of Foti¨˘ using magic on her, but nothing came to mind. "Hmm... I think she''s wrong... I don''t remember anything like that."


    "Are you sure about this? Don''t you remember a stream of light, or something like it, linking you to her?"


    "Ah! Oh!" Athena exclaimed with the memories coming to her mind. "That time we went to Reiden..."


    "About that, this spell is called "Eternal Bond"." Anemus said with an apprehensive look. "It''s a magic that only nymphs can use with their masters to bind their souls together for eternity. Not even death can separate them. If one dies, the other will too and that''s why I want you to be careful and drive away Foti¨˘ of any conflict that might result in her death and subsequently yours."


    Athena was speechless and afraid. She feared that because of her, Foti¨˘ might come to die. It made her thirst for power to grow quickly.


    What Athena didn''t know was that someone was already taking care of this matter for her.


    ***


    Days before the Imperial festival, Ella and Lucifer were together for a whole day and after spending an entire day with Lucifer, understanding the demon lord''s situation and urgency in speak with Athena, Ella came up with an idea to help her gain the empress''s trust.


    Ella and Lucifer traveled for ten days at Ella''s insistence. Ella wanted to have an adventure and with her, made Lucifer limit her powers and strength in fights against monsters.


    After ten long days of fighting, walking and camping, they arrived in a dense and quiet forest. After a few hours of walking through the grove, she reached her destination.


    They were in front of a stone wall that had a grotto covered for vines and moss at its base. Excitement on her face, Ella ran into the cave, followed by an annoyed Lucifer.


    "I can already feel the mana that has an abundance of holy element, it is deeper." Ella''s voice echoed off the rocky walls.


    "Wouldn''t it be easier to destroy everything around, take what we want and leave?" Lucifer asked.


    "It would be easier, but what''s the fun in do it, where''s your adventure sense?" Ella said as she squeezed herself between two stone walls.


    "I don''t pass there..."


    "Why- Ahˇ­" Ella looked at her tiny breasts and Lucifer''s big breasts and frowned. "Why don''t you pull them out?"


    "Why don''t you fill yours with ice?"


    "Tsk!"


    "I''ll wait outside..."


    "Okay, I''ll be right back." Ella said to Lucifer''s back. "What I don''t do to kill my boredom..."


    Ella went through the entire cave, dodging rocks, flying over holes, crouching and squishing between boulders.


    All this was just for the fun of the adventure that she could only have if she limited what she could do and, of course, create a means of interaction between Athena and Lucifer, that could lead to something even more interesting for her.


    "If Lucifer is telling the truth, her brother''s death could bring Asherah''s husband here and I could see a battle to the death between gods." Ella could barely contain herself with such anxiety and excitement. "It''s a shame that Athena''s death is almost concrete if that happens."


    After some more time dodging rocks, flying or jumping over deep holes and squishing between stone walls, Ella found what she was looking for.


    Amidst a pile of stones, a clear golden crystal shimmered amid the cold darkness at the back of the cave.


    "I found you." Ella''s voice echoed happily.


    In front of the dragon, inside the crystal, Lhia slept. Ella''s plan was to make Lucifer give Lhia to Athena and thus create a bond and debt between Athena and the demon lord.


    Ella was about to change the course of everything that was happening, not even knowing what was happening.


    ***


    In the northernmost lands of the floating continent, in the kingdom of Veand, Theik¨®s was at last prepared to depart. She no longer felt that strange dragon''s presence, but she imagined that if she headed south, at some point she would run into him.


    Theik¨®s and Elanor were in the castle garden. The snow was falling slowly, but still a frosty white carpet covered the lawn that was freezing to death that night summer.


    The cold air was almost comforting to the dragon who felt her shoulders lighter and her heart fluttering with anxiety.


    "Well this is a goodbye." Theik¨®s told Elanor as she turned to face the king.


    "No, Theik¨®s, this is a ''see you soon''." Disagreed the king with a smirk, as if he wanted to remind Theik¨®s of her blood oath.


    He was totally against the dragon''s departure. That''s because just with her presence there, it was like having an invisible shield that protected them from invasions from neighboring kingdoms.


    Furthermore, he had failed to impregnate her and generate a strong heir like the conquering king of the past.


    However, even dissatisfied and opposed to the departure of the woman, the king could do nothing. She was a dragon and even if she was bound by an oath for another two hundred years, she would do what she wanted, even if it cost her her life.


    Because that was her nature.


    As if reading the meaning of the man''s smile, Theik¨®s smiled arrogantly and without saying anything else, spread her wings and flew away, returning to her original form in mid-flight.


    ***


    This is a story from a long time ago. This story is about a girl, a young woman who has fallen from grace because of a goddess''s grudge.


    She, along with her three friends, ended a war that seemed to have no end and became one of the four heroes praised in songs and tales. But also became the symbol of tragedy and sadness to those who praised her. That''s because the same people she and her friends saved, she slaughtered and in a matter of days.


    Ytria''s body acted, destroying everything she encountered in her path and killing everyone who entered her field of vision, but in her mind Ytria screamed in agony and cried for every life she took.


    The woman only found peace when her friends stopped her. But even with a sword in her chest and crystallized in an eternal crystal coffin of mana, Ytria did not die, she could not die, Uran would not allow it.


    At least not until her anger didn''t calm down, which took a thousand years to happen.


    Eternalized in her prison, Ytria found herself freed from the influence of her powers, but after a thousand years of being constantly drowned by hateful feelings and agonizing sadness, Ytria herself had become a corrupted existence.


    From inside her prison, she was able to watch the outside world through the many mana crystals scattered all over the world.


    While peace, between wars of nations, reigned on the floating islands, monsters, demons and creatures of hell terrified those who had been left behind in the world below. Yreia took advantage of that.


    With whispers in the demons'' ears, the Tormentor ushered the world in another dark age again. This was true for both those who already lived in disgrace in the world below, as for those who lived glorious moments of peace between wars in the world created by Lhia.


    The world was soon drowned in chaos that lasted for nearly three thousand years. Demons and monsters became more active and constantly attacked towns and villages. But this time it was nothing impossible for the races to face and around the same time the immortals emerged, fighting with overwhelming force.


    The demons and monsters were soon brought under control with the help of the immortals who always came back from the deads as if they were just waking up from a brief sleep.


    However, this did not last long. Someone had found a way to descend to the world below and so thousands of immortals turned against the forces of good. With it, what was once only a handful of immortals in the demonic forces quickly became thousands.


    Ytria reveled in so much death and destruction she had wrought. She watched it and was so happy with everything that if she could move, she would dance.


    That was the only fun she had and every day was a plate full of a joy she hadn''t felt for a long time.


    However, there was something Ytria did not know. As she watched the world through the mana crystals, it was not her consciousness that she traveled through these crystals, but her soul. Because of that, she made a mistake.


    When trying to approach Asmodeus, who stood guard at the gates of hell, her soul was sucked from inside the crystal into hell.


    Hell was a strange dimension, where souls took forms, then were tortured and bathed in demonic energy that transmuted them into infernal creatures. But Ytria''s soul was already full of darkness and consequently, demonic energy, all that was left for her was to find her way back.


    However, like other things there, the course of time in hell was different. Ytria spent millennia and millennia in that place which she could not describe the appearance.


    Everything in hell changed every second. A mountain that was on the horizon, the moment you blink, could become a muddy sea of ??decaying souls. This made locating the exit even more difficult, which made Ytria get lost and go down several layers of hell until she saw a door and entered.


    She couldn''t afford to think twice and the door vanish. Ytria opened the door that was so hot that if she had meat, her hands would be ruined. As soon as she opened the door, she quickly jumped into the bluish light that the portal gleamed.


    In a room in the birthing ward of a hospital, a beautiful, smiling woman held a pretty, red-haired little girl in her arms.


    "Her name is going to be Helena." Said the woman with a smile full of love.. "My little and beloved Helena."

 Chapter 105 - Between Saints - The Mother

    Lucifer was waiting for Ella in front of the cave when she heard the noise of stones being destroyed and then footsteps echoing from the cave.


    Ella had been carrying a crystal twice her size over her right shoulder as she dusted off her black dress.


    "What was that noise?"


    "I had to break some rocks to get through."


    "And all that talk about a sense of adventure?" Lucifer asked with a mocking smile.


    "Exception to the cause." Ella replied, waving her hand as if to ward off the subject and placed the crystal on the floor, which sank a little into the damp earth.


    "So this is the gift I should give your queen?"


    "She is not my queen." Ella said and turned to the crystal, seeing that Lhia was upside down. "And yes, this is the gift that will make Athena owe you one."


    "Are you sure about that?" Lucifer asked with an incredulous look. "I don''t see why anyone stronger than you would want something like this..."


    "She fed off the evil part of this thing, so I think she''s going to want the other part for balance."


    "What if you''re wrong?"


    "I''m almost never wrong." Ella said with her chest puffed out. "Now, let''s go. This place has done its job."


    "We''re not walking back, are we?"


    "For my father, no! The portal to the floating islands is a long way from here." Ella said and right there became a huge white dragon. (Let''s fly.)


    ***


    Athena was lying on her bed with Anemus and Mifa on either side of her. She looked up at the white ceiling and was so dispersed as she thought about Foti¨˘, and wanting more power to protect those she loved, that she didn''t hear Mifa speak to her.


    "Huh? What did you say?"


    "Are you sure you don''t want to wake Faena up so you can hear the rest of the story?" Mifa repeated in her husky, sleepy voice.


    "Yeah." Athena said pulling the bed sheet that molded to the body of Mifa who was on her stomach. "I can talk to her tomorrow. Hm? Why are you naked?"


    "I was too tired to wear anything..." Mifa said and gave a slight smile under her hair.


    It was summer and the air was hot and muggy to the point where they left the windows open both during the day and at night to let the wind in and cool the room.


    "Want to take advantage of you being naked and make love to me?" Athena asked purring in Mifa''s ear who wagged her tail excitedly. "Hm? Shall we do, please? I need to relax after such a tiring day."


    "Don''t you dare, I want to sleep." Anemus said with a pillow over her head.


    Mifa raised her head, gave Athena a sweet kiss on the lips, who tried to stick her tongue in the girl''s mouth, but Mifa pulled away again.


    She opened a smile that made Athena even more excited and supported her head with her right hand as she lifted the sheet, showing her slightly defined and luscious body to Athena.


    "Are you going to keep teasing me like this?" Athena asked.


    "You wouldn''t dare embrace me when Anemus told us not to."


    Athena looked back to where Anemus was trying to sleep and covered the fairy with a {Field of Silence}.


    It was a spell used for espionage. Normally whoever was covered by this spell would not make any sound or be noticed, but Athena quickly changed the formula in her mind, making Anemus unable to hear any sound or feel any movement about the bed.


    "There, now she won''t mind." Athena said with a mischievous smile on her lips and hugged Mifa who accepted her with open arms.


    The two made love again and again until dawn arrived and Mifa could no longer move and fell into a pleasant sleep.


    Athena undid the magic she had cast on Anemus and kissed the face of the girl who slept peacefully and hugged the two women she loved so much, Athena slept.


    The other day, after breakfast, Athena was in her room with Faena, Mifa and Anemus. Faena told her everything she knew about Gion''s possible motives.


    The girl also scolded and complained to Athena for not having listened to her.


    "I begged you to leave me in the crystal!" Faena said.


    "Begged?" Athena raised an eyebrow, trying to remember Faena pleading. "No, I''m sure you didn''t say anything."


    "And now that you know the possible reasons for the saints'' quarrel, what do you intend to do, Athena?" Mifa asked.


    Athena was silent for a moment, considering the options for action she could take, and then she said. "I will take Lhia''s powers and the powers of this Ytria."


    "Huh?!" Faena exclaimed, incredulous at what she had just heard. "Are you crazy? Ytria has endless power!"


    "Just what I need."


    Anemus looked at Athena with a worried look, which caught Mifa''s attention.


    "Why do you wear this expression?"


    "It''s just something that''s been bothering me..." Anemus replied and looked at Athena. "Athena, are you worried about what I told you about Foti¨˘? It''s no use hiding it, I saw the face you made when I left you alone in the conference room."


    "I''m worried." Athena admitted bluntly. "Soon I will be facing gods and I''m afraid I won''t be able to protect you all."


    "What are you talking about?" Anemus asked along with Faena.


    "This was something from two years ago, when Athena was unconscious for weeks." Mifa said. "She said she was with a sealed goddess and... The rest I don''t quite understand."


    "I''ve found Uran, the goddess of the end. She''s sealed up somewhere down there and I''m going to set her free."


    "Why?" Faena asked.


    "Is there a goddess of the end? The end of what?"


    "Answering Faena, why I want to. I''m friends with her and I have a promise with her. And yes, there is, Anemus. I think that she would be the goddess of the end of all things."


    "Wait! After I heard Gion say that Faena and Lhia are just ''dolls'', I did a lot of research on the gods in Gion''s library, but I''ve never read anything about an goddess of the end."


    "It''s more common to call her the goddess of destruction than of the end."


    They spent the entire morning discussing Athena''s decision, but nothing changed. Athena was determined to get more power and release Uran, making Anemus stop trying to dissuade her and also start wanting to get stronger.


    After that, Athena was left alone in her room. Mifa went to exercise, as she always did in the morning, Anemus went to the library and Faena...


    Well, Faena was getting her chance to be a child.


    "Ella, how much longer do you intend to stay hidden?" Athena asked as she sat at the table.


    "Eh? How?" Ella asked as she appeared at the window. "I erased my presence. How did you notice me?"


    ***


    Anemus was apprehensive about Athena''s plans. The reason for this was because even after becoming a fairy, she hadn''t developed the powers she should now have.


    She feared getting in Athena''s way and being just her lover''s weakness in the battles to come.


    Anemus searched the books for what could be causing this deficiency in her powers, but there was nothing in the books.


    No matter how much she searched, she found nothing about her own race.


    All that was known about fairies was that they were ancient creatures. They were older than the world, as were dragons and giants.


    They had come to live in this world after its creation and were reclusive creatures who never left their territories. Only acting in the world on rare occasions, like the death of one of them.


    "What I''ll do?" Anemus wondered when she heard a soft voice speaking directly in her mind.


    (What is the reason for so much distress?)


    "Huh?"


    Anemus got up quickly, bumping into the table, causing several stacked books to fall and looked around wide-eyed and startled.


    (Calm down child, I''m talking to you telepathically.)


    "W-who are you?"


    (I am Yggdrazil, the queen, the mother, the goddess of all fairies and fairy creatures.)


    Anemus frowned. She wondered why someone like Yggdrazil was communicating with her and raised her vigilance to the limit.


    "What does someone like you want with me?"


    (...) Yggdrazil made a brief silence and then sighed. (There is no need to be so distrustful of one of your own people. One of your own family.)


    "Family?"


    (I am the mother of all fairies. Even though you were not born to me, you are also my daughter.)


    "Uh-huh..." Anemus trailed off almost in mockery. "So ''mommy'' what do you want with me?"


    (Child, you are incomplete.)


    "Huh?"


    (Didn''t you feel something missing in you?)


    "..."


    (Your connection to the earth, the wind, nature... You don''t have it. Come to me so I can fix what''s wrong with you.)


    "And what''s wrong with me?"


    (You weren''t born a fairy and the mana inside you... It''s dirty.)


    Anemus frowned even more. Her face was so wrinkled that she would easily be mistaken for a angry ogre. That''s cause was Yggdrazil saying that the mana that was inside her, Athena''s mana, was dirty.


    To Anemus it was the same as saying that Athena was dirty and she didn''t like it.


    "This is the mana of the woman I love!" Roared Anemus in a growl. "If it''s to get this mana out of me, I don''t need your help!"


    (...)


    "What? Got your tongue out?"


    (Do you intend to stay with this mana even though it is corrupting you and preventing you from growing and becoming complete?)


    "I will find my own way!"


    (...)


    Yggdrazil was perplexed by the young fairy''s attitude. No one would ever dare to speak to her in such a way, not even the proud dragons. But here was the first person who treated her as if she were an equal, and while she felt respect for Anemus, she felt sad.


    She knew that that young woman, Anemus, had no future as she was. The mana fouled by the element of darkness stained Anemus and made even the wind that loved her so much to reject and drift away from her.


    Yggdrazil had to save Anemus, it was a mother''s duty, and so she took drastic action.


    Anemus was still searching for the owner of the voice in her mind when in the middle of the library she saw fingers stretching out of nowhere, then hands, and arms.


    Suddenly Anemus felt a weight on her body and she couldn''t move as those hands came towards her as a gentle smile also appeared lonely in the air, causing tenebrous shivers in Anemus who screamed.

 Chapter 106 - Between Saints - Ravel

    The morning was calm as it always has been in the palace. Well, at least until Ella arrived, everything was in perfect calm despite everything that was happening around.


    "Seriously, what''s the limit of your abilities?" Ella asked while pouting like an annoyed child.


    "It''s not a skill, you just leak mana like a broken faucet."


    "Faucet?" Ella turned her head with interest. "What is a faucet?"


    "Forget it. What did you come for?" Athena asked as she turned her eyes to some documents Mifa had left behind.


    "I went on an adventure for you and just got back."


    "??" Athena cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? I vividly remember a powerful presence arriving in Basilian and you spent all day wandering around town and then you went off somewhere."


    "Eh?! Did you feel her too?!"


    The moment Lucifer set foot on Basilian, Athena, who was working on the affairs of the empire, noticed her presence. But since she was with Ella, she figured it would be someone the dragon knew and didn''t mind as much despite keeping her vigilance active the entire time the presence was in town.


    "Who was that person?"


    Ella pondered it with a frown and then smirked. "She''s someone I want to introduce you to."


    "I don''t like that smile. What are you up to?"


    "Nothing..." Ella looked away as she sipped Athena''s apple juice and then looked back at Athena. "She''s someone who needs help. Her brother is chasing her."


    "And I imagine her brother is as strong as sheˇ­"


    "He is stronger than me." Lucifer responded by appearing in the window.


    Surprised, Athena looked at the woman who had black hair and intense red eyes. Unlike the day Ella had left on her adventure, Athena felt nothing coming from the woman.


    "No need to be on guard with me. As that dragon said, I want your help." Lucifer said as she noticed the mana flow suddenly change and gather around Athena.


    Athena saw the sincerity in the woman''s gaze, yet she couldn''t blindly trust someone unknown when she was at such a critical time as now.


    That woman could be sent by either Gion or Asherah. Being taken by surprise by either of them could be fatal and Athena could no longer take risks when Foti¨˘''s life was also at stake if something happened to her.


    Athena kept her guard up and Lucifer sighed.


    "Alright, allow me to introduce myself." Lucifer approached Athena with her hand raised towards the woman, but the hand was not accepted, causing Lucifer to blush slightly and clear her throat in her closed hand. "My name is Lucifer, the Morning Star."


    Athena looked coldly at Ella, who devoured cookie after cookie as she kept close eyes on Athena and Lucifer.


    "What?" Ella asked with her mouth full.


    "Are you making fun of me?" Athena asked in an cold tone.


    "??"


    "You read my mind a while ago and now you''re using some of the otherworldly legends to tease me, right?" Athena asked and Ella cocked her head to the side in confusion.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Ella replied. "I met this woman a few days ago in the tavern on the avenue behind the fair. She is a demon lord."


    "That reactionˇ­ are you from my father''s world?" Lucifer asked.


    "Huh? Your father?" Athena looked at Lucifer. "Ah! Yes- No, wait! Are you serious? Are you that Lucifer?"


    "Yes." Lucifer reaffirmed. "I am Lucifer the archangel."


    "..." Athena furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes. "You weren''t supposed to be a man?"


    "!!" Lucifer widened her eyes at the unexpected question and then gave a hearty laugh. The ones that make you breathless and have pain in your sides. "With everything in human history about me, are you worried about it?!"


    "A devil or an archangel at this point is no big deal." Athena responded with disinterest. "What do you want with me?"


    "Straight to the point, huh..." Lucifer pulled out a chair and sat at the table next to Athena and Ella. "I want your help to kill my brother."


    "..." Athena narrowed her eyes further, staring into the woman''s red eyes. "Why?"


    "Huh?"


    "Why do you want to kill your brother?" Athena asked. "Besides, which one are we talking about? You have several..."


    "I want to kill him because he set me up after what he didˇ­" Lucifer frowned with a humiliated look. "He caused my downfall so he wouldn''t get punished for what he did to me."


    Lucifer started to tell her story, but then a shriek calling for Athena echoed through the palace and Athena ran, through closed doors and walls until she reached the library, where Anemus was standing ecstatic.


    "Anemus!" Athena screamed, but she didn''t respond.


    Athena could see the cause for the lack of response. As if it were floating in midair, two arms reached out and touched Anemus on her head and chest.


    (Hm? Who is this chimera?) Asked Yggdrazil, who did not let go of Anemus. (Part god, part dragon, part demon and part human, no... part high-human! The disgusting race that took and defiled thousands of my daughters!)


    Her floating lips curled down in disgust as she uttered several curses, but her hands still held onto Anemus.


    Athena quickly crossed the space between Anemus and herself, but when she tried to touch Anemus, the fairy was intangible and was beginning to turn translucent.


    (Stay away from my daughter!) Yelled Yggdrazil and a wave of energy came out of her mouth and hit Athena who responded with a wave just as powerful.


    "Your daughter? She is my woman! Who are you?"


    (I am Yggdrazil, the queen and mother of all fairies. Now that you know who I am, step aside, you filthy thing! I will cleanse my daughter of this evil mana.)


    "Yggdrazil?" Athena ground her teeth. "Get your hands off her now or I''ll make Anemus the last fairy in this world."


    Yggdrazil looked at Athena. The woman''s green eyes gleaming intensely as the mana circulated fiercely in her body, signaling the use of magic or skill in her eyes.


    Yggdrazil laughed.


    The queen was sitting on her throne in the forest of the green dragon clan and she thought it would be impossible for Athena to locate her, and even if she did, she couldn''t touch her for two reasons.


    The dragons would not allow it and she was the queen of the faeries. Before Athena could reach her, she would have to pass an army.


    Well, this was all just what Yggdrazil believed, as the reality was different.


    Athena wasn''t looking for Yggdrazil, she was looking for ripples, openings in the magic Yggdrazil was using to manifest there, to take control of it.


    When she finished doing what was necessary and found the opening. Athena walked past Anemus and thrust her arm into the ripple between the floating arms, and Yggdrazil had no chance of reaction.


    Athena snatched her from her throne, bringing Anemus, who fell to her knees as Yggdrazil, who was pulled into the library, released her because of the surprise that was taking over her mind.


    Athena was furious to the point that she lost a little of the control over her mana that was spreading everywhere, making the place vibrate and the ground crack.


    Platinum horns grew from her head and curved back like a crown, her teeth sharpened, scales spread over her skin, and around her body gleamed a dark blue layer of mana that rippled with ferocity.


    "I warned." Athena said in a noisy voice and threatening. "Now you''re going to pay the price for touching someone you shouldn''t!"


    "W-whoˇ­ what are you?" Yggdrazil asked as she tried to free herself from Athena''s grasp as her wings fluttering in frenzy.


    Athena pulled the woman closer. The kaleidoscopic-haired, thin-faced, rainbow-eyed woman struggled, but unlike her concentration of mana, her strength was truly miserable.


    "Dead don''t need information!" Athena said and grabbed the fairy''s neck as she tried to free herself at all costs.


    Yggdrazil cast several other spells on Athena, causing lightning and distorted waves of mana to spread through the library, but Athena had covered Anemus and herself with a powerful shield that even Yggdrazil was unaware of.


    The fairy was starting to lose consciousness when Anemus interfered. "Don''t kill her, Athena!"


    "Huh? But..."


    "I screamed because I was scared and couldn''t move, but she wasn''t hurting me!"


    Anemus explained what was happening to Athena and as she understood the situation.


    Athena, with a complicated expression, loosened her grip around Yggdrazil''s neck.


    Yggdrazil was replacing the dark mana that was in Anemus with pure mana which had the element of wind and this, even if forcefully, was helping Anemus to be complete.


    "Why didn''t you tell me my mana was hurting you?" Athena asked with a complicated look.


    "There''s so much going on that I didn''t want you to worry about one more..."


    "How would I not worry? I want to worry when it comes to one of you three! Let me worry?" Athena said and hugged Anemus. "If my mana is bad for you, throw it away!"


    "Butˇ­Mifa has your mana in her andˇ­" Anemus said through her lips, almost in a growl.


    In the end, that was what it was about. Anemus didn''t want to lose the mana Athena gave her and just like Mifa, have a part of Athena inside her.


    Yggdrazil, who was massaging her own neck with a pained expression on her face, looked at the two woman and couldn''t understand it all.


    (Anemus is a fairy who had someone''s mana inside her? How was that possible? Is that what she meant at the time? That this mana was from the woman she loves?)


    The fairies and nymphs who fell into darkness in the past did so of their own free will, using dark and demonic magic, becoming imps, succubi and even erinyes.


    (But how?)


    It didn''t make sense to Yggdrazil that one could implant mana in another being.


    (That shouldn''t be possible unless...) Yggdrazil''s eyes widened. "What god are you?"


    "Huh?" Athena and Anemus looked at Yggdrazil and Athena asked. "What are you talking about?"


    "It''s no use hiding, I can see your divine part, but I can''t identify which god." Yggdrazil rose from the ground where she had fallen when Athena released her. "I''ve seen thousands of gods and with the exception of the gods out of nowhere, I could identify the essence of all of them, but you... You are a mixture of so many things.... What are you?


    At that moment, dozens of knights in heavy armor, Serien, Mifa and Hercules appeared in the library after following the trail of destruction left by Athena. But none of them said anything, with the exception of one voice that came from behind the crowd.


    "I would like to know too." Lucifer said as she pushed her way through the people along with Ella. "I didn''t say anything before because we''re just getting to know each other. Initially I thought you were just a mutated dragon, but..." Lucifer narrowed her eyes. "You have other things in you..."


    "What kind?"


    "Essence of creation, something that borders on omniscience, demonic power, draconic power, power of the end and essence of two worlds... Are you trying to ascend to a primordial goddess? Your soul is old enough, it just needs some more power... Maybe if you devour this world, you''ll get stronger than-"


    "I don''t want to devour this world, I like it." Athena said, interrupting Lucifer. "I will get strong by another method."


    "Ah, Ella told me about Faena and Lhia. Here." Lucifer raised her hand and from her palm came a mana crystal with a more mature version of Faena. "You... What is this face?"


    "Helena?" Athena was pale at the sight of the familiar face trapped in the crystal.


    ***


    Far from Basilian, in the castle in the desert, Gion was admiring Ytria in her eternal sleep. The crystal the woman was in had new cracks from where expelled dense white mana.


    "Soon we''ll see each other again." Gion said with a longing look.


    Behind the druid, Neu and Eun tended to an inert Nimo, with a static gaze.


    They always wondered if Gion would abandon them when Ytria returned, but even so they remained faithful to the man who gave them life.


    The women were busy brushing Nimo''s long silky hair when they heard Gion scream.


    "Athena! What are you doing?" Gion stared into space as he shouted those words. "No! Stop! You can''t! You don''t know what you''re doing! No!"


    Gion plucked his staff out of nowhere and disappeared em um feixe de luz azul, leaving behind worried Neu and Eun.

 Chapter 107 - Between Saints - Fairies, Dragons And Gods

    Athena left Anemus'' arms and with a complicated expression touched the crystal that reacted as if it gave off sparks to Athena''s touch.


    "What is Helena doing in this place?"


    Ella approached with a confused expression. "What are you talking about? This is Lhia!"


    "Huh? But, this face..."


    Lhia had the same delicate and gentle face than Helena. They were exactly the same except for the hair that while Lhia was blonde, Helena was red-haired. But that was too little for the moment, it was as if Athena was looking into the past, into a good part of it.


    "I don''t know what you''re thinking, but this is Lhia for sure." Ella reaffirmed.


    "How did you know I wanted Lhia?" Athena looked at Lucifer and then at Ella. "Never mind, Ella must have said something unnecessary..."


    "Hey!" Ella complained. "I brought Lhia to you, didn''t I?"


    "Not." Athena replied. "You gave Lhia to her and I imagine to make me feel indebted and help her."


    Ella looked away quickly and disguised running to a book she pretended to recognize with false nostalgia.


    "Call Faena." Athena said and looked at the crowd there. "What''s up? Go to work! Didn''t you see the chaos the palace is in? Serien, call some masons to repair the walls, buy... You know what to do."


    Serien gave a brief smile and along with the knights, disappeared through the corridors of the palace, leaving only Athena, Mifa, Anemus, Yggdrazil, Lucifer, Ella and Hercules there.


    Athena looked at Hercules and raised an eyebrow. "What you want?"


    "That woman in the crystal, she''s a goddess, isn''t she?" Hercules asked.


    Athena looked at Lhia and then turned her eyes to the young man. "She is not."


    "Athena, don''t lie to me, I read in some books-"


    "Heh? Did you learn basilican that quickly?" Athena said with legitimate surprise. "Very well."


    Hercules blushed slightly at the praise, showing how young he really was. "I... I had help from Lunnia and Malana."


    "Wow! Malana already knows basilican to the point of teaching? Mifa, please remind me to hire some good teachers for this girl, I don''t want to lose such a talent."


    Mifa, who had sat down on a table close to all the mess, smiled as she nodded. She was just watching so she could better understand what was going on, as the place had two new people in there that she didn''t know.


    "Wa- Athena you changed the subject!" Hercules complained. "I read in some books that this woman is a goddess."


    "And I''m saying it isn''t!" Athena snapped. "Besides, so what if she''s a goddess? I''ll absorb her completely, nothing will be left of her!"


    "You will do what?!" Hercules asked with indignation. "Are you listening to yourself? She''s a person!"


    "No, she is not." Faena said when she arrived at the place. "She is a prototype of a divine herald. Just like me, a poorly made imitation."


    "What do you mean?" Hercules asked.


    "You do not need to know." Athena said. "Anyway, what are you doing here? A guest shouldn''t be meddling in the host''s affairs."


    "But Athena, if she is a divine herald, she can ask her god to take us back!" Hercules insisted and Athena''s gaze on the young man was so cold it sent shivers down his spine.


    "Is that all you want to talk about?" Mifa asked as she got up and walked towards the young man when she realized that Athena''s patience was running out. She touched Hercules on the shoulder and then whispered. "Leave or you will die."


    Hercules looked at the crystal and reluctantly turned his back on the people there and walked away.


    "Soˇ­" Faena said after the silence that had stayed in place with Hercules'' departure. "How are you going to absorb this bitch?"


    "Aren''t you angry or at least against it?"


    "Why would I?"


    "Isn''t she your sister?" Athena asked.


    "Technically, yes. But she and I have nothing like a fraternal relationship. I doubt she would see me as a sister if she were released."


    "Hm..." Athena watched the crystal for a moment. "That remind me why I called you."


    "??"


    "Is she really Lhia?"


    Faena frowned confusedly at Athena''s question and looked at the crystal where a more adult, more beautiful, and clearer version of herself was imprisoned. "Yes, it''s Lhia."


    "Then why does she have the same face as someone I met in the other world?"


    "Another world?" Faena, tilting her head, asked with a funny expression. She looked at Anemus and Mifa and asked. "Did she hit her head?"


    "Just answer..." Mifa said shaking her head.


    "How would I know? I''m practically fifteen days old."


    "..."


    "After all, who are these people?" Faena, looking at Lucifer and Yggdrazil, asked.


    "That''s the fairy queen, Yggdrazil, and that''s Lucifer over there. She''s one of the demon lords who came out through the gates of hell you opened." Athena said and Lucifer smiled amiably at Faena, while Yggdrazil turned her face away with revulsion in her eyes.


    After that, Athena made Yggdrazil explain everything she would do with Anemus and patiently waited for the fairy queen to do the entire mana replacement process on Anemus.


    The result was quick.


    Anemus'' hair returned to its original colors in moments, and when she opened her eyes, it was green like newly formed leaves on the branches of a young plant.


    These changes meant that Anemus was complete as a fairy.


    Now she was a real wind fairy and being a wind fairy, she could take mana from the wind and so would never run out of mana. She could cast spells at will, as long as her mind bore the burden the act caused.


    After finishing what she had to do, Yggdrazil looked at Athena, still repulsed, and disappeared as if she had never been there, reluctantly leaving Anemus behind.


    "Now that we''ve got rid of a problem, let''s get to it." Athena said and took the crystal.


    "Wait!" Lucifer said. "If you are accepting the crystal, can I understand that you will help me?"


    Athena stopped and thought for a moment. She hadn''t heard Lucifer''s reasons for wanting to kill her brother, but it didn''t matter either. Athena was considering something else.


    "Before that, stop hiding your power." Athena said.


    Lucifer looked at Ella who just smirked and sighed, letting her mana flow naturally again and as soon as she did, Athena could see the extent of Lucifer''s powers.


    The demon lord''s mana spread out and weighed everyone there as if gravity had grown stronger, making everyone but Athena and Ella practically bend over.


    Athena was dazzled and surprised by so much power. (If her brother is stronger than she is, it will be like fighting a god.)


    Looking at Athena''s reaction, Lucifer smiled and suppressed her power so it wouldn''t affect others. "Are you going to help this fallen goddess get rid of her wicked brother?"


    "It will be a good workout." Athena said and with the crystal over her shoulder she started to walk towards the exit but then stopped. "Goddess?"


    "Hm?" Goddess?" Ella repeated and looked at Lucifer.


    Anemus, Mifa and Faena who followed Athena also looked at Lucifer with a complicated and confused expression, thinking they had heard wrong.


    "Yes." Lucifer said. "What else would be the daughter of gods?"


    "Wait. Aren''t you an angel?" Athena asked with her eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    "Angels are lesser gods." Said Lucifer.


    With Lucifer explaining how the divine beings worked as they followed Athena out of town.


    "There is a god above all, but he has neither conscience nor will, making the primordial gods the existences that are above all." Lucifer said, signaling with her hands what he was saying. "My parents were primordial gods until they parted."


    "Alone they are not primordial?"


    "No. They are incomplete."


    "Why?"


    "Well... Before they parted, Asherah and Yahweh, or Jehovah for those of the other world, were part of a pantheon..."


    In that pantheon there were four great gods, three kings and a queen, Asherah and her three husbands.


    The four together formed a single god, which was called the primordial god. This god had power over everything that existed and knew everything that exist, existed and could come to exist.


    "He was perfect but..."


    Normally, primordial gods were made up of pairs rather than quadruplets. They were born together, lived together and completed each other as a whole to give rise to a new existence.


    However, with the four it had been different.


    There was a time when a other world in that dimension also had abundant magic. In that world, two brothers, from an extinct race, managed to ascend to divinity in a dimension where gods did not yet exist.


    "Wait, so who created life and things if there wasn''t a god?" Anemus asked.


    "Haven''t you ever heard the phrase ''There is no god more beautiful than infinity''?" Lucifer replied.


    "So there was a god in that dimension! Infinity."


    "Not." Lucifer denied it. "Infinity is a god without consciousness. He creates dimensions, universes, stars and planets, but he does not create life. He is like mana, an energy."


    "How did life come about then?" Athena asked. "And what are the gods?"


    "Life is a mystery that only the first god could answer and already what we are..." Lucifer thought of a convincing way to answer. "We are fragments of infinity and this is not just true for the gods."


    "This whole explanation has come to nothingˇ­" Athena grumbled.


    "How could you not understand?" Lucifer complained. "I explained it in a way any mortal would understand!"


    "Maybe that''s why no one likes you in the other worldˇ­" Athena said softly and even though she heard it, Lucifer ignored it.


    "Continuing..."


    At the same time that the brothers ascended to divinity, Asherah and Yahweh were born to them. Perhaps something went wrong in their ascension and from one came Asherah and from the other came Yahweh.


    "Why are you telling your parents'' birth story?" Athena interrupted, lost in history. "I just wanted to knowˇ­" Athena frowned suddenly. "What did I really want to know? Oh yes! Why your parents weren''t primordial gods."


    Lucifer snorted and continued her explanation, giving up on Athena.


    The two new gods tried to become a primordial one, but failed, just as Asherah and Yahweh tried and failed. They failed a number of times and whenever they failed, they wreaked havoc on the universe, leading many planets, even the planet they were born, to destruction.


    This kept happening until Asherah got an idea. Since the four were interconnected, she suggested that the four try to become one and thus the primordial god of that dimension emerged.


    Asherah became the wife of the three gods and together they ruled that dimension.


    However, Yahweh wanted Asherah all to himself. Yahweh convinced Asherah that it would be better for just the two of them to exist as gods in that dimension and together they plotted and killed the two other gods.


    "So they can''t complete each other even if they''re together?"


    "Exactly. They killed the other two that were key parts for them to form a primordial. With that..."


    Yahweh impregnated Asherah several times trying to emulate the power of creation from a primordial, but only great and lesser gods were born, which waned their powers.


    "In all, there are a thousand children, great and lesser gods." Lucifer said. "I am a lesser goddess of light."


    "And Death?" Athena asked curiously.


    "She is a lesser goddess of the end."


    "Huh? Lesser Goddess? So Uran..."


    "Uran is a great goddess of the end." Lucifer stated. "She is an existence that could kill even Asherah and Yahweh. How do you know about her? Since I arrived in this world, I tried to find her to help me, but I couldn''t."


    "She was sealed by her mother and I want to set her free." Athena said and then stopped when she noticed an awkward silence. "What''s up?"


    "Has she been sealed?" Lucifer asked. "Why?"


    "Do you want to release that neurotic?" Ella asked. "Why?"


    Anemus and Mifa just looked at each other and shrugged. They would follow Athena even in death and no matter who they came to confront, they would fight alongside Athena to the very end.


    "She said she was sealed for having destroyed some cities while trying to gain Asherah''s attention and I''m going to release her because I''m her friend and I made her a promise that I would make Asherah apologize."


    "Are you crazy? She lied!" Ella said. "In a fit of possessive jealousy, she has erased out half of this planet. We dragons have rebuilt everything as it was. Imagine what she''ll do after she''s released!"


    "What do you mean with it? She''s a good girl."


    "Uran was born with the twisted essence of Asherah and Yahweh. She''s everything bad they both have, but at the same time, she''s also the better of the two." Lucifer explained. "If she now has a friend in you, I doubt she would destroy the world you live in. But I also doubt that Asherah will let you free her easily."


    "That''s why I need power." Athena said.


    After a few more minutes of walking, they were outside Basilian''s walls. Athena, moved away from all the others, placed the crystal on the ground and transformed into her draconic form.


    After a long time with the knowledge of the Akashic Records, Athena had several ideas on how to acquire more power, but they all had some kind of consequences and at this point, she couldn''t take any risk.


    So the only option left was to expand her existence. She would slowly grow until have enough power to face the gods. Well, if she had to choose, she would rather not have to face any gods and hoped the gods would choose that too.


    "What are you going to do now?" Mifa asked. "Absorbing someone must be quite different than what you did with the world''s mana and Faena''s powers."


    (Yes, the only way I can absorb Lhia is like this.)


    Athena opened her mouth and in a single bite, swallowed Lhia in her crystal, leaving everyone present surprised by Athena''s choice.


    All the girls had a different reaction. Ella laughed, Faena just widened her eyes and shivered at the thought that this could have happened to her, Lucifer made a confused expression, Anemus sighed and Mifa gaped.


    "By ''absorb'' you mean digest?" Mifa asked in a shaky voice, worried that this could harm Athena. "Spit it out, Athena, it''ll hurt you!"


    "It''s all right!" Ella said through laughter. "Everything a dragon eats is nutrient. Everything is absorbed to strengthen the body and with that concentration of mana, Athena will get exactly what she wanted."


    As Ella said this, Athena curled up in a huddle of scales and closed her eyes as golden runic patterns appeared all over her body.


    "What is that?" Anemus asked with an aggrieved expression.


    "Eh? I don''t know." Ella replied. "This never happened to me."


    "Faena!"


    "I don''t know either, the seal has more to do with the soul than the flesh." Faena made a complicated expression. "But it looks like she won''t move for a while."


    "So..." Mifa tooke off her dress, getting naked right there and transforming. ""We''ll protect her until it''s over."


    The instant Mifa finished saying that, between them and Athena, Gion appeared in a pale beam of light.


    ***


    Theik¨®s was in Meridian, the capital of Mizhar, looking for news about the dragon that had been there.


    The city was in turmoil, greedy merchants shouted their wares to the people who worked hard to rebuild their city that had just survived an Armageddon.


    Theik¨®s had just arrived in town and was in a newly rebuilt with hand rammed earth tavern.


    As the only entire tavern in the capital, the place was always packed. There were men standing, leaning against the wall of mud and hay, and sitting on the dirt floor as drinking in laughing groups.


    Some women who were there, wearing few clothes, allowed themselves to be groped, kissed and other services in exchange for a few copper coins.


    The women were young and beautiful, and each of them shared the same story, and did that kind of work for lack of choice.


    Os homens, aqueles que n?o conseguiam empregos comuns ou n?o foram embora, ou n?o se tornaram bandidos, se tornavam aventureiros mesmo sem habilidade para tal coisa. Desde a destrui??o da cidade, dezenas deles morreram em trabalhos imposs¨Şveis para eles.


    They had families to support.


    This was the new reality Athena had forced upon the people that lived in that city.


    However, that didn''t matter to the dragon who visited the city following in the footsteps of her much-desired husband.


    Theik¨®s, who wore a simple blue summer dress, attracted the attention of men for her beauty and despite her noble appearance, she was easily mistaken for one of the prostitutes who were in the tavern.


    "Sorry, but we''re not taking any more hookers here. We''re already out of rooms." Said the tavern keeper with a long thick mustache and thin eyes.


    "I didn''t come here to let that little men copulate with me in exchange for some stupid pieces of metal." The woman with two longs blue braids replied and looked at the people in the tavern with contempt.


    "Gyahahahaha!" Laughed a skinny man with a nose so red as his cheeks. The man reeked of alcohol so much that even the pretty brunette on his lap had a disgusted expression on her face. "Look at her fine clothes, she''s a noblewoman. Even if she was starving, a noblewoman would never bed a commoner like us, Tucal!"


    The man pushed the woman off of him and, unsteadily, walked to the bar of the tavern, making the wood of the tavern counter moan as he braced himself on it, beside Theik¨®s.


    "Information? What information?" Asked Tucal, the tavern keeper, glancing irritably at the drunk.


    "I want to know where the dragon that attacked this city came from and to where him have gone." Theik¨®s said, not caring about the drunk that was now messing with her braids.


    "Dlagon?" the drunk asked with his tongue curled. "I know where he ish!" The man sniffed the perfume in Theik¨®s'' hair and let out a sigh with a delirious smile.


    "Efir, stop it." Tucal ordered.


    "It''s all right." Theikos said. "You said you know where he is, tell me."


    "I will say." Efir caught Theik¨®s'' chin and lifted his little face. "If you kiss me with your gentle, noble lips."


    At that moment, everyone in the tavern laughed out loud, but the laughs were short-lived. It only rest until Theik¨®s felt the dragon''s presence again, coming from farther west, like if it was a call.


    The faces of the people in the tavern paled as they saw Theik¨®s'' eyes gleam and long horns the color of lapis lazuli protruded from the sides of the woman''s head.


    Theik¨®s smiled at Efir. "Unfortunately, you''re no longer useful."


    "Eh?"


    Suddenly, the tavern was in chaos with the screams of whores and drunks running in panic through the tavern''s narrow doors and windows.


    In the hands of a smiling Theik¨®s, Efir''s head looked like a new toy with a stupid expression. His body was on the ground, in barely noticeable spasms, blood spilling from his headless throat like a punctured canteen.


    Theik¨®s waited for the people to leave the tavern before she could leave. It because she didn''t want to harm the kind tavernkeeper by transforming and destroying his establishment.


    She was anxious again and in a great mood.


    "Fufu~ Just a little longer my husband."

 Chapter 108 - Between Saints - Courage, Fear, Betrayal

    As soon as Athena turned into a dragon, Ella wondered how Athena was a dragon more powerful than herself, who was a real dragon.


    With her eyes lost in thought, she got her answer.


    Athena had said that she would not devour the world but, without realizing it, she was constantly feeding on the world''s mana. Ella wondered why she hadn''t noticed this sooner, but then, when Athena devoured the crystal, she could understand and laughed.


    (Her potential is even greater than that of a dragon!)


    Thin strands of smoky mana rippled toward Athena and mingled with her mana without causing any immediately noticeable change. But when Athena devoured Lhia, the mana dissipated and backed away from Athena as if avoiding her.


    This was due to the change in Athena''s natural mana quality and quantity. Her mana, which until then was a deformed energy of a lilac color, now glowed azure blue with a faint dark gold and it moved like a veil in the wind, rippling slowly.


    Ella was ecstatic at the sight and thought that maybe, if she stayed by Athena''s side, she would never have to sleep again to escape the boredom she felt with Ertala''s absence.


    Ella could barely stand her excitement and wanted to jump and dance with the fun future to come, yearned for time to pass quickly.


    (Dragons? Gods? If Athena continues like this, maybe even if all the gods and dragons united, they wouldn''t be able to defeat her.)


    Dragons were the oldest creatures. Legend has it that the king of all dragons, the one who had become a god, was the oldest god of all gods, but there would be no way to prove such an allegation. The dragons came from another place and it was not known where they would go. The truth was unknown even to the primordial gods, who had the power of omniscience and only the first dragon could, perhaps, know the truth.


    Either way, Ella was anxious, her boredom disappearing with each day she spent with Athena. Her monotonous heart was racing and she felt something, like a flutter in her stomach as she looked at Athena who now glowed with runes in her sleep. She felt a shiver on the back of her neck and just as she was about to think about something, a mana distortion happened in the space between Athena and her, emerging from a bluish light, a man with long purple hair.


    "Who are you?" Ella asked.


    "Gion!" Anemus frowned. "What are you doing here?"


    "That''s a stupid question, Anemus." Gion said in an oddly agitated voice. "I came to take what belongs to me."


    Gion turned to Athena and between them, he found Mifa''s huge paws. She ducked her head, baring her sharp teeth and growling menacingly. She didn''t know Gion and had only heard of Nimo, but that man was Athena''s current enemy and that was enough for her to dislike him.


    ""Stay away!"" Ordered Mifa.


    Gion looked into the wolf''s reddish brown eyes, smiled and without saying a word, the man transformed into a red dragon, engaging in a voracious fight with the giant wolf.


    "Faena, get out of here!" Anemus yelled and looked back, but Faena was no longer there.


    As soon as she saw Gion, Faena ran. She fled in fear of the man. Even with her incredibly limited stamina, she ran with all her strength without even realizing that Gion hadn''t even looked at her.


    However, that hadn''t been a bad choice of action. She would just be dead weight to be protected in that situation. This was what Anemus needed least.


    As her attention returned to the battle that had just begun, Anemus spread her wings and flew over the two, waiting for a chance to attack.


    The battle between the dragon and the wolf was intense and obviously, the one getting the better of it was Gion.


    The man was stronger and had more experience in battles where he would have to fight big creatures.


    However, Mifa was neither big nor strong enough to be of any threat to Gion. He was over twenty-five meters tall, while Mifa was no more than twelve. He had armor and hard, flexible scales defending him, and she had only fur stained with her own blood.


    Mifa was being overwhelmed by the strength Gion had in that form and even though she didn''t give up even for a moment, her defeat was imminent and came in just over two minutes.


    (Is anyone else going to get in my way?) Gion asked, looking at the three women present, challenging them. (I won''t kill this wolf, but if any other of you try to stop me from doing what I came to do, I will kill you all.)


    This was such an obvious bluff that Ella and Lucifer just smiled at the man. They could see the high mana consumption the man was suffering. They knew that form wouldn''t last long and that as soon as his mana ran out, he would die.


    However, the existence of a human who could transform into a dragon was something Ella thought Athena was the only one. She knew the man was a saint, no human would have that unnatural amount of mana if they weren''t, but that didn''t explain why he managed to be in that form.


    Ella was angry that Gion could become a dragon, even if for a little while, it was starting to get too common and she wasn''t enjoying it. But more than anger, Ella was curious about how he accomplished such a feat. She wanted to study the magic that allowed him to transform and perhaps study this man. He could turn out to be a new entertainment for her.


    Lucifer was uninterested in the motive of that human, dragon or whatever that man was, to attack Athena and preferred to wait to take action.


    This was due to her desire to know how useful Athena would be against her brother. If she was hurt and/or threatened in any way by a being as weak as that thing talking nonsense in front of her, she would drop the idea of ??relying on Athena for help.


    In the absence of movement from the other two women, who seemed overwhelmingly more powerful than he, Gion glanced at Anemus, who glared at him with fury burning in her green eyes.


    Their eyes met briefly and Gion could tell the difference between the Anemus of two months ago and the one now.


    Anemus was hundreds of times stronger. The mana around her felt like air itself. The mana behaved in an almost intimate way with Anemus, hugging and wrapping her as if she were a lover.


    Gion couldn''t understand what was happening around Anemus. He had never seen a fairy in his long life and didn''t understand how intimate a fairy was to nature.


    It was as if the wind was gathering power and offering a tribute to Anemus, making her a threat to Gion, who turned his back and looked back at Athena.


    He was in a hurry, that shape wouldn''t last long and it was draining him with considerable speed. It was as if his mana were a reel of thread which had the loose end tied to something and then thrown from a high place.


    Gion looked at Athena, who in a matter of size was two of him, raised his claws and with all the strength he had, launched a blow against Athena.


    However, even though she didn''t have the confidence to defeat him, Anemus stopped him with a layer of intense wind that covered Athena''s body, making Gion''s claws slip on the surface of the platinum scales without even touching them.


    Gion turned on Anemus and puffed out his chest for a breath attack, but he was caught off guard by a mass of energy that hit him in the side.


    Mifa, even badly injured and breathing heavily, was on her feet again. ""If... huff! my claws and... hmph! teeth don''t penetrate his body, so I...haaah...just need to attack another way!""


    "Mifa, go find someone to cure you!" Anemus yelled.


    ""I am fine.""


    "You''re not fine! Look at those wounds!"


    Mifa had a broken leg, teeth marks were visible on her ribs, as well as claw marks on her neck and face.


    ""That... is nothing..." Lied Mifa. She was in intense pain, but Athena needed her and she wouldn''t let Gion do anything to her beloved. ""It''s just scratches.""


    Anemus pursed her lips apprehensively. If Mifa died, she would have Athena''s love all to herself, but that would also devastate Athena. Between having monopolized Athena''s love and seeing her happy, Anemus'' choice was obvious.


    "No, you''re not fine!" Anemus said and enveloped Mifa in an air bubble, smothering her to the point of fainting and making the wolf float back to Basilian. "Now, are you going to help or not?"


    "Hm? Are you talking to us?" Ella asked upon noticing the fairy''s gaze.


    "Who else?" Anemus dodged a fire breath from Gion and attacked him uselessly. "Aren''t you friends with Athena?"


    "Me? No I''m not." Lucifer replied. "I''m someone she has a deal with."


    "Am I friends? We never said if we were friends..." Ella said. "Anyway. Why bother with the safety of someone who can''t be hurt by something so weak?"


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    "She''s right. Athena wouldn''t take any harm if that thing attacked her now. In the short time the wolf have stopped him from touching her, she''s already strengthened to the point where nothing weaker than..." Lucifer looked to the side, to Ella. "...Weaker than this dragon, might hurt her."


    "Besides, I''m quite curious as to why he managed to transform into a dragon..." Ella said as she held her chin awkwardly, making a mustache with her index finger.


    "He is a druid." Anemus replied. "Druids are-"


    "I know what a druid is!" Ella yelled. With the answer came surprise and overwhelming anger. "This is a disgrace to dragons!"


    Ella was furious that Gion was a druid. A druid''s power came from what he ate and if a druid could become a dragon, that meant he killed and ate the flesh of a dragon. This was humiliating, infuriating and repulsive to Ella who was a real dragon.


    "Wait!" Ella said with sudden clarity in her Machiavellian mind and an almost evil smile came to her rosy lips. "That''s a bigger shame for the Reds. It''s going to give me many years of fun rubbing off the fact that one of them got eaten by a human. Hihi!"


    The story behind Gion''s transformation was very different from what Ella imagined, but this is another story that involved a red dragon named Lafityran, a human woman and her half-blood daughter. A story that might never be discovered and the fact that it remained incognito gave Ella endless ideas for teasing and humiliating the red dragons who were the most proud of dragons.


    Hearing all this, Gion couldn''t ignore that he was doomed to failure in there place. Between attacks on Anemus, he thought about what to do and momentarily considered bringing Nimo in to finish Athena, but that idea was quickly discarded when he remembered what Anemus had said about Foti¨˘.


    Gion smiled with his eyes as he thought of a name. (Foti¨˘...)


    Killing Foti¨˘ would also bring death to Athena and this would cause the seal to be lost, freeing Ytria. Gion untransformed and after covering himself with a new tunic, he disappeared without saying anything.


    This made Anemus even more apprehensive. It wasn''t logical for an attacker to lose interest in his target like that. Anemus began to analyze all the possibilities.


    (First, how did he know Lhia was here?)


    Anemus had no idea how Gion had found out about Lhia, but she could guess his next steps.


    For some reason, Gion always knew what was going on, even when and in places he wasn''t present, and that made Anemus ponder.


    ''He wants to kill Athenaˇ­'' The answer was obvious. Anemus'' eyes widened and her trembling lips said. "Foti¨˘!"


    ***


    Inside Basilian''s walls, Serien, who had just learned about Mifa''s condition, ran to the center of the city, where Mifa had been carried.


    "More battles?" Serien asked a soldier. "After all, what''s going on today?"


    "According to the sentries on the walls, the empress turned into a dragon and slept..." The soldier reported everything he knew while Serien healed Mifa.


    "And the soldiers?"


    "Majesty?"


    "What are the soldiers doing?" Serien''s voice was almost a roar.


    "We''re patrolling the city and watching the walls as usual-"


    "What?! Your sovereign is in danger and you''re not doing anything?!"


    The soldier dropped to one knee with his head bowed. "Forgive us, Your Majesty, but they are dragons. What could we, humans, do to them when not even the saint of beasts could defeat them?"


    "Slow them down!" Serien screamed, but then she thought again and took a deep breath. "No, you''re right. Have all soldiers stand by in case the Empress needs it. I will cure Mifa and send a messenger falcon to the adventurers'' guild."


    In the palace, Lunnia hid in the darkest part of her room. From early on, due to the intense mana fluctuation in Basilian, her ring of transformation was not working, showing her real appearance.


    She was scared and gripping her horns as if she wanted to pluck them out. Lunnia shivered in the corner between her bed and the wall of her bedroom.


    "Lunnia?" Hercules knocked on the door three times. "Are you there?" But Lunnia did not respond.


    Her sharp teeth snapped together as she held back her cry with a slight quiver in her chin. Hercules was the last person she wanted to discover her secret and she had no one to turn to but Athena, Anemus or Foti¨˘.


    However, she had no way to call them. Lunnia would have to leave the room for that, but that was a risk she wasn''t willing to take.


    Lunnia didn''t know what was going on and that even if she left, she wouldn''t find anyone to ask for help.


    "There''s been a run around the palace right now..." Hercules said. He could feel the woman''s presence inside the room. "Athena destroyed a lot of stuff in the palace and now she''s having a battle..." Hercules paused briefly. "It looks like Mifa is injured and Anemus is fighting a red dragon..."


    "And Athena?" Lunnia asked after Hercules made another silence. "What is Athena doing?"


    "...Looks like she''s asleep after swallowing the crystal..."


    "What crystal?" Lunnia asked in a terrified voice. She didn''t know anything and that ignorance was making her more and more apprehensive.


    "The crystal that had a sealed goddess... Looks like it was Faena''s sister."


    At that time Lunnia''s heart shuddered and her fear grew stronger, but this was a new fear.


    A fear only known to those who have already lived in the suffering of loneliness and come to know the warmth of being accepted and loved.


    The fear of being alone again.


    That fear gave Lunnia the courage she needed. The fear of losing those she loved and loved her back was greater than the fear of suffering prejudice and violence from the hatred people had against demons. So she rose from her fear and hurriedly donned her armor, took her sword and shield, and without putting on her helmet, which was not designed to fit her horns, Lunnia opened the door.


    The expression of bewilderment and more diverse feelings on Hercules'' face made his heart ache, but before Hercules could say anything avout her appearance, Lunnia rushed past him, shoving him aside with her shield, and ran, disappearing down the hall.


    With each step, her thoughts echoed Hercules''s face, making her heart clench and the fear return, but then she thought of what Athena had told her in Juefu.


    ("I''ll be by your side when you feel like you don''t want to wear this anymore.")


    Since hearing these words, Lunnia had kept them in her mind like a mantra. That gave her enough courage that she sometimes considered taking the ring off and being herself. But then she met Hercules and the fear of rejection and prejudice returned.


    However, knowing that those precious people were in danger, those words strengthened in her mind, burning the courage in her chest and giving her security in her steps.


    "But now is not the time to think about it! They need me." Lunnia said thinking about Hercules again as she passed by the garden, where Foti¨˘, Malana and other children were playing. Lunnia was about to call out to Foti¨˘ when a man appeared in her path after a faint blue glow. "Huh? Gion? What-"


    Lunnia''s voice was interrupted by a strange heat in her chest, accompanied by an uncomfortable twinge in her back.


    Gion raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw a blade cut through Lunnia''s armor, which should have been as tough and hard as the scales of a basilisk, but most surprising was the expression the attacker had on his face.


    The young man had a pained expression filled with anguish and hatred as he cried.. That was the expression of Hercules as he stabbed Lunnia in the back.

 Chapter 109 - Between Saints - Love, Hate And Revenge

    Before being forced to come to this world, Hercules was an ordinary boy. He didn''t have many friends despite being quite popular at his school because of his above-average appearance. He came from a relatively wealthy family and had a younger sister who was very attached to him.


    That was all in the past. He was in a strange world, chaotic and full of dangers for which he had been selfishly summoned. That day Hercules cried for the first time since he understood himself as a person.


    Fear, anxiety, anger and homesickness were common things that anyone would feel in his place. He was depressed for days, weeks or maybe months. He didn''t know what to do and couldn''t even leave the room. But then, one day a sweet, loving voice was ringing in his ears.


    For Hercules, someone who didn''t have a home, friends, or if anyone wants to know something, the Princess of Odeon was his salvation and safe haven. She soothed his heart and helped him adjust. It was she who opened his eyes, gave him friends and wings to fly.


    She was everything to the young man, who didn''t even have the hope to return home, and even though he knew she was married, Hercules couldn''t stop himself from loving her.


    The kingdom- No. The world was facing a great crisis called "demons". The infernal beings were taking over the world and the humans, not just the realm of Odeon, were on the brink of extinction. Hercules was convinced that he was the only one with the power to change that.


    With that confidence, determination and love for the princess, Hercules learned everything he had to learn about spells and skills. He couldn''t use magic, but his skills, on the human standards, were indeed powerful.


    His existence soon became something that could not be hidden from the kingdoms that were enemy of Odeon.


    Trying to use the advantage of the kingdom being weakened by the death of the king, who had summoned a hero, the other kingdoms wanted to kill the hero and steal the kingdom''s few fertile lands.


    With several assassination attempts in various forms, the kingdoms put their plans into action and each time they were somehow frustrated, but they never stopped trying.


    However, when Hercules finally stepped onto the battlefield and demonstrated his power, all the kingdoms that kept their watch on Odeon soon drifted away. It would be foolish to go up against someone who could slay ords of demonic creatures with the swing of a sword.


    Hercules fought day and night, slaying lesser and greater demons, hunting monsters five times his size and killing soul-devouring infernal creatures.


    He was undefeated, always leaving the battlefield stained only with the blood of his enemies. This precociously caught the attention of beings who should be "The Bosses" of that world and in one day he lost everything he had in this world. That included the woman he loved, who he never declared himself to.


    In his grief and fury, he struggled for days as he blamed himself and screamed insults at himself. When his fury subsided, not even tears streamed from his eyes and he vowed to get revenge.


    He hunted monsters and grew strong, killed demons and grew strong, killed humans and grew strong and repeated it again and again, until he was sure he could rip the head off of one of the fearsome demon lords.


    But fate is something strange and the unknown future was cruel.


    He had spent two years hunting for the location of one of the demon lords and when he found it, his target wasn''t there and instead of killing, he saved on that day. But that ended up bringing some quiet to his revenge-darkened mind.


    The next day it happened again. With children following him, he ambled to the next target, willing to kill or die for his revenge, but again he saved someone.


    And it is here that the gears began to adjust to one another and the path of another misfortune in his life was traced.


    Two years after saving the woman and children, Hercules, who had delayed his revenge, experienced one of the true powers in that world and discovered that what he had called "power" was nothing more than a beautiful (or not) illusion. .


    Athena had shown an overwhelming power that not even Azazel, the strongest of the demon lords he had ever met, could match.


    She opened for him the doors of a vast world and showed him that with his current power, his revenge was nothing more than a dream.


    Hercules felt terrible at the harsh reality Athena had shown him, but still grateful because she had also shown him that it was possible to grow stronger and earn his revenge as he wished.


    At first he admired Athena in such a way that he even began to deceive himself, thinking he was falling in love with the woman, but no.


    It was different, it wasn''t intense and it didn''t take her breath away. It wasn''t the way he felt for the princess.


    He thought he might never feel like that again. A pure and intense feeling of love for someone. He thought he only had that hatred for demons left, but once again he was wrong.


    Red-yellow curly hair like the flames in a furnace, a thin, delicate face with freckled cheeks, blue affectionate eyes and a radiant smile. This was the form Lunnia had assumed since before they met Lobana in Veand.


    It took Hercules to realize such beauty. It had been days since they met, but he only noticed her the day she started teaching him how to handle the sword in a more skillful and refined way.


    However, until then, she was just a pretty girl teaching him swordplay. Hercules had spent a lot of time alone, he was young and full of vitality, so any pretty woman who approached him was a target for his stupidly precocious feelings, but not with Lunnia. Intriguingly, she did not arouse the lust of an inexperienced young man.


    To her he had respect above all else, so came admiration for her abilities and a slight grudge for her strenuous teachings and exaggerated physical punishments. Gradually, as they spent more and more time together, he began to see her with new eyes.


    It hadn''t even been two weeks, but every time he was with her, his heart would pound wildly like someone with an arrhythmia and his pupils dilate like a drug addict. It was the same feeling, the same overwhelming feeling taking over his mind to the point where he could only think about her every day.


    Those two weeks were like a paradise for him, making him see a new hope in that world. And even if he couldn''t return to his world, he was confident that he could live happily if he was with her.


    That is, until he saw the crystal which imprisoned what could be a goddess and remembered his promise of revenge, awakening the sparks of hatred that quickly took hold of his mind again.


    Fate once again played a cruel trick on him, reminding him of the eyes of the demons that had taken everything from him.


    When he saw Lunnia''s yellow eyes, her horns... When he saw the true form of the woman he had come to love, his feelings turned to a messy turmoil, she was clearly a demon.


    He felt hate, sadness, love, anger and when thinking about saving her, he felt disgust for himself, but he also felt pain when thinking about killing her.


    Hercules felt his knees trembling and losing strength, and he sat down beside the open door of Lunnia''s room. He held his head in his hands and squeezed his own throat in agony as he pounded and kicked at the ground until he made a decision.


    The young man stood up and drew his sword, which he had received from Ella to kill Athena if she had become an evil being, and strode off in the same direction Lunnia had gone.


    Halfway through, he passed a stone statue depicting Athena and looked at the sword in his hand. Hercules bit his lip and looked away from the statue, feeling judged and ashamed of his decision, but again, seeing Lunnia from behind, that whirlwind of hate and love, anguish and sadness, anger and revulsion, came back with a vengeance and flooded his mind which could not break free from the chains of revenge.


    Without saying a word, Hercules approached Lunnia and stabbed her while he shed tears.


    "I''m sorry but..." Hercules said through his teeth. "Demons must die! I''m sorry! I..." Hercules was about to declare himself, but then he realized he had no right. "... I will accompany you soon."


    Hercules pulled out the sword he had buried in Lunnia''s body and the woman fell on her pool of blood. He stood there, standing beside Lunnia''s inert body, shedding tears filled with various feelings, and then he heard.


    "Tell me. Why?"


    The man with long purple hair was staring at him with a confused expression.


    "Huh?"


    "Why did you kill her?" Gion asked again with a puzzled expression. It was obvious to him that the two were in love, for Lunnia, just before her last breath, was wearing an expression equal to that of her murderer. Gion, who spent millennia trapped in a love he didn''t even know would return, could not understand that act. "She loved you and you killed her.... Tell me why you were so cruel."


    Gion, in addition to not understanding, he could not accept. The saint took a step forward, towards Hercules.


    "W-why?" Hercules pursed his lips and looked down at Lunnia''s body again, feeling a lump in his throat prevent him from speaking. But when he tried to force his voice as he faced Gion, Hercules saw dozens of fireballs fly towards him.


    Foti¨˘ did not hear their conversation and even if she had, she would still be in the state she was in at the time, a being of fire and fury.


    Athena had disappeared after a fight with Anemus and Lunia, in addition to Anemus, had become one of the few family references for the nymph. Lunnia was her teacher, friend and aunt in her point of view. Witnessing her death, filled Foti¨˘, a sweet and kind girl, with sadness and hatred.


    Afraid of what the nymph had become, Malana quickly fled with the other children and watched from afar, in a safe place near the gates of the imperial gardens which had become a sea of ??fire around Foti¨˘, who had become one with fire and was like a raging spirit from the flames.


    She didn''t even mind the presence of Gion and threw fireballs towards Hercules who dodged some and paired up with other fireballs, making the fire spread everywhere.


    However, he soon got tired. The place got too hot too quickly and the oxygen was quickly consumed by the fire, that constantly haunted him.


    Gion was still in the same spot, staring at Lunnia''s body as he wondered why. He protected himself with a shield around himself and the dead body of the knight, and pondered why kill someone loved. He even thought of the right possibility, prejudice against her race. But that didn''t make sense to him, as he thought love could overcome anything.


    Gion actually had a fanciful vision of love. For him, who had spent so much time loving practically a corpse, love was a powerful feeling that could surpass even death. He couldn''t understand that and as the questions arose, the reason he was there started to fade in his mind.


    While Gion was too busy with his unanswered questions, Hercules was about to be burned to death or suffocated. Foti¨˘ didn''t care what happened first, because all she wanted was to get revenge, kill him, make that bastard''s existence disappear and maybe that way, Lunnia would wake up.


    In the midst of all that madness, fury and fire, a surprised and frightened voice could be heard, but no one really heard.


    "Foti¨˘!? What- Lunnia!?"


    Anemus appeared as lightning ripped through the sky in a thunderous boom, which was weird since the day was sunny, but there were more important things to take care of right now. She called for Foti¨˘, but she wasn''t sure if that was really Foti¨˘.


    The mana was the same, but that couldn''t be her little sister, Foti¨˘ was pure fire. A single being with the flames, a blaze alive and full of fury.


    Without hearing Anemus'' call, Foti¨˘ waved her arms, sending a wave of fire to the four corners of the garden, it was then that Anemus realized that Foti¨˘ was out of control.


    Foti¨˘, who had never dealt with grief, sadness and anger all at once before, her mind was turbulent to the point of affecting her powers which, reflecting her mental state, went into berserker, which was very worrying for Anemus, who saw Foti¨˘''s mana quickly disappearing.


    With each spark Foti¨˘ expelled, her mana diminished and for spending so long in seclusion before Athena arrived, she still didn''t have an abundant amount of mana and if Anemus took any longer, Foti¨˘ would literally burn down to the last remnant of her existence, taking Athena with her.


    "Foti¨˘, calm down!"


    Anemus tried to smother the fire with her wind, but it only spread further. She didn''t give up, it was her duty as an older sister to protect Foti¨˘, so she continued to cast wind and water magic to calm the fire that never seemed to cease.


    "Foti¨˘-!?!?" Anemus was about to fly to Foti¨˘ and try to calm her down, but something passed her at a speed she couldn''t keep up, creating a pressure of air, dragging her to the ground that no longer burned. "Huh...?"


    "It''s alright my little girl, calm down, mommy is here." Athena said as she hugged Foti¨˘''s flaming body. "It''s gonna be okay..."


    ***


    Before all that had happened at the palace, moments after Anemus flew to Basilian, Lucifer was eyeing Ella curiously. The dragon who was supposed to be Athena''s friend didn''t do anything to help the person.


    Well, not that Athena really needed help, but Lucifer wondered if it shouldn''t be common to help a friend in times of need. At least, the mortals from the other world thought so.


    "Aren''t you really going to help her?"


    Ella didn''t look away from Athena, who was starting to glow more intensely with her runes marking her draconic body.


    "Why should I? Athena will wake up soon. I don''t want to miss it."


    "After all, what is your goal?" Lucifer asked with a puzzled look.


    "Hmmˇ­" Ella crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head thoughtfully. "''Distract me'' would be the most common answer, but..."


    "But?"


    Just as Ella was about to respond, lightning ripped through the bright blue sky, scattering branching lightning across Basilian''s sky with the thunderous intonation of the thunders.


    Ella quickly looked up at the sky, unable to avoid having her gaze drawn to that presence. "A young blue..."


    In the sky above them, hovered a woman with long straight hair, wearing blue and in her face, an odd expression of someone who had just found the greatest treasure in the world.


    "Ah...! He''s so..." Theik¨®s clasped her hands to her chest, as if holding something precious and her expression melting into a passionate smile. "Magnificent!"


    "Tsk!" Ella clicked her tongue and pursed her lips. She hated the blues. "What''s a blue one doing here?"


    Theik¨®s looked down, directly at Ella, and an ominous smile came to her lips. The hatred between blue and white dragons was not personal.


    From ancient times, the dragons of the two clans had rivaled each other as they were both in the lowest line of power among the draconic species. Whenever a white dragon and a blue dragon met, it was certain that a battle would occur and only the victorious would emerge alive.


    Ella and Theik¨®s stared at each other and the tension rose to the point that part of the meadow around Basilian froze to a sea of ??white grass under the effect of Ella''s mana, and in the sunny sky, rays spread like a spider''s web to all sides, without ever touching the ground.


    "Why, a white one.... I thought you people had already been extinct because of your natural stupidity." Theik¨®s teased as staying above Ella, where she could look down at Ella. "I came to see my husband. I didn''t expect to find a white dragon of little intelligence beside him."


    Ella frowned, unable to understand what Theik¨®s was saying and Lucifer only took a few steps back. It was not interesting for her to get involved in a fight between foolish dragons, as observing the changes in Athena was more important.


    Athena''s scales were no longer platinum or any other color. It was as if she had become a being of intangible aura with a shimmering light in azure blue, gold and abstract violet.


    For Lucifer, it was incredibly wonderful the way Athena absorbed and took Lhia''s powers to herself, but it was even more impressive how Athena was also absorbing mana from nature and everything else around her.


    (huh?)


    The mana from the environment, from the world, from Theik¨®s and Ella, and even from Lucifer herself, were being sucked and absorbed by Athena.


    However, Athena wasn''t stealing their mana, she was just absorbing the mana that was naturally expelled from their bodies. That is, she was getting for herself, the mana they threw away and it accelerated the changes in her body.


    All Lucifer wanted was to live her eternity in peace since she was kicked out of home and to do that, she would have to get rid of Michael, who was much stronger than her and had always been obsessed with her since their birth.


    Lucifer then had an idea. (What if Athena were stronger than Michael and I became subordinate to her? Wouldn''t she protect me?)


    Lucifer quickly planned what to do to make his idea a reality and calculated how much mana it would take to make Athena stronger and stronger.


    Lucifer looked at the two women who were still arguing and exchanging insults. "That''s enough, you two. I''m going to need you to collaborate with me."


    "And who are you to order a superior being to do something?" Theik¨®s asked in a menacing growl.


    Ella looked at Lucifer and then shrugged, not thinking that even Lucifer could handle two dragons, but then...


    Lucifer said nothing, she just spread her wings and flew towards Theik¨®s, hitting her in the stomach with a punch and throwing her to the ground in a single blow.


    "I am the one who will let you live if you listen to me." Lucifer said with a friendly smile. "Ella, I''m sure you''ll like what I''m proposing."


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the divine plane, Athena found herself with someone she thought she would never see again.


    "Eh?! What are you doing here?" Naph asked as she jumped out of her bed in fright.


    The goddess of death wore a long black satin gown that was so dark it seemed to suck in the light, just like her hair. Her voluptuous body wore a white skin flushed with a slight pink and her thin lips were red as blood, but unlike what Athena remembered, her eyes were crystal blue and filled with sparkles like stars.


    "I found the key to the divine plane''s door with the Akashic Records and thought I''d come see you." Athena responded by taking a seat in a chair that hadn''t been there before.


    Everything there was in the middle of existing and not existing, even Athena and Naph were no exception to that. Their forms were held only by their consciences that molded that place at will.


    "Oh?!"


    Naph couldn''t understand what Athena meant by that, she didn''t know the ''Akasic Records'' and wondered how Athena had the power to get in there and support herself without the help of a god.


    Seeing Naph''s confused expression, Athena laughed and waved her hand. "It''s no use thinking too much. It''s something I got from someone else, apparently..."


    "Who?"


    "That''s a good question. It could have been your mother or your sister... But there''s also that thing that took the powers you gave me."


    "My mother or sister? My mother would never give power to a mortal! And by my sister... Who do you mean?"


    "Well, your mother gave me powers which I refused so..." Athena shrugged with disinterest in the subject. "And I''m talking about your sister, Uran, the goddess of all end."


    The instant she heard those words, Naph frowned and floated toward Athena. "What do you have to do with her?"


    "That! That''s exactly what I came for!" Athena said and was suddenly on her feet, facing Naph. "What did Uran really do to be punished as if she were the worst being in the universe?"


    Naph wrinkled her little upturned nose and pressed her lips together tightly. This was a matter that concerned only the gods, a mortal had neither the right nor the authority to tinker with it. Also, Naph felt a little guilty for never helping Uran when she could.


    With her guilt reappearing, Naph wanted to get rid of Athena and forget that the subject had returned to haunt her. But Athena was a strange creature in that world and for some unknow reason, the gods could not do anything against the woman or those directly connected to her, giving her freedom in her actions against the gods.


    Naph sighed and turned her back to Athena. "Just go do what you want to do and leave me alone.. Huh!?" Suddenly Naph felt something strange coming from Athena and looked at the woman again. "What..?!" Athena''s presence was growing stronger and more divine. "Are you trying to ascend?"


    Athena frowned and shrugged. "I have no idea what you''re talking about and don''t change the subject. You kind of owe me that for messing with me in the past."


    "Ha! I''m a goddess, I don''t owe anyone anything. Besides, your time here is running outˇ­" Naph pointed at Athena''s lower body. "You are starting to get sucked back into the mortal plane."


    Athena huffed and then, in an almost worried voice, she said. "Alright... Just one thing, Death. When we meet again, don''t get in our way, after all, I like you."


    Athena disappeared and Naph lay back lazily on her bed, which reappeared as she think. "Like...." A faint smile appeared and then disappeared from her red lips.

 Chapter 110 - Between Saints - Final Part - Friends And Death

    In the meadow around Basilian, just after Anemus flew away following Gion. Lucifer, Ella and Theik¨®s surrounded Athena who was still sleeping in an indefinable form, a form made of pure mana.


    Due to the large amount of mana the three women had made Athena absorb, she had become just a large mass of energy that varied and rippled in violet, gold and azure colors.


    They went to the limit of their capabilities, expelling mana to the point of exhaustion. All this following Lucifer''s plan to make Athena even stronger.


    "Nowˇ­" Lucifer started to say. Her breathing was heavy, as were Ella and Theik¨®s''s. "...all we can do is wait."


    Of the three, Lucifer had provided the most mana for Athena. That''s because she had a lot more mana than Ella and Theik¨®s. It didn''t take long for the changes to be noticed in Athena''s body, if you could call it "body."


    At that moment, Athena was just an intangible aura that shimmered. There was no physical form that could be called a "body" and it made Lucifer wonder if what they did was a good thing. But that worry soon disappeared when the mass of energy began to mold itself into a humanoid shape.


    Lucifer and Ella smiled at what they witnessed, and Theik¨®s grew more excited every second.


    Ella thought everything would be even more fun than she could imagine. Athena had plans to confront the gods and Ella could barely contain herself so eagerly for what was to happen soon.


    She also felt something else.


    That strange feeling that she had felt earlier had returned. That sweat on her warm hands, the throbbing heart and a slight burning in her cheeks as she watched Athena''s naked body take shape.


    Lucifer was satisfied with what Athena had become.


    She could clearly tell that Athena had grown much stronger. Strong enough to fight and beat Michael alone. It was a colossal feat for a mortal, since Michael was a god of war strong enough to be the god''s spear. He was the angel who carried the divine wrath of Jehovah and Athena was a mortal woman who would kill him.


    (This will change the weight of Athena''s existence... at least symbolically.) Lucifer thought with a brief smile.


    "You''ve been busy, haven''t you?" Athena said in a soft, excited voice noticing how much power she had now. "How did you guys do it?"


    "Those runes you used..."


    "??... This was to help me absorb Lhia''s powers faster."


    "Did you rely on Celtic runes to create them?" Lucifer asked.


    "Yes, any problem?"


    "Celtic druids used runes as a way to link to natural energy. I must say that now that your soul is mixed in, you are practically a mortal goddess." Lucifer explained and then lay down, facing the blue sky. She was exhausted and even talking drained her.


    Athena started to think and looked strangely at Ella who had a look of fascination on her face, but what caught her attention the most was Theik¨®s who was panting and drooling as she looked at her.


    Athena felt a direful shiver on her back and could almost see the heartshapes in the stranger''s eyes. There Theik¨®s lost any chance she might have had with Athena.


    Athena looked around, feeling slightly uncomfortable with her new abilities. She could feel everything around her amply. It was as if everything was within her reach and she could pick up a rock hundreds of miles away by just reaching out.


    It just showed her that her existence was on another level and Athena was surprised that it had taken so little to make her something so big.


    She didn''t take into account everything she already had and how much her existence had already been affected by various changes.


    "A mortal goddess, right? What''s the difference?" Athena asked.


    While waiting for an answer, Athena felt the distortion of mana that was taking place in the palace. Athena could clearly feel who was causing this. In fact, it was as if she could see the situation on the spot and her heart ached as she realized Lunnia''s death.


    Just as Lucifer was about to answer Athena''s question, the Empress floated and flew away with a sonic boom, causing a shock wave.


    "At least put some clothes on..." Ella complained as she was flung by the air pressure created by Athena.


    ***


    "Huh?! Athena?" Anemus was surprised cause Athena looked like a completely different person with all that mana she emanated. "Is that why you absorbed Lhia?"


    Athena hugged and soothed Foti¨˘, who gradually returned to normal as Athena told her that everything would going to be all right.


    "Yes and no." Athena said as she saw Anemus get up from the charred ground. "I''ll explain later, for now..." Athena tried to pull away from Foti¨˘, but the girl hugged her tighter. "Foti¨˘..."


    With her face hidden in her mother''s chest, Foti¨˘ cried. "M-Mom... Aunt Lunnia is..."


    Foti¨˘''s shrill, tearful voice entered Athena''s ears and clutched her chest as if it had a crushing weight. Foti¨˘ knew what death was, but this was her first time experiencing the grief of losing someone precious.


    That was something Athena never wanted her to experience.


    "Yes, my little one. Sheˇ­Lunnia is gone."


    The words dragged out of Athena''s mouth as if she had a clump of sawdust on her tongue that refused to form the words.


    At that, Gion who was still deep in questions about the purpose of Lunnia''s death, came back to reality upon noticing Athena''s overwhelming presence. He got up from the only part that still had grass in the garden and walked dazedly towards Athena.


    He could see that his purpose for being there was gone. Athena had absorbed the seal completely and now, even if he could kill her, nothing would change. The seal was linked to Athena''s soul and a soul was something immortal, indestructible.


    Gion looked at Foti¨˘ and Athena with blank eyes. His heart was broken, allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the desperation and grudge he had come to have against Athena with every passing second.


    "If I''m not going to get what I wantˇ­" Gion turned his eyes to Foti¨˘ again. "... You too..."


    Seeing Gion''s action, Athena put Foti¨˘ to sleep and didn''t hesitate. She had already lost too much that day with Lunnia''s death and Gion was currently an enemy. Then she manifested the sword, Excalibur, which she still had in her and hurled it at Gion, hitting him in the chest.


    "Athena, no- Huh!?"


    Anemus was about to warn Athena about Gion''s immortality, but was taken aback by the state Gion was in.


    With the sword across his chest, Gion stared into Athena''s cold eyes as root-like marks began to spread across his body. The marks glowed with a light that seemed to burn Gion wherever it went in under his skin.


    Gion opened his tunic, revealing his chest where the Excalibur was spiked and it became even more apparent that he would soon die.


    "H-how? I should..."


    "Does it really matter now?" Athena asked and then sighed. "It''s just a sword with my mana."


    Gion, who had a lost look on his face, smiled briefly as he remembered the words Uran had spoken to him millennia ago. He could only be killed by the one who carried the sword. Gion didn''t imagine that this prophecy would be something so stupid that a sword imbued with mana would be enough to kill him.


    (Who knew this would be Athena? Well... at least I''ll join you Y...)


    Seeing Gion kneeling, staring at the ground, Athena clucked her tongue in irritation. With Gion''s death, Athena lost two important friends in a single day.


    "You did well to put Foti¨˘ to sleep." Anemus said with an expression if pure sadness. She wanted things with the druid to work out without anyone having to die. "Gion was important to her too."


    Gion also was important to Anemus. He had counseled her several times on what to do to make up with Athena, he had taught her many spells, even though she couldn''t use the vast majority of them and he had been a good friend. She preferred his ending to be happier than that.


    "Lunnia.... Who killed her?"


    "I didn''t see it, but when I arrived, Foti¨˘ was attacking Hercules..."


    Athena looked around and I didn''t see the young man anywhere, but she could still feel him, just as she could feel the presence of the children watching from afar.


    Athena pulled a black cloak from her subspace and covered Foti¨˘''s nude body, then dressed in a swirly red dress. After hand over Foti¨˘ to Anemus, retrieve the Excalibur from Gion''s chest, Athena heard Malana''s voice.


    "Are you going to kill Hercules too?"


    Athena looked at the pink-eyed girl and shook her head without saying anything. It didn''t bring peace to the girl''s face who just lowered her head.


    "He doesn''t deserve death." Athena said and disappeared.


    Hercules was sneaking through alleys in Basilian. He was looking for a way to get away from there as he had a duty to do.


    Hercules thought his revenge was just beginning. His plan was simple, he would kill demons until there were none left in the world and then he would die immediately to pay for the sin of killing the woman he loved, do that would be his redemption.


    However, there was something important that he could not have known. All the demons had either been annihilated by Lucifer or returned to hell because of their fear of Michael, who had been prowling the world for the past few weeks looking for Lucifer.


    In other words, Hercules'' revenge was just a dream that would never come true. But he wouldn''t find out either since death haunted him in real time.


    As the young hero turned the corner between two alleys, he came face to face with Athena, who seemed to be waiting for him with her back propped against the stone wall.


    "Did you really think I would let you escape?" Athena asked without waiting for an answer. "I''m quite disappointed in you... No, that''s not the right feeling. I''m furious."


    Athena looked at Hercules and he felt cold from the inside out. Athena''s green eyes twinkled subtly and he felt like he was being crushed to the ground, falling to his knees.


    "You...deceived me...she deceived me!" Hercules growled through his teeth. "She was a demon!"


    "Yeah? So what?" Athena asked in a dry tone. "She was a good person, a good friendˇ­" Athena ground her teeth, a vein pulsed in her forehead and the ground shook. "She was my family!"


    Hercules believed that Athena would not kill him. They were from the same world, so he thought Athena would spare him for some sense of compatriotism, but he could not have been more wrong.


    He was about to say something, but then he felt something warm trickle down his cheek.


    "Eh?!"


    Hercules ran his hand over his right cheek and the pain finally came as soon as he saw his fingers smeared with blood. He was partly right, Athena would not kill him. She thought killing him would be a very simple thing since he could reincarnate. Athena wanted to make him suffer to the point of madness and so she did.


    Controlling her anger and preventing her mana from leaking out too much to not affect people around there, Athena controlled the air, creating several razors that repeatedly tore into Hercules'' flesh, who screamed agonizedly.


    "That''s enough for today." Athena said after an hour of torture. "You will not die to something as trivial as blood loss."


    Hercules was in tatters and his flesh looked like a cloth torn by a saw knife. He couldn''t even scream or moan in pain anymore and couldn''t resist when Athena took him back to the palace by dragging him along the floor as she pulled him by one of his legs.


    Athena was going to make him wish he''d never been born and this was just the first day.


    ***


    After returning to the palace and throwing Hercules into a dirty black iron cell, Athena teleported with Anemus to Sigma.


    The castle was as deserted as the desert itself. Anemus led Athena down the dark damp stone corridor where Gion had led her before.


    After a long descent of stairs, Athena and Anemus finally arrived where they wanted to go. The cavernous room with a huge mana crystal full of cracks on its surface.


    There they found Neu, Eun and Nimo who appeared to be bewildered. Athena and Anemus explained everything that happened with Gion to them and surprisingly it was only Nimo who cried.


    "Master already knew this could happen." Neu said.


    "We are sad, but it was something already foreseen by master." Said Eun.


    Despite her words, the girls had sadness written across their faces. Which child would not mourn the death of their parent? Athena was prepared to take the girls'' anger and was going to tell them to resent her if they wished, but just then, the crystal cracked a little more.


    Athena felt like she was being drained and then she heard a voice.


    "Finally you came...."

 Chapter 111 - The Princess And The Valkyrie - Extra

    Three years ago; Before the war against the Elsnian Empire.


    Sahari and Serien were two very similar women. Both came from noble and wealthy families, both were responsible and composed, as well as beautiful. But contrary to what was expected of two people so similar, their relationship was not friendly at all, although they didn''t hate each other.


    Their relationship was that of two people who knew each other, but who had no level of intimacy, yet there was still something between them that felt strange.


    Every time the two of them met and were alone, the atmosphere in the place became heavy, tense and awkward.


    The women kept exchanging glances and sometimes, when their eyes met, their faces would flush and they would quickly look away, but one day everything changed.


    It was a warm spring day and the Valkyries had just returned to the Basilica after a long journey at the request of Athena.


    Lobana and Sahari, both wearing silver plate armor, were waiting for Athena in the living room when Serien appeared and quickly stole the fencer''s gaze.


    Serien looked beautiful as always, despite having huge dark circles under her pale face. She was wearing a short purple dress, black tights and her hair was tied in a large bun on top of her head.


    Lobana and Sahari got up from the sofa as the princess entered and made a brief bow, which Serien said was unnecessary such an act and continued. "Athena is still... Mm... Asleep... I can hear them in her place."


    Sahari smiled at the princess''s demeanor who looked away restlessly as she spoke.


    "Nah!" Lobana waved her hand. "The matter is only with her, as it was her request for this damn trip... Let''s kill some time until she wakes up."


    "Okay then." Serien nodded. "I have matters to take care of, make yourself at home." Serien said and left.


    "What are we going to do until Athena gets out of bed?" Lobana asked Sahari.


    "Why don''t you go to the orphanage? It''s been months since we''ve been here..."


    "Good idea..." Lobana stood up. "You do not come?"


    "No, I want to see the ''Serien''." Sahari responded by making a pun on Serien''s name.


    "Hm? I didn''t know you liked the iris/Seriens..."


    "Fufu~" Sahari chuckled. "I love."


    "??"


    After seeing Lobana pass through the palace gates to the city, Sahari walked with eager steps to Serien''s office.


    Serien was examining a report about the kingdom''s new religions and with disbelief in her eyes, she sighed wearily and dropped the document onto the table, pretending she never saw it. She took another document from the tall pile of papers in the left corner of the table and then heard a knock at the door.


    Sahari was standing in the open office door and smiling like she was the happiest person in the world, making the princess''s heart race and her purple eyes widened in surprise.


    "I came to see you." Sahari said with a smile.


    "See me?"


    Sahari closed the door after entering the office that smelled of old parchment, chamomile and lilies. "Uhum! See you..."


    "W-why? Y-you need something from me?" Serien asked, feeling that attraction again.


    "Nothing important." Sahari replied and looked at the amount of papers on the princess''s table. "You look busy, want help? I''m used to dealing with the legion''s documents."


    Serien was mired in work and normally could not count on anyone to help her, except for the good will of Athena, who sometimes decided to do her job as queen, so having someone trustworthy to help was all the princess wanted and so she gladly accepted Sahari''s offer.


    "Well then, if you can take care of these here for me, it will be of great help." Serien said while offering some papers to Sahari.


    Sahari took the papers, ink bottle, quill pen, and sat down opposite Serien, starting to do the job offered. It wasn''t a big deal, just a few reports, fundraising for certain events and other little things, but it was enough to ease the workload off the princess''s back.


    The first document Sahari took was the one Serien had left out, the religions report, which came as a surprise to Sahari. "Oh my!"


    "What is that? Did you find any problems?"


    Sahari showed the document to Serien and the princess looked more exhausted. This was not just a report on the new religions, but also requests for religious recognition for cults about Athena.


    "What is "The Holy Church of the Queen of Death", "Order of the Saintess of the East" and all these organizations?"


    "New religious fanatics who have come to worship Athena as a goddess..." Serien replied with a crooked smile. "Every month there are several new ones."


    "By the gods... And Athena? Does she do nothing?"


    "At first she even told them to stop it, but now she doesn''t seem to care anymore and I have to deal with them..."


    Sahari laughed at the disgrace Serien was reaping as a result of her own choice, so they went back to work, ignoring the document of the new religions.


    After a long silence with only the sound of papers and writing, Sahari finished the job Serien had entrusted her with, drummed her fingers on the table and began humming the Valkyries'' war song until a subject popped into her mind. "You said that Athena was sleeping... Does that mean she was ''sleeping'' with Mifa?"


    Serien''s hand, which had been frantically waving the quill in a letter, suddenly stopped and looked at Sahari with a slightly red face. "Well..." Serien lowered her eyes, nodded.


    Sahari smiled with her eyes, happy for her friends. "I''m glad it''s working out for them."


    Serien bit her bottom lip, looking like she wanted to ask something and looked at Sahari. "Mm..."


    "Hm?"


    "Well..." Serien, who had no love experience, was curious. "Do you think it works? I mean, two women together?"


    "Hm... Wouldn''t their relationship be like any other couple? In fact, I think they''re even cuter than an ordinary couple."


    "You didn''t answer what I asked... Do you think two women together work?"


    Sahari looked into the princess''s watchful eyes, smiled and came around the table, holding Serien''s shoulders. "Do you want to try?"


    "Eh? Huh?" Serien shrank back in her chair and looked up, meeting Sahari''s eyes. "T-try? Try what?"


    Sahari smiled an affectionate smile and leaned towards the princess. "Try this..."


    Seeing Sahari''s face get closer, Serien took a deep breath and held it as if he were going to dive. Her heart sped up and her face heated as her lips prepared for a kiss that didn''t happen. "???"


    "Fufufu~" Sahari giggled when she saw Serien''s expression after receiving a kiss on the cheek.


    Serien had a mixture of disappointment and surprise after receiving a kiss on the cheek, but then she wondered why she felt let down and her face got even redder.


    After that, Serien complained a little about Sahari''s behavior, who fled as soon as she saw Athena and Mifa pass in front of the office.


    Later that day, Sahari returned to the princess''s office and Serien was still working even though night fell. She sat across from Serien and without saying much, she took half of the documents and helped the princess finish the job.


    After all the work was done, Serien and Sahari sipped freshly poured tea while looking out over the moonlit landscape of the flower gardens.


    Well, only Serien was enjoying the scenery, Sahari was admiring something more beautiful than the flowers in the moonlight. Serien''s beauty under the moonlight was something stunning and Sahari wanted to imprint that scene in her mind for eternity.


    Sahari set her cup down on the desk and continued to stare at Serien who was looking to the gardens as her purple eyes twinkling as they reflected the pale moonlight.


    Feeling her heart leap in her chest, Sahari''s hand moved indeliberately and caressed the silvery black hair of Serien who was distracted and jumped scared on her heels, making the Valkyrie hesitate. "Sorry! I don''t know what got into me..." Sahari said turning her back to Serien.


    Serien felt her heart race and her face heat up, but on her lips, a slight smile formed. "No, it''s okay. I wasn''t..."


    Sahari turned when she heard Serien say that everything was fine and the princess seemed to be mesmerized.


    The light that invaded the office, and illuminated their faces, made Sahari look irresistibly beautiful to Serien, just as Serien looked incredibly desirable to Sahari.


    "Did you not...?"


    "I did not..."


    Sahari moved a little closer to Serien, who didn''t move, so a little closer and little by little, in Serien''s hesitation to continue talking, the distance between them narrowed to the point where they could already feel the heat of each other''s quickened breath.


    "I...."


    "You..."


    They looked into each other''s eyes while also looking into each other''s lips, each wanting the other''s touch.


    They held each other''s hands, intertwining their fingers and feeling each other''s nervousness.


    That was Sahari''s first time with a woman and Serien''s first with someone. Their hearts were racing so fast they felt like they were going to explode and their parted lips were eagerly anticipating the kiss that took so long to happen.


    Sahari let go of Serien''s hands, laced the princess''s neck with her arms and the two, unable to stand all that explosion of feelings any longer, burned the desire and passion in a kiss.


    The kiss was brief, warm and sweet, they parted for a moment, looking into each other''s eyes. Sahari caressed Serien''s face, who in turn cradled her face in the fencer''s hand and then they kissed again.


    However, unlike the previous kiss, passionate and full of lust, now they caressed each other''s with their lips in a long, soft kiss.


    After that, Serien guided Sahari to her room and there they made love for the first time with loving whispers, long, wet, hot kisses and pleasurable touches.


    "Are you leaving?" Serien asked waking up to the sound of metal produced by Sahari''s armor.


    Sahari, who was sitting with her back to Serien at the end of the bed, still bare-breasted, pulling on her boots, looked back and smiled with her whole face. "Yes, I have to go." She said in an intimate tone.


    Serien sat down and watched Sahari dress while she felt a little anxious. "You.... You will return?"


    Sahari looked at Serien who was looking at the window lit by the first rays of sunlight and then asked in a tone full of meaning. "Do you want me to come back?"


    Serien pulled the sheet a little more, covering part of her flushed face. "Hm." She nodded.


    "Then I will come back to you." Sahari said with a beautiful smile full of love.


    However, life was not that simple and that promise would hardly be fulfilled. Months passed and Sahari did not return or even sent a letter. But not because she didn''t want to, what she wanted most was to return to the arms of her new love, but she couldn''t.


    This was because the Valkyries were traveling across the floating continent at Athena''s request again. They had to buy every spell and skill scroll they could find, and they had to do it in secret.


    Then, when the Valkyries returned, the war against the empire broke out and the two new lovers, who wanted to be together again, barely had time to talk.


    Sahari was from the vanguard group and Serien was always at the rear to heal the wounded and relay Athena''s orders.


    It was impossible for them to meet and have any usable time alone, but that was only until the night before the first attack on the capital of the empire.


    They didn''t waste time with words, as soon as Sahari entered Serien''s tent, they hugged each other warmly and a kiss filled with lust followed.


    "I missed.... you so.... much..." Sahari said as she kissed, sucked and nibbled on the princess''s neck as she gasped and arched her back with each shiver caused by the touch of the fencer''s lips. "Your perfume... your taste... You..."


    They didn''t know it, but this would be the last time they would be this close. Despite several opportunities, they never said what they felt, outside or on the bed.


    After the war, with the disappearance of Athena, the kingdom that now faced another crisis without its ruler, was in chaos.


    In the newly acquired territories, rebellions took place incessantly under the command of the nobles of the territories, giving more work to soldiers and mercenaries, including the Valkyries, who had to spread throughout the realm to keep everything under control.


    As for Serien, she had a lot more work to do with everything on her shoulders. Many times she wanted to count on the help of the nobles to help her with the excess work, but she endured it and continued to do everything by herself.


    It pulled them apart and in time the longing that had seemed to be endlessly painful began to slip away and fade into oblivion.


    There was so much going on on the battlefield that Sahari had no time to think about anything but her own life and the life of her comrades.


    While in Basilian, Serien spent sleepless nights because of the problems that kept piling up on her desk, as well as her stress in dealing with greedy nobles from neighboring kingdoms who tried to approach Basilica.


    Both had too much on their minds abd hands to think about love.


    In this time of torment, everyone missed Athena who solved everything selfishly with the use of brute force and murders.


    To make the situation worse, Serien, who was trying to follow her queen''s footsteps, started a war with neighboring kingdoms that tried to get closer with ulterior motives.


    Everything was only resolved when Mifa took charge of the situation with the new strength Athena had given her.


    The rebellions ceased, the war ended and Sahari was on her way back to her love, not knowing that Serien''s heart was being taken by someone else at that moment.


    During this period of instability in the realm, Serien met Veron and continued to see him after the end of the war and a stability in her load of problems to be solved.


    Little by little Serien''s heart started to move towards Veron and the princess remembered the feelings and memories she had with Sahari, but nothing was known about the fencer until then.


    When Sahari finally returned to the capital, before meeting Serien, she heard a rumor about the princess''s possible engagement and that she would soon have a ball to formally announce her engagement to a nobleman from another kingdom.


    Sahari felt a bitter taste in her mouth and her heart was squeezed by a pain she didn''t know, as she had never suffered for love. She didn''t want to believe the rumors and tried to talk to Serien, but the princess wasn''t in the kingdom.


    Serien had accompanied Veron to Mizhar to see the man''s territory while she was fleeing the fear of hearing the news of Sahari''s death.


    When Serien returned and learned that Sahari was alive, relief, longing and guilt consumed her heart and she spent days locked in her room, avoiding both Veron and Sahari.


    After days of trying to reach Serien, Sahari finally gave up and no longer sought her out. Her heart was in pieces, but she wanted to believe Serien would come back to her, but that hope only lasted until the day of the ball to which the Valkyries had been invited.


    At the party for the official announcement of the Princess Regent''s engagement, Sahari and Serien were walking in the gardens under the light of the three moons, but this only came after much insistence from Sahari, as Serien had convinced herself that if she kept her distance, she wouldn''t hurt Sahari more than there already was.


    Autumn nights were usually cold, but that night the weather was pleasantly cool and the silent garden still smelled of roses that wouldn''t bloom for a few more months.


    Sahari was dressed in a long, pale red dress with a gold-thread embroidery of a longsword along her right leg. Her hair was down, curling to her waist, and her lips were red and glossy like a caramelized apple.


    Serien could barely focus on where she walked. Sahari was very beautiful and brought back those longing feelings, making her feel even more guilty.


    Serien wore a simple white satin dress and a pale blue cardigan embroidered with various flowers in different colors. Her silvery black hair was pulled back into a braided hairstyle and a ponytail that fell halfway down her back, and her lips were a pale pink color, giving a slight touch of delicacy to her appearance.


    Sahari wanted so badly to hold her there and take her for himself, but she didn''t have the courage to do it, not now that there seemed to be a wall between them.


    "....So are you really getting married...?"


    "..." Serien just nodded without saying a word.


    "Iˇ­" Sahari clenched her fists, mustering her courage. "...I have something I want to tell you."


    Serien, who was walking beside the fencer, suddenly stopped and as if they were more in tune than ever, their hearts raced, but while Sahari''s face was red, Serien was pale and looked scared, however Sahari couldn''t go back now, she didn''t want to go back.


    The princess, with her eyes wided, seeing the determination of the fencer, even wanting to run away from there, she stayed. Serien pursed her lips, hardened her face as hard as she could and stared at Sahari with a nervous look in her eyes and Sahari stared back at her as she felt like she was going to suffocate.


    "I k-know I shouldn''t do this, b-but..." Sahari''s eyes filled with tears and her face flushed. "Serien..." Sahari took the princess''s hands. "...Don''t get married, I love you."


    Sahari was afraid to hear Serien''s response, which looked scared, so in an attempt to make her decide to not get married, the fencer kissed the princess.


    Surprised by Sahari''s act, Serien''s eyes widened and she tried to pull away from the woman, but gradually she accepted the kiss that was accompanied by Sahari''s longing, desire, scent and warmth.


    With the silence of the place, with their lips connected, they could have sworn they could hear each other''s heartbeats and that increased the heat of that kiss full of passion, longing and repressed desires.


    However, Serien remembered what the that night''s party was for and that she also loved her fianc¨¦, so the princess pushed herself away from Sahari. "I can''t, I can''t! I... I''m engaged... I... I lo-love Veron..."


    Sahari looked at the princess and smiled as her heart was crushed in her chest. Her face, which had been red until then, paled and the strength no longer came in her hands to be clenched, and not even the air seemed to favor her.


    "...I understand..." Sahari, after an uncomfortable silence took place, finally said and turned away. "I... You should go back to the party.... Your fianc¨¦ might be looking for you."


    Serien looked at Sahari''s back and felt her chest ache as if something heavy was squeezing her into the ground.


    Seeing the woman smile warmed her inside, just like as when Veron smiled at her and maybe, if she saw her fianc¨¦ suffer, she would feel the same pain she was feeling at that moment.


    Serien turned to the palace and with heavy steps, the princess walked away as she tried to compose herself, leaving Sahari alone in the garden and after that night, they didn''t see each other for long months.


    Serien got married, but she kept thinking about Sahari, the kisses and the hot nights she''d spent with the fencer, and in order to bury her longing and guilt, she turned to work and let herself be pampered by her husband.


    Sahari, on the other hand, had sunk into work far from Basilian so as not to disturb her beloved''s happiness and each new week she had a different partner in her bed, which she used to soothe her pain.


    In the end they were both doing the same thing. The two occupied themselves while trying to forget the feelings they had for each other and this continued until a certain winter day.


    Every three months, Serien left Basilian to inspect the realm. In Athena''s absence, she could not be careless with the territories and nobles, but there was a problem.


    To prevent further rebellions, the royal army was spread across the new territories of the kingdom and this included a large part of the knights of the royal guard, leaving the princess unescorted.


    For this reason Serien asked the Adventurers'' Guild to provide skilled warriors to supply her understudied escort, she just didn''t expect that Oliana would take the order and that the leader of the Valkyries would send the group led by Sahari to do the job.


    The princess and her escort were halfway to Sendar, a territory in the west-central of Basilica, and for the past three days, Serien and Sahari just exchanged a few cordial words as if they were strangers for each other.


    It had snowed all day and night was approaching along with the limit of the strength of the horses that pulled the carriage and carried the warriors.


    Serien who was inside the carriage, reading a book, suddenly looked at the window when she heard two short knocks, it was Sahari.


    "We will have to camp here." Sahari said without looking the princess in the eye. "The horses need to rest."


    Sahari didn''t wait for an answer and walked away in silence. She didn''t want to look at Serien and didn''t want to hear her voice either because it hurt.


    After all the work of shoveling snow and clearing a glade by the side of the road, the members of the warrior group walked everywhere to do some work, while Serien and Sahari were silent by the campfire.


    The atmosphere between the two was so strange and uncomfortable that even those who passed close to the two women felt awkward.


    ".... How have you been?" Serien asked. She could feel her heart pounding in her neck. This was fear of being ignored by Sahari. (I know I''m being selfish, but...)


    Sahari stirred up the fire with a stick, tucked the hair that fell over her face behind her ear, then took a deep breath of the cold air, trying to ease the pain, but the air carried the princess''s scent and the pain only grew stronger, but she didn''t. transpired. "I''m fine and you?"


    "Alright, only...." Serien pursed her lips. "Can we talk somewhere more private?"


    Sahari looked around as if to show where they were in an almost ironic way.


    There was a wood beside where they were camped and the rest was just snowy plains, there was no private place.


    For a moment Sahari was grateful that she didn''t have such a place, but then she realized that there was no point in continuing to run away if the pain continued to plague her. She had to put an end to this and then get on with her life and never fall in love with anyone the way she fell in love with Serien.


    "Let''s go for a walk." Sahari said and signaled to the only two knights of the royal guard who were in the group. "We''re going to take a short walk, don''t follow us."


    "Where will we go?"


    "How about the woods? If that''s the right woods, going further into the center, we might find a strange lake that has warm water."


    Inside the misty snowy woods, the two women, who carried grief-stricken hearts in their chests, walked for a while in silence.


    The two tried to find a moment to start the conversation, but even they were alone, it was something difficult to find.


    That night months ago left marks and fear was one of those marks, but time didn''t stop just because they didn''t speak and as they walked in silence, a sound of bubbling water mingled with the sound of snow crunching at their every step.


    They were facing a large lake surrounded by trees and covered in steam. A rock emerged in the middle of the lake and from the top of it undermined a thin stream of hot water, turning that place into a beautiful and mysterious setting.


    Sahari cleared two stones near the lake and covered one of them with her cloak, revealing her armor.


    "What happened to the armor you wore?" Serien asked when realizing that the armor Sahari was wearing wasn''t the same.


    The armor Sahari previously wore was beautiful silver plate armor, just like the other Valkyries with roses and a sword carved on the breastplate, but what the fencer wore now was a matte gray half-armor with few details.


    The first armor was forged using cold iron, a light, beautiful and tough mineral that was found in the frozen mines of the northern kingdoms and the armor Sahari wore now was made of magical metal, a rare mineral, lighter and stronger than cold iron, but much uglier and more expensive.


    "I screwed up a job and the previous armor was destroyed, but this one is better..." Sahari replied, but that was a lie. She had been wounded during the rebellion north of Basilica and nearly died, but she didn''t want Serien, who sent the Valkyries to fight, to feel guilty. "Sit down, let''s talk. That''s what you wanted, right?"


    Serien sat on the stone covered by Sahari''s robe and the two talked, screamed and cried. It had been some time since they were there and if not for Serien''s magic, the two would be in the dark, as night had already taken its place in the world.


    "....I didn''t mean to hurt you...."


    "...I wanted to be with you..."


    "... I still love you..."


    "But you''re not staying with meˇ­ are you?"


    Both had pained expressions on their faces and their eyes were swollen from the tears that had flowed.


    They no longer screamed or cried, now they held each other''s hands and spoke softly, almost in whispers, not meeting each other''s eyes.


    For a while they were silent, listening to the bubbling water and the sing of a lone owl in the darkness beyond the light produced by the luminous ball of mana that floated around them.


    "So..." Sahari broke the silence left by her unanswered question. "Then just one more time... Just one more nigth..."


    Serien, who was looking at their joined hands, looked up and met Sahari''s eyes. There was no sadness or hurt in the woman''s eyes, just longing, love and a slight wish for goodbye.


    Serien shed one last tear, they kissed, undressed each other and entered the lake, which despite bubbling, had the temperature of a hot bath, then they made love for hours.


    When they returned to camp, it was as if nothing had happened. They explained, with a lie, what they were doing and sensing the lighter atmosphere between them, the group sat around the fire.


    From that night on, the princess and the Valkyrie were once again just friends.

 Chapter 112 - Gehenna - Ytria, Helena, Arthur, Ytria And Athena

    The void was a dark and infinitely large place where everything began and everything ended. That place or being was also the first being, or place, and the last. It was present in everything while was nowhere, a non-existent existence.


    Often, souls that should reincarnate ended up in this place and got lost. Or perhaps it would be right to say that they returned to their origin? It would be hard to say for sure when there weren''t answers to every question.


    Anyway, the souls, who happened to get lost on their way to reincarnation, were trapped in this place for centuries, millennia or millions of years until they were expelled or extracted from there.


    With Ytria, who had just escaped from hell, it was no different. As soon as she walked through the portal, she found herself in a completely dark place, where she could only see an immeasurable amount of white dots floating solitary in the dense darkness, which she deduced were other souls.


    However, Ytria was just there for a short time, the void seemed to reject her and in little more than a thousand years, she was expelled out of the void and reincarnated in a new world on the brink of destruction.


    The world Ytria found herself in now, was the world of an evil god who loves to watch mortals suffer. Where monsters and demons was something abundant, that world looked more like hell to the poor mortals that, unlike Ytria''s original world''s people, had no magic or skill, they had nothing to fight against divine evil.


    However, even if limited, Ytria still had her powers and knowledge. Furthermore, she was freed from the corruption caused by her mana and she used everything she had to free that world from it''s evil god.


    Ytria fought for years, gained followers and discovered how that world worked. The more she was adored there, the more power she got and with the number of her followers increasing every day, she quickly gained enough power to destroy the evil god.


    However, she didn''t know the whole truth of that one. She didn''t know that by killing that god, the world he created would also die, as well as the people who worshiped her, the monsters, demons and herself.


    Once again in the void, Ytria screamed and mourned for years until the void expelled again and reincarnated in a world where the law was survival of the fittest.


    She didn''t last long in this world, as her powers had been sealed by the world that was the god himself, so she didn''t stand a chance right in the cradle and the cycle of death, emptiness and reincarnation repeated itself for dozens or hundreds of times until Ytria ended up in a world without magic, but which had a relative peace.


    Wasn''t that this new world had no magic, but the mana was so scarce that it wouldn''t complete even the smallest of spells and with that, Ytria would live a life with complete absence of magical powers, superhuman strength, supernatural longevity and whatever. another skill she had already experienced.


    She would live like a helpless human in a world of relative peace and was glad this was happening. She would finally have a full life without having to get her hands dirty with blood, without having to save someone or be taken by a distorting power, she could be happy.


    One summer night, in a hospital room, a beautiful and smiling woman held a pretty, head-reded little baby girl in her arms. "Her name is going to be Helena." Said the woman with a smile full of love. "My little and beloved Helena."


    Helena was born into an ordinary family as the only child of a young newly married couple. Her parents loved her and always gave her all the best. Ytria was finally having a peaceful life.


    As "Helena", Ytria grew up a prodigy for quickly learning everything she was taught. Helena has always been a pride to her parents, that''s because she was a well-behaved and intelligent girl who lived reading books that were all she asked for as a gift.


    In that peaceful life, "Ytria" soon lost space and "Helena" gained more and more presence. She didn''t see it as a bad thing, in fact, she embraced the changes that were happening to her. Not that she had forgotten her past lives, but she wanted to live the new life she had found without having to grieve. She wanted to be happy with her new opportunity.


    She went to college, got a job and left home like any young in her early adulthood. She made friends, got drunk, fought and made up with her best friend, fell in love, suffered with a broken heart and then fell in love again, she felt like she was living for herself.


    It was Helena''s second week in her new job as a financial analyst and like every day, she arrived at the office early. But this routine wasn''t something she did from the beginning, it started after she learned that the man she loved also came to work very early.


    "Good morning, Arthur." Helena said with a brilliant smile.


    Arthur''s desk was right next to her desk and she loved having the pleasure of smelling the lemony oak scent that exuded from the handsome dark brown haired man that was Arthur.


    "Good morning, Helena." Arthur responded with a smile that made Helena''s heart leap in her chest. "Today is going to be one of those days, better be prepared to stay until late."


    "Hm? Why?"


    "One of the companies we work for had problems with an account number and it looks like the error was from here, the top are mad."


    "Hm... Are we going to be fired?" Helena asked hesitantly.


    "Nah! I doubt it. I never make mistakes with numbers and you just got here. You have nothing to do with old business. But it doesn''t mean you can relax." Arthur warned with a playful smile.


    Helena controlled the emotions that ran throughout her body the moment she saw that smile and smiled gently as she always did.


    The day had been as busy as Arthur had warned, but despite having been a busy and tiring day, Arthur, Helena and two other friends still went to a bar and celebrated for getting through the "storm" safely.


    "To think that Ricardo would make a mistake so foolish as embezzling a customer''s money..." Leo said.


    "I''m more irritated about having to clean up his mess." Marina complained.


    "I didn''t even know there was a way to embezzle so much money..." Helena commented and everyone looked at her.


    "You already..."


    "God! No, Arthur!" Helena said while patting the man''s shoulder she laughed.


    "I know, it was a joke..." Arthur said and then his cell phone rang. "Ah! Sorry, I have to get it."


    "This fianc¨¦e of his seems to have powers, she always calls when we come here..." Marina said with a mocking expression.


    Helena looked at Arthur''s distant back, gesturing with every inaudible word and smile as he spoke on his cell phone. She knew that Arthur was committed and that he loved his fianc¨¦e, but even so, she felt the sour taste of jealousy and sadness at not being loved by the one she loved.


    "Frankly, if I had a woman like that, I would travel halfway across the world and get lost." Leo said with an evil smile.


    "Thank god this will never happen to you, no madonna?" Marina and Leo laughed and then looked at the expressionless Helena.


    "Hm... I know that..."


    "Eh? What?"


    "That look you were giving Arthur, dear." Leo said pointing to his own eyes and then to Arthur. "The fervent gaze of passion. Ah!"


    Helena lowered her head and embarrassed, asked. "Is it that obvious?"


    "My love, it''s so obvious the waiter feels sorry for you!" Leo scoffed.


    "But... Why Arthur?"


    "???"


    Marina sucked the purple drink from her glass through the blue spring straw and asked again. "Why Arthur? I mean, he is handsome and kind, competent at his job and earns more than most of us, but he looks like a fly in bed. Durval from the psychological department would be a thousand times better. And even though he''s not as handsome as our Arthur and he''s also a hell of a cad, he looks like he''s a god in bed. In fact, some of the girls who slept with him at the company said he''s a pussy wrecker."


    Helena made a horrified expression and said. "I''m not looking for sex that destroys my vagina."


    Marina and Leo who drank their respective drinks, laughed and choked on the liquids that leaked through their noses and then Arthur returned to the table.


    "What''s the joke?" Arthur asked as he sat down next to Helena.


    "N-nothing important!!" Helena restlessly said and the other two continued to laugh.


    After that, Arthur, who had not been drinking, took the three friends to their respective homes and Helena was the last to stay in the car with Arthur.


    Helena insisted that she could call a taxi, but Arthur insisted on taking her home, saying. "I''m only going to get a good night''s sleep if the three of you are okay at home." Happy with that situation, Helena agreed to be taken to her house by Arthur without further protest.


    This would be the first time Arthur had been to her house and Helena was worried if it would be okay to be happy about it. She didn''t want to spoil Arthur''s relationship with his fianc¨¦e or be his lover, but she couldn''t repress the joy she felt at being with him, even as friends.


    "Is it on this street?" Arthur asked as he turned the car around a dimly lit corner.


    "Yes, further up the road, where there''s that lamp post."


    "Now I understand why you do everything to go home early. It would be too dangerous for a beautiful woman like you to walk this dark street at night."


    Helena''s face, flushed because of the alcohol, became even redder when her beauty was praised. Y-Yes, but I''m looking for a better place to move."


    "Mm... If I find out about a place, I''ll let you know. What price range are you looking for?"


    "Around five hundred... More than that would be difficult for me."


    "Alright, if I know of a good place, I''ll let you know." Arthur said and stopped the car under the light emitted by the pole indicated by Helena. "Well, we''re here, good night."


    Helena took off her seat belt and before getting out of the car, she turned to Arthur, kissed the man on the cheek as a way of thanks, said goodbye and with her face flushed redder than it should be, she watched him drive away.


    Standing there, in front of the building where she lived, she wondered if this was what was called "drunken courage" and sighed as she massaged her cheeks bulging from the involuntary smile.


    "Aah..."


    Helena touched her lips with her fingertips and with a dreamy look, she climbed the short staircase in the building ahead of her. That night Helena masturbated three times and even had the wettest dream of all their lives.


    The new life that Ytria led as "Helena" was always full of peace and tranquility, and even though problems could sometimes occur, it was nothing that her life would be in danger or that she would have to dirty her own to solve the problem.


    However, Helena had not realized that her coming to this world had also opened a path to her home world. In fact, it wasn''t exactly she who opened the door, but a part of her that had been left in that world.


    Exactly twenty-four years ago, on the day Helena was born, a man had a dream about a world full of adventure and magic.


    The world was divided between heaven and earth, one was a hell for those who had neither money nor noble blood, another was a hell for everyone with monsters and demons lurking in the dark, ready to kill and destroy everything they saw.


    However, one day the hell was appeased in both parts of that world with the arrival of people who continued to fight even after they died, changing the lives of people in that world.


    Com esse sonho e com a ajuda de cientistas neurol¨®gicos, o jovem desenvolvedor de jogos mudou o mundo dos jogos para sempre. Cheio de perigos, aventuras, magia e romance. A living world that could only be described as "another world".


    However, what no one knew is that when it was created, this game became a gateway to the world it was inspired by. The game collected energy from the players'' souls through a large and complex magic circle formed by mixing all the spells transcribed within the game, collecting energy to one day open a door that would bridge the two worlds.


    The energy collection was inefficient and it could take years for the spell to activate for just a few minutes, but it would be enough to transport one or two souls at once.


    Two months passed and Helena was happy on her way home. Her happiness had two reasons, Arthur had spent all day smiling, making her heart flutter in her chest, and having received a raise in her salary. There was no way she couldn''t be happy when so much good was happening to her.


    Helena got off the elevator in the underground parking lot and headed to the space where she had parked her car when she saw Arthur leaning against his car with an expression of extreme pain on his face.


    Without thinking twice about what to do, Helena ran to Arthur''s rescue. But as she approached, she felt something in the man that shouldn''t exist in this world, she felt mana. But it wasn''t just any mana, it was her mana, that mana full of evil.


    She wondered how that was possible and then felt an ominous shiver as she remembered the advertisement for a game she''d chosen to ignore because it reminded her of her world.


    (N?o... N?o ¨¦ poss¨Şvel. Eu devo estar imaginando coisa...) Helena thought, trying to deny what she felt with each step she took towards Arthur. "Arthur? Is everything alright?"


    Arthur stood up and with a smirk in pain he said. "Y-yes. I think I''m fine."


    "I saw you suddenly almost pass out. Is everything really okay?" Helena insisted with a worried expression.


    "Yes, yes. I''ll be fine." Arthur repeated. "Tomorrow I''m going to the doctor to see if something''s wrong, so good night Helena, I have to go now."


    Helena watched Arthur get into the car and drive away while feeling somewhat anxious about the man''s situation as she began to feel her powers returning.


    Nervousness and worry made her heart tremble with fear of returning to that life of destruction and death, and fear of dragging Arthur into it. Helena thought for a moment what to do, she ran to her car as feeling a bad feeling and followed Arthur with the aim of helping him.


    After some time of impatience in traffic, Helena arrived at Arthur''s house, but when she entered the house, all she heard were the desperate screams of a naked woman crying on Arthur''s chest as he lay on the floor with his eyes open, but already lifeless.


    "Arthur!" Helena dropped to the ground, beside Arthur and the naked woman. "Arthur, what happened!?"


    "Who are you?" Luana asked sharply.


    Helena ignored the woman and concentrated on the mana that was thicker than before in Arthur''s inert body. She couldn''t care less about those two naked people when their love was dying. As she tried to wake up Arthur, she felt her powers getting stronger and so Helena tried to bring Arthur''s soul back, but it was too late.


    Tears streamed down her face and that nostalgic pain of grief began to resurface when she heard voices.


    "Wait Luana, don''t do that!" The man screamed.


    "That hypocrite! He was all shocked when he saw us, but he was also cheating on me with that bitch!" Luana screamed.


    Helena turned to see what was going on and then the naked woman, who the man called of Luana, stabbed her in the chest countless times.


    When Helena regained consciousness, she was again in the void, but this time she was not alone, in front of her was a part of herself that she did not know existed.


    "Fin...ally.... we''ll... be... gether... again...."


    The soul in front of Ytria was dark, tormented and seemed to be stretching out somewhere, looking like light being sucked into a black hole. It''s voice was brittle and full of pain, a pain that Helena...that Ytria didn''t want back.


    "H-how? How is that possible?"


    "I... We... are... one...." The soul said and approached Ytria.


    This was not something Ytria wanted, she was afraid of the pain and all the suffering that would come from joining that soul fragment that belonged to her. But there was no escape and the two became one soul as it should be.


    When Ytria woke up again, she was trapped in the prison she remembered well. She was surprised that she was fully conscious, not overwhelmed by all the abomination her powers carried.


    However, there was no time for wonder, she needed to help Arthur, but to do that, she had to understand what had happened. Ytria focused on all her memories related to Arthur and understood why the man had her mana in him.


    While playing that game Ytria insisted on ignoring, Arthur encountered the part of Ytria''s soul that had been left behind. He had agreed to become a Destruction Eater, a parasite of her powers, who would bring chaos and destruction to the world in her place, not knowing that it wasn''t just a game.


    This made the evil part of Ytria and Arthur have a stronger connection, and when Arthur was about to die, the evil part of Ytria wanted him with her and tried to take him to the other world by force, but but the door wasn''t strong enough to withstand the passage of a living person, causing excruciating stress on the target''s body and weakening the door, causing the evil Ytria to give up her plan for the time being, giving relief to Arthur.


    However, she wanted him at all costs and didn''t miss the opportunity to rip his soul from his body when she had the chance, causing his death earlier than he should have.


    This was why she no longer wanted to be alone and she also wanted him, in her place, to turn the world upside down again with chaos, death and destruction, but that didn''t happen.


    Arthur did not have a body connected to Ytria which he could occupy in that world. He had already "killed" Hades, who was the only avatar that had a pact with her, by deleting it. Yet have a connection with her was something she wanted most, as if it were an obsession. But from within the crystal, there was nothing she could do to change that, so Ytria abandoned Arthur in the void.


    Ytria felt guilty, even though guilt was something that was already in her core because of all the demonic energy, that guilt was something hers, just hers. She knew that somehow, who had done this to him was not her, but a dark version, who only wanted to see destruction and death in the world, even so, the guilt would not go away.


    Wanting to redeem herself for what she did to Arthur, Ytria used most of her powers to search for her lover''s soul and bring him back to the life she stole from him.


    She used almost the energy of her own soul to do this, but with her powers, she stretched her own existence, endured the dimensional planes, reaching into the void and rescued Arthur''s soul. But as not everything was perfect, the body was still missing, so she followed the mana that was more like her beloved Arthur and reached the nymphs, Anemus and Foti¨˘, who were with a empty high human woman....


    ".....And this is where we are."

 Chapter 113 - Gehenna - The Truth Of The World

    Athena was standing in front of the crystal that shattered every second, staring at Ytria with menacing eyes.


    "Who are you?" Athena asked and then shook her head. "No... The right question is "What are you", no?"


    "Hm..." Ytria smiled kindly. "...I am Ytria and I am the one and only Tormentor..." Ytria paused for a moment and then with a longing look she looked into Athena''s eyes. "... and I am Helena."


    "!!!"


    Athena made a hard and confused expression upon hearing that allegation, and seeing this, Ytria asked them to help her out of the crystal and after she was free, she explained how she broke the seal.


    When Ytria drained Athena''s mana, she was actually taking back some of Athena''s dark mana that originally belonged to her and along with that, Ytria also took the seal that was attached to Athena''s soul, thereby freeing herself.


    "So Master Gion didn''t need to die?" Eun asked with a rueful expression.


    "I''m sorry..." Ytria said. "But it was better this way."


    The truth was, Ytria was relieved that Gion was gone. She had spent four thousand years being visited by Gion every day and it had become frightening and disgusting. She finally understood why Nimo didn''t like him and wanted her to be careful around him.


    Eun and Neu weren''t used to emotions and it was the first time they had experienced so many emotions at once. They didn''t know what to make of all those feelings as they didn''t even know what those feelings were.


    Seeing the confusion on their faces, Athena hugged them. "It''s going to be okay. I''ll be responsible for you."


    After that Athena teleported along with the others there to the living room of the castle of Gion and there they started to talk.


    "And then, "Helena"..." Athena said making several air quotes, emphasizing the intonation of the name. "I imagine you have an explanation for everything I''ve been getting involved with lately refers to you..."


    "I do, but it might be a little long..." Ytria said.


    "I am immortal." Athena leaned back in the armchair she sat in. "I have all the time in the world."


    "Well then..." Ytria started to tell a long story. "....And this is where we are."


    "So that''s why Athena had that ridiculous amount of mana even though she hadn''t done anything for three hundred years?" Anemus asked with disbelief in her voice and face.


    "Yes and no... While she also had some of my mana, she had also accumulated a ridiculous amount of mana during those three hundred years." Ytria answered and looked at Athena. "Not that the amount now is any less astonishing..."


    All that was too much for Athena to assimilate and she still couldn''t believe that Ytria was Helena, even though they shared the same face. This made Athena deeply lost in her own thoughts where she asked questions which she herself answered.


    "The biggest reason she became a Tormentor three years ago was because she had my mana in her when she learned dark magic." Ytria continued. "Of course, her killing a lot of people didn''t help at all and I had to interfere when she started devouring souls... Otherwise he would have turned into a demon."


    "Huh? Devoured souls? What is she talking about, Athena?" Anemus asked perplexedly.


    "Huh? What?"


    "ˇ­I know it''s a lot to process, but I want you to understand that most of the things I did to you were for your good."


    Athena looked at Ytria with a complicated expression. "No, I''m fine about that. Are you really Helena?"


    At that moment, Anemus, who was ignored, narrowed her eyes as she felt a pang in her chest. That was jealous of her saying that there was something wrong between Athena and that woman.


    Anemus got up from where she was sitting on the couch with Neu on her right and Eun on her left, and walked around the room, circled Athena who was sitting alone in an armchair and hugged her lover from behind while staring at Ytria as if marking territory.


    This was not only because Athena ignored her and continued talking to Ytria as if it were nothing, but also because Ytria had said she loved Arthur, meaning she loved Athena and it made Anemus jealous and alert to Ytria that continued talking to Athena while trying not to look at Anemus.


    "So was it you?" Athena asked with a confused look. "You were that thing that stuck its hand in my chest in the temple of all the gods?"


    "Ah! Yes, it was me." Ytria admitted with a smirk. "I wish you weren''t influenced by the gods of this world. Know-"


    "Give me back." Athena interrupted Ytria with a cold look.


    Athena didn''t know whether or not what Ytria said was true, but that didn''t matter at the moment. Athena found it outrageous that Ytria had stolen what belonged to her.


    Ytria made a confused expression, thinking she had heard wrong. "What did you say?"


    Athena stroked one of Anemus'' arms that looped around her neck from behind and, almost in a monologue, she said. "That day, I intended to make Nath take back only the class she imposed on me, but the skills and spells... that I intended to keep and you took them from me. Give me back!"


    "Huh?!" Ytria looked dumbfounded at Athena. "No but-."


    "Helena, give me back what''s mine!" Athena repeated in an authoritative tone.


    Ytria made a complicated expression. She was disappointed and depressed as she imagined that as soon as Athena knew she was Helena, she would hug her with longing. But that didn''t happen and now Athena was practically fighting with her for something she shouldn''t have.


    "I can''t do this and I''ll explain why." Ytria said and without waiting for an answer from Athena, Ytria started talking about her reasons.


    The shattered soul that Ytria left behind lived for four thousand years as a ghost traveling through the streams of mana that intertwined through the millions of mana crystals scattered around the world and now, the memories and knowledge that the fragment acquired, belonged to Ytria.


    Mana, in addition to being the source of magic, was also a great archive of world history. Everything that one day happened was kept in the "memory" of the mana and Ytria that was "swimming" for millennia in this great river of information, had acquired a great amount of secrets.


    One of those secrets was that the world already existed long before Asherah and her children arrived there and the only god, or creature close to being a god, that existed there was the king of dragons, but dragons were also outsiders, there was no god born of this world.


    When Asherah arrived in this world, being the most powerful goddess that existed there, she proclaimed herself to be the creator goddess of this dimension and for a long time she stayed that way until the birth of Uran.


    Uran was born of Asherah with two divine essences, but these essences belonged neither to Asherah nor to Jehovah.


    ".... In mana it didn''t say where these essences came from, but..."


    Uran had been born a complete goddess, a powerful existence that could create life and worlds as she chose, and there would come a day when she would be even more powerful than her mother.


    For some reason Asherah feared her daughter and instead of loving her and guiding her to become a benevolent goddess, Asherah resolved to seal Uran forever.


    "....It was then that, in a confrontation of Asherah and her children against Uran, the world had half of it destroyed...."


    Due to the difference in power, Uran, who wasn''t strong enough to confront her mother and siblings, was defeated, sealed and cursed by her own mother.


    ".... One curse would prevent Uran from using her powers and the other..." Ytria thought of a simple way to explain for a moment. "Simply put, it would make Uran a kind of living battery for Asherah...."


    With Uran''s defeat and sealing, the dragons and fairies, who lived in this world and didn''t take sides, were somehow submissive to the gods and helped in the rebuilding of the world.


    "....After the world was rebuilt, using the powers she had stolen from Uran, Asherah changed the memories of everyone in the world, even Uran herself, of what happened...."


    The world came to believe that Uran was an evil goddess and Uran came to believe that she was the one who did something wrong.


    "....To prevent any of her children from turning against her and aiding Uran, Asherah separated the gods from the mortals by banishing the gods to the divine plan...."


    Time passed and over time, the story was gradually being forgotten or distorted in fables and legends from generation to generation.


    "....Athena, from what I can see and feel, you are already one step away from becoming a goddess. If I give you back the powers of Death, as soon as you become a goddess, you will be under Asherah''s control and will be banished from the mortal plane. Is that what you want?"


    Athena was again without reaction as she knew Ytria was telling the truth. This time she was sure that nothing Ytria said was a lie. That''s because she used a skill that allowed her to discern between what was a lie and what was true. Athena didn''t know what to make of so much information and with her head down, she analyzed everything she had heard.


    (That''s why all the versions I heard about Uran and what I remembered about her didn''t fit. This world is such a mess...) Athena took a long, anxious breath and kept thinking. (But then why was Ytria corrupted by Uran? And there''s also that Naph reaction when I talked about Uran...)


    Athena rubbed her temples and growled at the feeling she would get nowhere with so many questions on her mind.


    Realizing that Athena was practically burning her brains out with questions, Anemus pulled hee lover by the shoulders, making Athena look at her, and said. "Why are you making things so complicated? In the end you''ll do what you want....What do you want to do?"


    Athena looked Anemus'' green eyes, smiled and so looked at Ytria. "I want my powers back."


    Ytria turned pale and abruptly rose from her seat. "Haven''t you heard anything I just said?!"


    "Calm down..." Athena waved her hand frivolously. "I didn''t say I want it now, I have a plan." Athena stood up holding Anemus'' hand. "But first let''s get back to Basilian.. I have two funerals to do and one bastard to heal."

 Chapter 114 - Gehenna - The Beginning Of The Birth Of The Goddess Of Massacre

    Lunnia''s funeral was silent and reserved inside the throne room of the Imperial Palace in Basilian.


    Lunnia wasn''t royalty and didn''t even have a royal knighthood, but she was buried in the crypt of the royal knights as if she were one of them.


    Afterwards, feeling somewhat sentimental, Athena left Gion''s funeral and teleported into the middle of the Sigma desert, where Lunnia and she had their first adventure together.


    Now Athena had so much power, but it was still impossible for her to manipulate life and that made her even more furious at Hercules, who was trapped, hanging on black iron hooks in Basilian''s underground dungeons.


    The cold wind of the desert night hit Athena''s skin, bringing her back to reality, after spending some time thinking of some way to reverse death, then she saw the mountain of mana crystals that emanated a exorbitant amount of mana and the plan she had thought of earlier came back to her mind.


    "That''s it..."


    Athena took a step forward and the crystals that were at least five hundred meters away were now within reach of her hand.


    Athena was not yet used to that range of her power and new abilities, but she felt it and used it naturally.


    The mana, which stretched toward the sky like a white veil of energy, tried aggressively to penetrate Athena''s skin, which would normally end up killing her as she stayed there, but only caused an irrelevant tingle.


    However, preventing the mana from entering her body was not Athena''s intention, quite the contrary, it was exactly what she wanted.


    "I''ll start with you." Athena said as she placed her hand on the surface of the crystal. {Mana Drain}"


    This was a spell Athena swore never to use again. A spell that allows her to absorb mana from the world at high density and temporarily makes her mana infinite.


    Obviously the price of using this magic was high and it could easily kill her, but that is a thing of the past. Now Athena absorbed the mana as if it were the most natural thing to do and made that mana her property.


    This was possible because Athena was already subconsciously absorbing mana from the world. Her body and soul tried to adapt to the requirements of the Akashic Records that were often used by Athena. So as soon as the mana she was absorbing came into contact with the mana she already had, the two mingled and Athena''s existence got stronger and stronger.


    This idea emerged from Lucifer''s suggestion of absorbing the world into itself, but she didn''t need to. The mana of the world was something infinite as long as that world was alive and a world that didn''t die even though half of it was destroyed wouldn''t die for someone taking some of its mana.


    So if Athena absorbed enough without killing the world, she would soon have enough power to even face the gods.


    Athena wondered why the gods, or any other creature, had never done this, not knowing she was the only one who could. Well, not the only one, Hercules, being an invading soul like Athena, could absorb mana from the world, but he would probably die in the process for not being strong enough.


    Anyway, as she absorbed the mana from the crystals and the mana from everything else around her, her hair turned completely white and the green of her irises turned azure blue with something aberrant in them.


    In her eyes, inside irises, there were several thin lines that moved almost briskly, like snakes, undulating to her pupils that seemed to engulf the lines in black infinity.


    The lines were different colors, each representing an element, black for the dark element, white for the sacred element, yellow for earth, green for wind, blue for water and red for fire.


    This was a sign that Athena''s mana was special or had become something special, containing all the elements of that world while having none, just like Athena, who had become a goddess without gaining divinity.


    When it had fully absorbed the crystal that could easily surpass the size of three castles stacked on top of one another and glowed brilliantly, colored with blue and white, it faded and crumbled, leaving in its place only a mountain of pearly white sand.


    Athena, floating without using her wings, looked around feeling everything. This was a nuisance for her, being aware even of the anthill thousands of miles from where she was was quite exhausting for her, but even after containing all the mana she had, almost nothing changed and she gave up upon containing her mana.


    There was much to be done and Athena was grateful that it could all be resolved simply by killing Asherah. It wouldn''t be easy and she knew it, but she liked the fact that it was simple.


    Obviously she had nothing against the goddess, she couldn''t feel something for someone she''d never seen before, but if the goddess was an enemy, it was natural for Athena to want to kill her.


    Taking a deep breath, Athena closed her eyes and accessed the Akashic Records, looking for a way to reach true divinity and, at the same time, how to kill a god.


    At that moment, without realizing it, Athena poured all her power onto the land, causing all the floating islands to tremble and be pushed down.


    People everywhere, not knowing what was happening, despaired at the thought that the islands were collapsing, but those who could be called "mighty beings" like dragons, giants and fairies could sense what was happening.


    In the forests, green dragons spread their wings and tornadoes sprang up as fairies danced. The reason for this was because they felt the birth of a new god and this kind of scene was repeated in several other parts of the floating continent.


    In the lava mountains to the west, fire dragons breathed fire into the sky as if they were crowning the new god, in the snowy lands of the north, the ice dragons awoke from their dreams, excited by the new existence and the giants, who was fighting, stopped beating each other and roared to the east where the presence came from.


    The angels in the sacred gardens knelt as they felt Lhia''s presence in the energy that came to them and Michael, who was in Lucifer''s territory in the world below, spread his wings and flew, leaving only the corpses of demons and monsters behind.


    Athena opened her eyes, containing her power again, and looked up at the night sky with the satisfaction of having found what she was looking for and looking up at her moon.


    The red moon she named "Moon of Massacre" shone brighter than the other two, it was as if it were celebrating it''s master''s rebirth, Athena smiled.


    "So now I can start..."


    ***


    After returning to Basilian, Athena gathered Ytria, Lucifer, Ella, Theik¨®s, Anemus and Mifa in the meeting room of the imperial palace in Basilian and explained her entire plan.


    Now knowing what she must do to kill Asherah and what she must do to become a true goddess, her words carried even more weight.


    "First of all, I''m going to hide Foti¨˘." Athena said while cleaning the sand on her black dress. "I don''t want her to be in danger while this is all going on."


    "And where are you going to hide her?" Anemus asked, intrigued by Athena''s appearance.


    The woman''s white hair gleamed more than the candles that lit the place, they were like Lucifer''s wings, who couldn''t hide them because she was still too weak. Also, although colored, her eyes were cold, it was as if she was no longer saddened by Lunnia''s death.


    Anemus was afraid that something in Athena had changed too much and as she bit the corners of her lips in her anxiety and fear, Anemus wondered what to do if her assumptions were right.


    "I will send her to my former world and you two will go along." Atena disse olhando para Anemus e Mifa e ent?o para Lucifer e Ytria. "You two will also go to the other world to protect them."


    "Huh?!" Ytria jumped up in her chair, stunned by the ease with which Athena talked about dimensional travel. "Do you have any idea how much it will cost you to open a door to that world?"


    "It''s okay, I know what I''m supposed to do." Athena looked out the window. "A power supply is approaching as we speak."


    None of this was in her plan for Athena. She just wanted Athena to free Uran and leave everything to the gods, but Athena intended to solve everything herself. Ytria was apprehensive about everything she was turning into something tragic.


    "Then that''s it?" Anemus asked after hearing Athena''s explanation of her plan. "Are you going to fight alone in the end? And all that stuff about being together?"


    Athena didn''t respond, instead she looked at Mifa. "You won''t object?"


    Mifa shrugged and said. "I was not useful against an ancient man, how could I be useful in a battle against gods?" Then looking into Athena''s eyes, Mifa sighed heavily, trying freeing herself from the weight of her defeat and smiling at her lover. "Don''t make me wait too long, okay?


    Athena smiled and looked at Anemus who looked ashamed of her attitude, but Athena understood why she was that way. "It''s going to be okay. I always come back, don''t I? One way or another."


    Anemus widened her eyes as she understood the truth behind those words and then bowed her head with a bitter expression without saying anything else, but then in her mind, she heard Athena''s voice.


    (I''m sorry I have to leave you alone again.)


    Anemus looked at Athena with a startled look, got up and hurried out of the room, leaving the people there, with the exception of Athena, confused and wondering what happened.


    Athena smiled a fake smile and continued the meeting, explaining everything in minimums details to the remaining ones and then making Lucifer, Theik¨®s and Ella recover their powers more quickly.


    "I understood everything and the story Ytria told about the gods makes more sense than what I remember happened in the past..." Ella said. "But don''t you axha too risky for you to fight alone?"


    "I''ll be fine." Athena said and clicked her tongue in irritation. "This is getting repetitive..."


    "It''s not like I have any feelings for my mom and brothers, so do what you want, but our agreement remains." Lucifer said with a smile.


    "Of course, actually, he''s coming here right now." Athena said and Lucifer shivered. "No need to be scared, it''ll be over before it even starts."


    "So you really intend to do everything alone?" Ytria asked, her throat feeling dry. "You know it''s going to be an almost impossible task, don''t you?"


    "No! Who said I''m going to do it all by myself? I''m not dumb enough for this, I''ll free Uran first. If Asherah uses her as a battery and Uran is a primordial goddess, how could I win without taking her power source?"


    Ytria sighed in relief and let the tension slip away. "I''m glad you know what you''re doing..."


    ***


    "You can''t be mad at someone who''s going to war." Athena said to Anemus, who was sitting on the bed with her head down on her knees and with her back to Athena. "I know everything sounds scary and words don''t make any difference when it comes to death, but I want you to know that I will always come back to you."


    "But how long will it take? Four hundred years? A thousand years? How can I stand so much loneliness?" Anemus grunted without looking at Athena.


    "You are stronger than you think you are. I know this because even with no hope of finding me again, you waited for me and I came back."


    "That was just a coincidence...."


    "Yes, that was a coincidence, but now it''s a promise. It doesn''t matter how long it takes, but I''ll come back to you, to all of you.." Athena said and sat up in bed, being suddenly hugged by Anemus.

 Chapter 115 - Gehenna - The Fall And Revenge Of The Light Bearer

    Author''s Note: Just to be clear, this is a fiction.


    Both I, All, and J do not intend to offend anyone with our story.


    So if there is anyone of any christian (or catholic) strand among our readers, who does not accept or does not like to be written, misrepresented or distorted their deities, please do not read this chapter.


    That said, let''s get to the chapter! The/


    PS: Any complaints, J''s instagram is in some comment in some previous chapter. :v


    All J.


    ________________________________


    In forgotten times, when humanity was still in its infancy, Lucifer watched the humans in awe as she blended into them. She loved how humans struggled every day, clinging to every spark of their finite lives and often rising to victory.


    She did not get tired of seeing humans living, dying, helping each other, fighting, she was fascinated with the fragile human life and wanted to be like them.


    However, she was a goddess and above all, Lucifer was her father''s favorite daughter. Yahweh, an absentee and selfish god who did nothing for mortals using the excuse of free will, but the truth was that it had been a long time since he had the power to intervene in the mortal world, which in the end was not a bad thing.


    In any case, being a goddess herself, she could not actively interfere in the mortal world. This made her a little sad, as she wanted to be like the humans she so admired and she spent more and more time watching humans.


    One day, when Lucifer was walking through the mortal world, Michael, her older twin brother, who had an excessive love for his sister, approached Lucifer.


    "What interests you so much in these mortals that makes you stay down here for so long?"


    Lucifer tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at a couple who loved each other passionately in their bedroom. "Everything about them is interesting, my brother. See that couple? The man has another partner, but he loves that woman more, who is in love with another man. Isn''t that intriguing?"


    Michael couldn''t understand what was intriguing about it, but something was awakened in him when he saw the couple entwined in each other''s bodies, between lingering kisses and warm hugs. He looked at Lucifer, who was dressed only in transparent veils, and involuntarily his hand moved toward his sister''s back.


    It was a feeling he didn''t know, the urge to touch his sister''s skin was something stronger than anything he''d ever felt.


    Incest was common among the gods, but Michael and Lucifer were different. While Lucifer had no romantic interest in her siblings, Michael just loved Lucifer too much, even more than he loved his father, but without sustaining any carnal desire for her.


    However, he just didn''t want her because he didn''t know the pleasure of touching the target of his love with lustful desires, pleasure that he would soon come to know. As soon as his fingertips touched Lucifer''s bare back, something like an electric current ran from his arm straight into his mind.


    Lucifer''s skin was so soft and warm and smooth, and her unique scent was so pleasantly sweet that he wanted to hold her and never let go.


    Feeling his brother''s touch, Lucifer turned to Michael and smiled innocently. "?"


    Her golden eyes were so beautiful, her black hair was so silky and her lips so appetizing that Michael couldn''t contain himself any longer and kissed Lucifer on the lips.


    Lucifer, taken by surprise, was slow to react to the unexpected kiss, but as soon as she realized what was happening, she struggled against Michael''s embrace and pulled away with fury and disgust on her face. "What are you doing?!"


    "Lucifer..." Michael, looking at his sister''s expression, was wide-eyed at the new discovery and still excited, he took a step towards Lucifer who took a step back. "I... I''ve always loved you Lucifer, why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Loved me?" Lucifer wiped her lips with the back of her hand and with fear in her eyes, she spread her wings. "I don''t want anything like that, I''m not like you guys, I don''t want that kind of relationship with my brothers!"


    A frightening shadow covered Michael''s eyes, causing Lucifer to shiver and before she could fly away, Michael trapped them inside a barrier and there began Lucifer''s hell.


    Michael was a god despite sharing the same title of archangel with three other siblings, he was the strongest among them and even if twin with Lucifer, they were completely different.


    Both shared a unique beauty even among their brothers, but while Lucifer had black hair as the night, eyes golden as the sun and wings as white and pure as the brightest starlight, Michael had golden hair and wings and his eyes glowed in various shades without sticking to any specific color.


    Yet, in the end what mattered most was power and Michael was the strongest among all his siblings.


    He always prevailed the winner in power struggles and now, against Lucifer, it was no different.


    Lucifer did everything to get rid of her brother, using all her power that didn''t even cross the barrier that held her there with Michael, but in a short time she was overwhelmed by the overwhelming strength of her brother.


    For Michael, the time he forced himself and was inside Lucifer was extremely pleasant, short and unfulfilling. To Lucifer, the eight minutes felt like an eternity as she felt pain, disgust and cried, begging her brother to stop.


    After that, Lucifer was never the same. An angel who was always glowing and smiling, happened to be always with her head down and her bright smile was gone.


    Lucifer tried to talk to her father, but Yahweh had isolated himself and wouldn''t talk to anyone but Raphael, his firstborn, and while she was ignored by her father, her brother, assailant and the motive she felt so dirty, forced himself on her again and again.


    Lucifer no longer knew how much time had passed, she didn''t even shine as before. Driven to despair, Lucifer gathered her supportive siblings and rebelled against her father who allowed her to suffer so much.


    However, what she didn''t expect was that her rebellion was what Michael was waiting to hide the shame of the truth of the crime he carried.


    Michael had asked Raphael, who was his closest brother, for help with what to do about his sin. Like Michael, Raphael also had lust for Lucifer and under an agreement to share Lucifer''s body, they deceived Yahweh who in turn, blinded by fury and disappointment, punished his rebellious children.


    As punishment for the rebellion, Lucifer and her followers were banished from heaven and sent to a place that no one could control, not even Yahweh. That place was hell, a twisted dimension of chaos where most of the lost souls ended up.


    ***


    For some time, after talking to Anemus, Athena, Mifa and Anemus cuddled on the bed in silence. Everything they had to say had long been said and vows of love were unnecessary at the time as they loved each other too much not to know each other''s feelings.


    After Mifa and Anemus fell asleep, Athena kissed them both, covered them and left the room in silence. She sensed someone with an essence similar to Lucifer''s, but much stronger than the demon lord, getting closer every second.


    Having nothing to do until the guest of honor arrived, Athena called Lucifer to talk in the garden burned while she waited.


    Athena was curious to know why Lucifer wanted to kill her brother and while she imagined something epic like the bible tales, she didn''t want or expect a heavy story, but in the end, the true story was not pretty.


    For Athena, the demon lord''s story... Hearing Lucifer''s story was like having a rope around her neck, choking her while someone punched her in the stomach.


    Hearing everything Michael did to his own sister was nauseating and Athena often wanted to vomit, and took a deep breath as she felt the anger pool in her chest. Athena shook her leg frantically and impatiently, wanting time to pass faster.


    "....So when we saw the gates of hell open, we didn''t wait and ran away from there, but we''ve all been affected after millions of years there and many of those who followed me turned into demons."


    Athena was silent and while she felt Lucifer''s brother approaching, she was irritated by the second, feeling the need to punish Michael, because the simple death would be little for someone like him.


    Lucifer smiled slightly to see Athena furious for her, someone who is practically a stranger, and remembered the brothers who rebelled with her and with her were banished to hell.


    Lucifer wanted to make peace with Azazel and the others she sent from back to hell. She knew that if Azazel gave up the location of where she was, it was out of fear of Michael and even though she was furious with her younger brother, she intended to forgive his betrayal.


    Athena had no words of comfort to say and her fury burned quietly while Lucifer no longer had anything to talk about her past and thought deeply about what to do after breaking free of the chains that held her to the past.


    They were silent there for hours and when the moons were already hiding on the horizon, Athena rose from the stone bench where she was with Lucifer.


    "It''s time..." Athena said in a heavy voice and looked at Lucifer who huddled in her seat as trembled. "There''s nothing to be afraid of. I said it''s all going to be over before it even starts, didn''t I?!"


    As soon as Athena finished the sentence, a handsome young man swooned in the sky, hovering with his golden wings spread and looking directly at Lucifer.


    "Lucifer, I came to get you!" Michael said in an authoritative voice. "You don''t think it''s disrespectful to our father to escape punishment without his permission?"


    Lucifer did nothing, said nothing and didn''t look up. This was because despite having rebelled once, she still carried the trauma of what she had suffered at her brother''s hands and even after millions of years, she was still afraid of him.


    "Lucifer, say something-Urgh!!!"


    "The time to talk is over." Athena said as she grabbed Michael by the neck. "Lucifer, pay attention to my voice and calm down. Death would be too simple for him, don''t you think? Are you angry? Don''t you want revenge? You don''t want to make him suffer and pay for what he did to you? Pull out his guts, skin, eyes, tongue and then heal him and repeat it all over again until there''s nothing left inside that filthy carcass he calls a body?! I..."


    Hearing Athena''s voice, the words filled with fury and a thirst for revenge, made Lucifer''s fear melt into a fizzy adrenaline burning with the rage that flooded her mind, making her blood rush furiously as her heart beat fiercely. on your chest.


    Lucifer looked up and her red eyes met her brother''s kaleidoscopic eyes and glowed with intensity as her pretty face twisted in anger and rancor.


    Michael, who had a pained expression on his face and was struggling uselessly as he tried to free himself from Athena''s hands, widened his eyes at the sight of Lucifer''s expression and for the first time in his life, he felt fear.


    This was not the same Lucifer he was born and raised with. That wasn''t the same Lucifer that looked at him with affection and admiration that he remembered and that wasn''t the Lucifer that he loved. After all, that Lucifer had died the moment he''d gotten his hands on her and made her live the worst of hells.


    "....What do you say, Lucifer?!" Athena roared in a snarl.


    The sky, which had begun to lighten with the arrival of morning, darkened again with heavy black clouds that unleashed furious lightning with every word of Athena.


    "Stop! Don''t wrench my Lucifer!" Michael screamed and from somewhere he pulled a golden spear and thrust it into Athena or so he thought happened, but the reality was completely different.


    The moment he thrust the spear into Athena, she severed his arm and took the spear for herself, throwing the weapon into her [Dimensional Bag] and it was then that Lucifer roared her fury.


    "I want revenge!!!!" Athena smiled at the demon lord''s desire and Michael shivered as he saw his end approaching. "I want to tear him up!" Lucifer continued as holding the black hair and almost pull it out her head in her euphoria. "I want to dismantle him! I want to hear his plea for mercy and forgiveness as I cut him and burn him and then, and then- Argh!" Lucifer flew towards Athena and Michael.


    Knowing what would come next, Athena sealed Michael''s powers and launched him to Lucifer who pulled a black sword from her subspace and ripped the four golden wings from her brother''s back in a single cut and while Athena healed Michael, Lucifer continued to cut, burning, amputating, impaling Michael for hours and when she got tired, it was noon and Michael had not screamed for some time.


    "Yet...." Lucifer growled in a whispered voice. "I''m not finished yet..."


    "I know." Athena responded with satisfaction. "But I have things to do and before I leave, I''ll take all the power he has."


    Michael shivered again and looked into the indifferent eyes Athena had as she looked at him. "Whatˇ­ what are you?"


    Athena bent down in front of the archangel and pulled the man by the throat with a gentle smile on her lips. "I am your worst nightmare."


    Michael widened his eyes, which didn''t have the same sparkle as before, and felt a shiver down his spine as he thought of the worst of his nightmares. (Gehenna...)


    Meanwhile, Athena, with her back to the two siblings, was smiling proudly with her chest puffed out as she watched the sky lighten again. (I always wanted to say this at least once!)

 Chapter 116 - Gehenna - The Divine Fear

    A god is an true immortal being who could arise in two ways, ascension and birth, but they all have pretty much the same essence that makes them something special with unimaginable powers.


    The requirement for a mortal to become a god was never the same for two individuals. Some faced tribulations and others just abandoned worldly desires, but all had to have a power that could crush.


    The ascended gods didn''t have a concrete purpose in their existence, after becoming gods they would still have to find a concrete purpose to maintain their existence, otherwise they soon ceased to exist.


    As for those who were born gods, coming from other gods or simply emerging as a god, they were born with a purpose and lived for that.


    However, despite differences in origin and obligations, the ascended and the born gods had a similarity which made them equal. Both the ascended and the born were imperfect and incomplete.


    Usually those who were born as divine beings, as gods, were born in pairs so that they become complete. No one knew why they were born that way, divided, incomplete, but that was no different for mortals who became gods.


    Things were more difficult for the ascended gods. Because if they didn''t ascend along with another individual, it was much more likely that they would spend eternity incomplete, never creating anything.


    The perfect existence was called "primal god", a powerful being who used the power of two gods to have the power to create world, life and even dimensions from zero.


    Michael knew the prerequisites to be a complete god as his parents, Yahweh and Asherah, were once part of a primordial god, which due to a long history starting with an accident and ending in a disaster, no longer existed.


    Anyway, knowing what a primordial god was, Michael, who had in front of him something that could only be identified with strangeness, weirdness or abnormality, remembered a word his father had spoken to him in the distant past.


    (Gehenna...)


    Athena reminded him of the only existence that could kill a god other than a primordial god. A formless being whose sole purpose was to keep the gods in balance.


    However, this being no longer existed, because after being deceived by Yahweh and Asherah, Gehenna lost its purpose and vanished without a trace.


    Yet, Yahweh knew that one day Gehenna would return to make amends for it''s mistake. He felt a kind of fear that no god should know, the fear of dying.


    Even with Asherah by your side, Yahweh could no longer be a primordial god, a complete god who could face Gehenna. So knowing that one day Gehenna would return to make amends, he looked for another source of power.


    Yahweh spent thousands of years searching again and again, until one day, he looked at finite beings and to how they created figures of clay or iron and devoted their worship to it as if they were being heard. He realized that worship could be a source of power and began to act in the mortal world.


    Howsoever, even after discovering a new source of power, Yahweh was still afraid and that fear was so strong that it even erased the love he had for Asherah.


    So when he found the power source, instead of sharing it with his wife and children, he banished his wife along with the children of the dead gods to another dimension, thus keeping the new power source to himself.


    Michael knew the whole story involving his parents, the dead gods and Gehenna, so seeing how Athena''s true essence didn''t have a concrete form, he was sure Athena was Gehenna''s resurrection and he felt the same fear that his father felt.


    However, his fear was unjustifiable, Michael didn''t know that, but Athena had no intention of killing him, that would be a punishment too mild for what he did and Athena hated to punish someone sloppily.


    Anyway, while Michael was absorbed in his thoughts and fears, Athena searched in her mind for a skill or magic that would allow her to do the same thing she did to Faena, steal Michael''s powers without killing him.


    At that point, the Akashic Records in Athena''s mind presented themselves as an endless library. But in addition to spells and skills, now also appeared various random information which Athena did her best to ignore and keep looking for what she wanted.


    Athena thought the Akashic Records were Uran''s gift to her and she wasn''t entirely wrong.


    The "A.R" only came about because Uran injected her mana into Athena and when the two mana merged what arose were the Akashic Records which was now expanding into something bigger as Athena grew more powerful.


    After some time locked in her mind, Athena finally moved again again, but now with a wicked smile on her face. What she''d found wasn''t nearly as painless as it had been with Faena.


    Athena would make Michael suffer every second she spent stealing his powers and she was very pleased with that.


    Athena kicked Michael in the ribs, sending him rolling across the lawn, which was now just burned weeds, and kneeled one knee on the archangel''s wingless back, pressing him hard into the ground.


    Michael at the moment had his powers sealed by Athena, something he had no idea was possible, and even though he resisted, he had no more strength than Athena.


    Athena said some unspeakable words, a purple force field glowed around them, and as if Michael were a skein and Athena a spool, the archangel''s powers flew from him to Athena in the form of a thin, golden and glowing line of energy.


    For Athena, that situation was a little less pleasant than a kiss from Mifa or Anemus. As her powers increased, she felt hot, her skin tingled, and her hearing was as far away as if she were in a hot tub.


    As for Michael, it was like being scalped, as if they were peeling off his skin and pouring alcohol into the newly opened wound. It was as painful and cold as being submerged in frozen water where a shoal of piranha fish were devouring him from the inside.


    Michael screamed every second and his screams were so loud and shrill, it were audible even outside the palace walls. But anyone who heard the screams, only smiled as thinking that Athena was torturing some nobleman brave and stupid enough to be corrupt.


    Athena hadn''t been aware of this or perhaps just ignored it, but the personality of the basilican people was getting as distorted as hers.


    Anyway, as Michael felt more and more empty and helpless, he started to get more and more desperate to the point of twisting his neck to the limit just to look at the sky and beg. "Mom! Help me Mom! It''s me, your son Michael, Mom! Save me, please!"


    Athena smiled, in fact, she laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen in her life and Lucifer watching the scene just shook her head in disdain for Michael''s futile act.


    Asherah would come neither for Michael nor for Raphael nor for any of the gods titled "angels".


    "Idiot, why would she come to the rescue of any of us if when she asked for help we turned our backs?" Lucifer said in a voice full of disgust.


    "Oh? No! Mom! Forgive me, Mom!" Michael cried.


    Asherah, from the divine plane, watched everything that was happening with a cold gaze without even moving a finger. But that had nothing to do with Michael calling her, it had been some time since she''d started paying attention to everything Athena did.


    Two years had passed since the goddess offered a power that would allow Athena to rule the world if she so desired.


    This was supposed to interfere with Athena''s future in a way that she didn''t notice, but as if seeing behind the mask of that power, Athena shed the present, thus rejecting and preventing Asherah from intruding on her life.


    Asherah was predicting what Athena was to become and wanted to divert Athena from such a future, but the goddess was completely ignored and Athena continued walking in a direction they would become enemies.


    Athena''s existence was becoming something dangerous in the goddess''s view, but for some reason she couldn''t interfere with Athena directly, not even with the powers she had stolen from Uran, and so she followed, no, the watch Athena''s every step.


    Asherah couldn''t care less about someone who had betrayed her in the past and just kept watching how Athena would grow from it.


    When Athena finished ripping Michael''s powers out, all that was left was a soul in a miserable carcass he called a body and now, he was just a powerless mortal deity who would be Lucifer''s toy for the rest of his miserable life.


    "Lu-Luciferˇ­" Michael looked at his sister, hands clasped together as if in prayer and begged. "Please I''ll do whatever you want, d-don''t kill me-ugh!"


    Hearing Michael beg to not be killed, reminded Lucifer again of when she had begged him to stop and Lucifer ground her teeth at the anger rising in her throat.


    As for Athena, she remembered something and stepped on the former archangel''s back with the thin heel of her boot. "I forgot something." Athena looked at Lucifer with a smile, calming the demon lord. "We don''t want him to die, right?"


    Lucifer looked at Athena and then at Michael. "No, we don''tˇ­" Lucifer smiled. "He has a lot to pay me before he dies."


    "Well, then..." Athena turned her nails into claws and sank her hand into Michael''s veiled flesh''s back, spraying blood in all directions as she ripped out something that looked like a heart. "Done!"


    "Athe-Eh???" Lucifer widened her eyes in disbelief. "You said you wouldn''t kill him!"


    "But I didn''t." Athena said as she handed the beating heart to Lucifer. "I replaced his heart with a core of mana that will keep him alive no matter what happens to him."


    Michael shivered and felt a lump in his throat as his mind spun and spun without focusing on anything. He was starting to crawl when suddenly Athena pulled him by the leg and stepped on his head.


    It was all too fast, the pressure in his head against the floor, the pain that came with a cracking noise and then the buzz in his ear as his eye popped out of its socket and then he was okay again.


    "Huh? What is this?" Lucifer asked with disbelief on her astonished faces.


    Athena had crushed Michael''s head, but as if it were a lie, his head was back in the place despite having brain mass and shattered skull bones on the ground around his head.


    "It''s the same curse that Uran placed on Gion, but I won''t say what can kill him." Athena said looking at the heart in Lucifer''s hand and then winked at the demon lord. "I''ll have a cell set up in the dungeon for you to throw this thing, have fun."


    ***


    It was time to leave and after spending hours in bed with Anemus and Mifa, Athena began to get dressed.


    She wanted something simple that would allow her to move easily and opted for pants and a baggy shirt.


    While Athena was getting dressed, Mifa woke up and watched her lover get into a pair of black leather pants.


    The way Athena''s ass moved was tempting, but Mifa looked away in fear. In a reluctant voice, while trying not to look at Athena''s ass, Mifa asked as Athena buckled her belt. "You will come backˇ­ Right?"


    Athena''s hands stopped moving and with her head bowed, Athena pressed her lips together and for a brief second held her breath. All she knew was that she would do anything to get back to her lovers and loved ones, but she didn''t know when and every time she said she would, the words were so heavy in her throat it seemed like if she were lying to her loved ones.


    Athena was silent for a long time, but her silence didn''t matter at all to Mifa who could hear Athena''s heartbeat and thus feel the fear she was currently feeling.


    Wrapped in a white silk sheet, Mifa got out of the house and walked over to Athena who had her back to her.


    Mifa touched Athena''s bare back with her fingertips and then hugged her. "It''s okay, I don''t want to lose you, but you don''t want to lose anyone and I won''t ask you to stay..." Mifa made Athena turn around and look her in the eye. "Yet, I want you to promise me that you''ll do anything to come back to me..." Mifa''s ears twitched slightly and then she looked back as she realized that Anemus had woken up but was pretending to be asleep. "For us..."


    Athena looked into Mifa''s reddish brown eyes, stroked her hair, then her face, her lips and without saying a word, Athena kissed her, causing Mifa to drop the sheet that was wearing her as she hugged Athena.


    All Athena was about to do was for a promise she had made to Uran and she intended to keep that promise anyway, just as she intended to return to those she loved at all costs.


    Athena pulled Mifa closer, their naked upper bodies touching, exchanging the heat of flesh and the kiss between them ended in a tight hug.


    "I will come back." Athena finally said. "I love you. I love you and I will com back."


    "Mm..." Mifa held back the sob that rose in her throat and buried her face in Athena''s chest. "Iˇ­I know that. I love you too."


    Anemus curled up on the bed, still reluctant to understand why Athena was going so far for someone she had only met once, not knowing that Athena had regretted many things after dying as Arthur.


    One of those things was abandoning true friendships for blind love and false friendship. That''s why Athena didn''t want to leave her friends and even if it was for a little while, Uran was her friend to the point of even having a promise which she would fulfill even if it cost her all the power she had.


    Mifa and Athena sat on the bed again and talked a little more, until Mifa calmed down and after that, Athena kissed them both and went to see Ytria to get an idea of ??how to open the portal to the other world, but....


    "You still don''t have enough power to open the portal." Ytria said monotonously without taking her eyes off the pages of the book she was reading.


    "Eh? How not?" Athena asked, surprised by the news. "I''ve even said goodbye to my women!"


    Athena had absorbed so much power, power that was enough to handle the strongest archangel easily. She couldn''t accept that her power wasn''t enough to open a small door between worlds.


    Ytria sighed and closed the book she was reading. "The previous door was being held up by the world and the energy gathered from the players'' souls, but it was still unstable and wouldn''t pass a living person even if a miracle happened." Ytria got up from the couch and, still feeling weak, leaned against Athena''s shoulder. "For you to get a sense of how difficult it is to cross a dimension, I had to..."


    "You have to...?" Athena tilted her head at Ytria''s unfinished sentence.


    To seek Athena''s soul in the void, Ytria used far more than just all her power to cross the dimensions.


    She sacrificed a part of her soul, destroying part of what she was in the past. Thinking Athena would feel indebted and guilty if she knew that, Ytria chose not to say anything about it.


    She even imagined this would be an opportunity to have Athena in her arms, but she didn''t.


    Ytria loved Arthur or Athena, the name didn''t matter to her, and wanted to be with her, but not like that and she hid the truth by saying that what she had done had only cost her mana, what was something that would return with time.


    "Yeah... Anyway..." Ytria stared at Athena with a crooked smile. "What you have now is not enough. Now I have to go..."


    "Huh? Go where?" Athena asked, but Ytria just kept walking. "Helena!"


    ***


    In the divine plan, Asherah was angry, no, she was furious that she didn''t have the power that Athena had, the power to absorb and transform whatever she wanted into power.


    Also, she was concerned that Athena was become like Gehenna, a formless god who was capable of killing other gods.


    Plus, she had something that wouldn''t leave her mind. (Why can''t I do anything with that mortal from here? Why can''t I reach her soul?)


    Before Athena was as she was now, the gods could do whatever they wanted to her, just as Naph and Asherah had done by granting her unwanted powers, but not anymore.


    One day, after a certain level of growth, Athena became untouchable and after Ytria took away Athena''s Death powers, no god could divinely interfere with Athena or those who had the slightest soul connection with her.


    Right now there are seven people like that, Foti¨˘, Mifa, Anemus, Ella, Lucifer, Theik¨®s and Ytria.


    In the case of Foti¨˘ it was because she was Athena''s nymph and because of the {Eternal Bond}. Their souls were united for eternity and had the same destiny. Mifa was on because of the "Seed" that Athena had "planted" in her, thus placing a small fragment of herself in her beloved.


    With Anemus, Ella, Lucifer, Theik¨®s and Ytria the case was a little more special.


    Anemus had been born from Hades and somehow had received some of the energy from Athena''s soul, in the case, from Arthur at the time. She was a nymph of Athena and wasn''t at the same time, allowing her to be affected by the gods at such minimal levels as having whispers whistled in her ear and making she think it was the wind talking to her.


    Ella, Lucifer, Theik¨®s had helped Athena in the process of reaching the level of power similar to a god, making her a mortal goddess and soon after had their powers restored by Athena, making them a type of vassal. They were like Anemus, could be affected by gods at minimal levels.


    Finally, the most special case of all was Ytria. She had sacrificed part of her existence and was the stone that established Athena''s existence in this world.


    Ytria''s connection with Athena was not something as powerful as the one Foti¨˘ had, but the bond was strong enough to protect Ytria from the madness that Uran''s powers caused in her.


    Anyway, Asherah wasn''t happy about it and took a drastic step that she would come to regret.. "I will lift the banishment of the gods in the mortal world. Destroy that petulant mortal!"

 Chapter 117 - Gehenna - Gods And Mortal

    This was supposed to be just another ordinary afternoon with reddish skies signaling the beginning of late afternoon, the cooler breeze that signaled the arrival of night and the birds hiding on roofs and trees to sleep.


    This was just another ordinary afternoon until the sky, until then red, turned completely white and emanated a blinding light that expelled all darkness from the world for a brief moment.


    Nobody knew that, there was no way of knowing it, but that glare was the banishment of the gods being lifted and it hid two gods within it, and those gods had only one aim, to fulfill Asherah''s wish and kill Athena.


    Not understanding what was happening, the people began to get restless. Those who did not hide and were out in the open, bewildered by the situation, had their visions obstructed by temporary blindness and despaired.


    Suddenly, people felt something permeate their bodies like a warm blanket and when the sky returned to normal, the people found themselves in an unfamiliar place.


    No one understood what was happening and where was this place they were now, but this disorientation was short-lived.


    "Up there!" Someone yelled.


    The people looked up at the sky and instantly their faces paled as they discovered where they were.


    No one there imagined that they would one day return to the world their ancestors had abandoned and with fear taking their hearts, the people were about to enter a state of despair.


    The reason for this fear was the unknown, they knew nothing about the world outside the floating islands. In fact, not to say they didn''t know anything about that place, they knew there were demons and monsters all over that place, ready to kill and devour them, plus the hellish miasma that would kill them at best.


    Yet again, they didn''t know anything about that place. The demons had already been slain or had returned to hell. With the exception of a few imps, there were no other infernal creatures on that continent.


    Anyway, as they despaired, they also watched the floating islands slowly crumbling with the thunderous sounds that echoed everywhere.


    Then, after about three minutes of watching huge holes being made every second, they shivered in tears as a massive explosion pulverized half of what had once been their home.


    ***


    Moments ago, after being left alone in the living room, Athena sat on the couch with Ytria''s words in her mind.


    (How much power would it take to open a door between dimensions then?)


    The fact that her powers weren''t enough to do what she wanted was absurd to Athena since she had the power to confront a god with ease.


    (Unless a god isn''t such a thing and I''m just being arrogant...) Athena thought, but then she thought of Michael and denied her dubious thoughts.


    She didn''t have to doubt her powers, she knew she was strong, but she accepted the fact that she wasn''t strong enough to do what she wanted and decided to look in the Akashic Records for answers.


    Athena closed her eyes and relaxed her body on the couch and was about to sink into her mind when then a shiver ran through her body and along with the shiver, she felt two overwhelming presences suddenly appear.


    It was all very sudden, but Athena had already understood that what she hadn''t foreseen was happening.


    (Why now? I haven''t even done anything to them directly yet...) Athena wondered, but there was no time to waste.


    As the two presence grew stronger, without a second thought, Athena spread her mana everywhere, covering the entire empire with her conscience and using the {Mass Teleport} magic, she teleported all the citizens of the empire to the safest place she could think of at that moment.


    After teleporting people to the world below, Athena teleported to the sky above the capital and faced the two people flying over the city.


    "Oh my! Thanks for coming to us." Said the man. "I wouldn''t want to have to search, it''s been so long since I''ve been down here... I want to finish this and go exploring."


    "Don''t be impolite, Nirsa. We are her enemies, but that doesn''t mean we should be rude to her." Said thr girl


    The man, in addition to being tall was muscular, his long hair was tied in a ponytail, his skin had a gray tone, as if painted with soot and with his eyes closed, he had a serene and animated face.


    He was wearing only what Athena identified as a long, black skirt with two slits that showed the legs to the height of the belt. Also, on each of his arms were shackles as well as on his legs.


    As for the girl, she had short shoulder-length red hair, her skin had a pinkish tinge and her eyes were red and sharp like a cat''s.


    If Athena had to choose a characterization for the girl, it would be one of those tsundere teenagers from anime. A girl who think she can solve everything with aggression.


    Anyway, the girl wore blue veils to dress and although they were transparent, the veils revealed nothing of her body as they undulated over important parts. She didn''t have any jewels on her body, instead she had a sword twice her size on her back.


    "Why are you here?" Athena asked, buying time to analyze her opponents.


    Athena and the two gods had the same amount of mana, which was surprising to Athena. She thought she would be at a huge disadvantage and was tense over it, but seeing that it wouldn''t be impossible to win, Athena sighed slightly in relief.


    "Fufu~ Is she relieved?" Said the man called Nirsa with very effeminate gestures. "Why are you relieved? Ah, to answer your question, we came to kill you. I don''t understand why, but our mother doesn''t want you to live. Fufu~"


    "Oh! So I somehow stepped on your mother''s toes..."


    "Yea." The girl replied. "I am Redel, the martial goddess and this is Nirsa, the god of the night. We will be your executioners."


    "And you don''t expect me to obediently accept dying, right?" Athena plucked from her subspace the spear she had stolen from Michael. "Because I won''t."


    "Fufu~ Cute child, with your power, didn''t even need-!!!" Nirsa was saying when Athena stopped holding back. "What is this? How do you have as much power as we do?"


    "Now I understand why mother wants to get rid of you." Redel said as she put her hand on the hilt of her sword to draw it, but Athena didn''t wait.


    Just as Redel started to draw her sword, Athena hurled the spear imbued with the {Disintegrate} spell, which she cast without uttering, and Nirsa, laughing at the attack, stepped in front of Redel to repel the weapon.


    The spear launched by Athena flew with such speed and force that it caused several explosions of air on the way to the gods and when Nirsa was about to repel the attack, the magic activated.


    Realizing the magic, Redel kicked her brother away and flew to the other side, feeling several sinister shivers as a wave of energy shredding everything in the empty space around the spear that returned to Athena.


    "Hm... This weapon is interesting." Athena commented as she narrowed her eyes. "It resisted the "Disintegrate" and still came back to me... I liked it."


    "What are you doing Nirsa?! She is as strong as us and you want to block her attack?" Redel complained.


    "Eh~ What''s the problem?"


    "If you can''t see, then feel it and if that doesn''t work either, go back!"


    "Is there a problem with his eyes?" Athena asked after finishing being impressed with her new weapon.


    "Right now..." Nirsa said. "Just for now, it will be night soon."


    "Idiot! Why did you tell her?" Redel roared her complaint again.


    "Heh~" Athena smiled. "So I just have to kill you before night falls."


    After that there were no more words exchanged between them and the battle was swift and decisive.


    Athena manifested Excalibur and flew straight to Nirsa, cutting off both his arms and blasting him with {Dark Blast} magic mixed with {Aura of Despair}, {Disintegrate}, {Null Resistances}, {Light Dragon Breath}, {Mana Scatter} and {Soul Prison}.


    All these mixed spells created a burst hit not only Nirsa, but everything around there, sweeping Basilian off the map, or rather, destroying the entire plain where Basilian and several other cities used to exist.


    However, Nirsa, who tried to block the magic even with no hands, had survived. He was badly injured, his severed arms were just scraps of flesh, his hair was missing and he was missing a leg, but he was a god and would eventually regenerate.


    That is, if Athena allowed it, which would not happen. Seeing that Nirsa still lived, Athena stepped forward again and when she tried to put an end to him, Redel stepped forward and swinging the great sword she brandished, she hurled Athena to the pieces that collapsed from the island.


    Athena used one of the stones as a fulcrum and leapt back into the air, flying like a nuclear missile with the Excalibur in one hand and the spear in the other, as she also blew pressurized elements into Redel and Nirsa, streaking the sky in various colors and explosions.


    Redel swung her sword, deflecting several of Athena''s scandalous attacks and protecting Nirsa who was still regenerating as night approached.


    Yet, Redel was not only defensive and as she swung her big sword, several powerful waves of red energy flew towards Athena who did everything to dodge, as when she cut the first one, her bad arm withstood the pressure caused by the energy, in addition to the various burns.


    When finally they were face to face again, their weapons clashed, a shock wave tore them apart again with a sound of metal resounded thunderously.


    The struggle between the women was on par for equality in matters of power and Nirsa realized that his mistake of underestimate Athena even though he saw that they exercised the same level of threat.


    Now he was so useless that his presence there was nothing more than a nuisance to his younger sister and would remain so until night fell on the world, but Athena did not give him that option.


    As Athena momentarily freed herself from Redel, she flew to Nirsa and with Excalibur and her spear, striking the god several hundred times in a matter of seconds, destroying Nirsa''s body, who could prove to be a threat if night came before she killed him.


    Nirsa didn''t have time to do anything to prevent his own death.


    That''s because after receiving Athena''s first attack, Nirsa''s mana came under the interference of something and slowed his regeneration. He couldn''t even use his powers properly, and he could barely keep himself flying.


    This was the effect of the "Mana Scatter" spell which prevented the target from having full control over its own mana and also stripped the target''s mana, it also consumes the target''s mana to stay active until the caster cancels it.


    Anyway, that was the end of Nirsa, the god of the night, faded away without any significant resistance and a shrill scream was heard as Athena grabbed what appeared to be the god''s soul and destroyed it using {Soul Extinction}.


    This was a magic she had just found as she rummaged through the vast library in her mind while fighting the gods and if not for that magic, Nirsa would have resurfaced as soon as night had fallen.


    Anyway, Redel couldn''t believe her eyes, no, she didn''t want to believe what she saw.


    How was it possible for a god to die in such a simple way?


    The answer did not come to the goddess who gnashed her teeth like a wounded beast and flew at Athena in anger. Redel brandished her greatsword in a way that made the fight violently more difficult for Athena, who was beginning to feel her defended blows getting heavier and heavier.


    This was the result of a god exercising the power of his purpose. Redel was the martial goddess and therefore she was the most powerful when it came to hand-to-hand battles. Every time she swung her sword, the blows got heavier, more accurate, faster and more powerful than the one before.


    Athena was starting to find herself in crisis when blood trickled from her nose, which had never happened before.


    (???)


    Athena widened her eyes that wavered in a kaleidoscopic light and an excruciating headache began to pound through her skull from the inside out just as the rest of her organs seemed ready to explode.


    "Are you feeling it, you bitch?" Redel laughed, but her face was so scrunched up in anger that it was hard to tell if she was actually laughing. "Enjoy, because soon you won''t be feeling anything!"


    Athena quickly raised a barrier around her, but Redel didn''t mind it and continued to attack, creating several cracks in the clear white barrier.


    In the short time she had, Athena cast several healing spells on herself and shortly thereafter, she casted several other destruction spells on Redel, who was less than a meter away from her.


    From the ground, in the world below, people who watched the island crumble could see half of all the floating terrain being swallowed up in a powerful energy sphere that lit up all the darkness that was beginning to paint the world.


    ***


    Moments before that, still in the world below, Serien was meeting with Mifa, Anemus, Lucifer, Foti¨˘, Ella and Theik¨®s in a circle formed by the imperial knights around them.


    "There is no doubt, this mass teleportation was Athena''s doing." Anemus said.


    The fairy was already with her wings spread, ready to fly back to the island and help her lover in any way possible and she just didn''t do it because Mifa stoped her.


    If Anemus went, Mifa knew she would die. The fenrir believed that if Athena sent them to a faraway place, it was because Athena didn''t have confidence that she could protect them and win at the same time.


    "That we know, but how can we help Athena?" Serien asked apprehensively.


    "We? Human, know your place." Ella said. "You don''t even know what she''s up against right now."


    "Now is not the time to belittle someone for their race, Miss Dragon." Ytria said politely. "Athena is fighting two gods at the moment and as for you, princess-"


    "Queen." Serien corrected, showing her courage even in front of so many powerful people and Ytria smiled.


    "Well then... Queen, you must stay here and guide the people of Athena to the east, where they have plenty of clean water and good land." Ytria coughed into her fist, being affected by the thin miasma from where she emerged from the teleport. "Of course, you will need help, so you two, as Athena''s lovers, should stay and help the queen as well as the little one."


    "Little one?" Foti¨˘ asked, her eyes were still swollen and her expression was still sad. "Are you talking about me?"


    "Yes, you have to stay where it''s safer, of course, I don''t intend to leave you alone and that''s why I want Miss Dragon and Demon Lord to stay too."


    "Huh?" Lucifer finally manifested. "What the hell have you been talking about anyway?"


    "I know a way to help Athena, that''s what I''m talking about." Ytria said as she got up with even more difficulty than earlier. "And as the blue dragon here is of the fastest race of dragons, we will be able to help Athena much sooner than expected....."


    Ytria explained everything she had to be explained quickly, abbreviating as much as possible so she could leave to do what was necessary to help Athena.


    Anemus told the reason why Foti¨˘ should be protected, convincing Lucifer and Ella, who wanted to accompany Ytria, to stay and protect the nymph.


    Once everything was ready, each of them assumed their role and began to move.


    Theik¨®s became a blue-scaled dragon and with Ytria hiding in her mouth, she flew away creating a blast of air, quickly disappearing beyond the mountains to the north.


    Serien coordinated the imperial soldiers and knights, and led the people who began to follow the queen eastward just as Ytria had indicated.


    Following Serien, Foti¨˘, who was followed by Faena and the children of Hercules and Serien''s brothers, was closely guarded by Lucifer and Ella who began to show hostility towards almost everyone who approached the nymph.


    Lucifer also made a point of looking for two prisoners, Hercules and Michael, and threw them into hell to ensure they didn''t escape.


    As for Anemus, she flew in all directions, telling people where to go and Mifa circled the crowd, along with the knights, killing every kind of monster that came too near to the people.


    After a few seconds the people started to walk eastwards, the sky which should have been receiving night was illuminated by a black and white light from a radiant energy sphere that engulfed half of the floating continent.


    The people had no reaction, they seem to not know what to do and couldn''t even alleviate their frustrations and fears that came with that sight, leaving an eerie silence in the world, but the silence was short-lived.


    In the distance, everyone could hear a sad and desperate voice coming from a lone fairy hovering over the people, followed by a howl rang out filled with grief from somewhere far away.


    Serien''s heart filled with fear, making her cling to her children who were carried by the servants. This was almost the same fear as when her late husband stole her children, the fear of losing someone.


    The queen closed her eyes tightly, praying for Athena''s safety and remembered what Anemus had said just seconds ago.. Serien looked to where Foti¨˘ was with Lucifer and Ella, and that was when fear turned to despair.

 Chapter 118 - Gehenna - Impulsive Mistakes

    Redel was aware that Athena was powerful, but didn''t expect it to be that much. They had the same amount of mana, but it looked like Athena could condense more mana into a spell than any other god, except for Asherah, who had an absurd mana control even among the gods.


    When the magical explosion occurred, Redel, who was at the center of all that mana distortion, didn''t understand how Athena had so much firepower in her possession and as she screamed in agony and despair, Redel thought that maybe Athena was on the same level as Asherah.


    Redel''s confusion was understandable. Athena overlapped several destruction spells in an attempt to get rid of Redel, who resisted with everything she had, creating protective layers of mana around her.


    However, while Redel resisted, her mana was also quickly consumed whenever the layers were penetrated by Athena''s magic, ''cause the magic attacking her was stealing mana from her and using it to attack her more offensively.


    Redel was slowly reaching her limit and could barely move inside that gigantic sphere of brutal energy that was trying to kill her.


    As she was in excruciating pain and screamed, Redel cursed Athena several times without being heard.


    As for Athena, she was no better off than Redel. When she cast the spell, Athena was also caught in the center of the explosion and somewhere there she was resisting her own power.


    Athena could easily get rid of it, but since she didn''t know what Redel''s state was in that tangle of spells, she chose to wait and endure the pain that lashed her every time her mana shield was pierced.


    The two were in a critical situation, every time the shields they raised were penetrated, their mana was practically stolen by magic and quickly depleted.


    This was the effect of the {Mana Scatter} spell Athena cast mixed with dozens of other spells she cast against Redel in a moment of despair at seeing that if she continued to fight the goddess in the way she was, she would lose.


    Redel and Athena were equivalent in terms of mana, but Redel had the power that only a god had. The purpose of existence, something that made Redel stronger than Athena and eventually would lead Redel to victory against the mortal.


    Well, that is if Athena hadn''t created that condensed mana explosion.


    With Athena''s mana being depleted by magic, the magic itself was also running out, and minutes after it was cast, the mana sphere gradually faded away until disappear.


    ***


    Athena''s presence was something strong and those who were capable, managed to get a sense of Athena''s situation. Anemus and Mifa were part of those few people who were capable and while taking care of the people Athena took the trouble to save, they followed their lover''s situation with worry, nervousness and anxiety.


    They were afraid that Athena wouldn''t be able to defeat two gods at the same time and even though they had faith in their lover, they couldn''t help the negative thoughts from disturbing their minds.


    Then their fear came true when the mana sphere engulfed half of the floating continent and Athena''s presence, which was something strong until then, started to get weaker every second.


    Anemus looked at the sky and her heart constricted with an intense fear and when she saw Foti¨˘ faint, Anemus assumed that the worst had happened and couldn''t suppress her cry that echoed mournfully until it reached Mifa''s ears.


    Mifa still felt Athena, it was a presence that was getting weaker and weaker, but she still felt her lover and prayed for anything that could help Athena while she could do nothing but take care of the people.


    Mifa craved for power and allowed herself to be corroded for not being more useful and stronger, and while thinking this and watching the surroundings of the crowd, Mifa heard Anemus crying.


    As soon as she heard Anemus cry, Mifa thought the worst. Mifa still felt Athena, but she also thought that maybe Anemus had a greater connection with their lover and so she could feel her presence better.


    Mifa''s thoughts were haunted by sadness quickly as she let herself be fooled by Anemus'' premature crying and even though she still managed to feel Athena''s presence, Mifa began to howl melancholy.


    They were just suffering in advance, but it wasn''t in vain because in the end they were right, because as soon as the mana sphere disappeared, Athena''s presence also disappeared.


    Anemus and Mifa stared at the sky with desperate eyes, looking for Athena and not wanting to believe what they felt, or rather, not felt.


    While Mifa looked at the sky from the ground, looking for Athena among the pieces of rocks and rain of earth falling from what was left of the continent, Anemus flew and looked for Athena closer.


    The place where, until a few minutes ago, was the territory of Basilica''s empire, no longer existed and in that space, the air was full of mana, residues of Athena''s magic, which made Anemus'' skin burn as if she were near a fiery furnace fiery.


    As she rubbed her arms, trying to soothe the burning sensation in her skin, Anemus looked around, in all directions, her eyes filled with tears that ran down her face as not seeing a single living soul.


    Anemus lowered her head, shrugged her shoulders and caught the cry of despair that urged in her throat to get out. Then, with her head down, the fairy saw something humanoid fall with the rocks and earth that had broken off from the rest of the floating continent.


    That sight filled the saddened heart of Anemus with hope as she plunged through the air toward what could be Athena.


    (If she''s still alive, we can cure her.) Anemus thought.


    From the ground, Mifa looked momentarily at the sky and saw Anemus dive after something that resembled a person but was black and smoky as if on fire.


    At that moment, Mifa widened her eyes that were even sadder to see her being in her giant wolf form.


    Hope was something Mifa didn''t want to hold on to, that spark of hope that rose in her heart could be something poisonous that would hurt her even more, but the love she felt for Athena made that hope something she didn''t want to get rid of.


    (I know she could survive something like that!) Mifa fed that hope and ran at full speed to where the body fell.


    ***


    The trip was very quick, it didn''t take even three minutes for Theik¨®s to arrive at the far north of the world after saying goodbye to Anemus and co. in the southeast.


    Theik¨®s and Ytria were in a place surrounded by frozen mountains and dead trees. Everything was covered in snow, but Ytria still remembered that place, because that place was where her suffering began.


    Even though everything was under a thick layer of snow, it was impossible for Ytria to forget the location of the seal of the forgotten goddess she found along with her dear friends.


    "Where is?" Theik¨®s asked as she transformed into her human form.


    "This way." Ytria answered and led the way through a gap between the two rows of frozen trees. "When we find three pillars of rock that look like the fangs of dragons, we''ll be right where the seal is."


    They walked for some time in silence until Ytria broke the silence, asking why the dragon was helping Athena. Ytria could understand the motives of Ella, a dragon who lived in the age of the gods and then had nothing else to do but sleep to avoid boredom.


    Ella was searching for fun as being with Athena, someone who was willing to face the gods, but Theik¨®s was relatively young compared to Ella, so Ytria did not understand what she wanted.


    Theik¨®s thought of Athena and felt the same shiver she''d felt in her belly when she''d first felt Athena''s dragon form presence. It made her want a child of Athena even more than before. "Fuehehe~..." Theik¨®s laughed ecstatically, not answering Ytria''s question.


    "???" Ytria felt a disgusting chill at the sight of Theik¨®s'' expression that practically drooled with dreamy eyes. "I don''t know what you want with Athena, but you sure is weird."


    "You wouldn''t understand..." Theik¨®s said as she wiped the drool that was starting to trickle out of her mouth.


    "I appreciate my ignorance on this..."


    Theik¨®s knew that Athena was a woman and that he couldn''t give her a child in the conventional way, but for dragons, sex wasn''t the only way to have a child, and Theik¨®s was just waiting for an opportunity to convince Athena to give her what she wanted.


    After this conversation, silence reigned, broken only by complaints of cold from Ytria and the hiss of the wind that blew through the bare branches of the dead trees there.


    Once they reached the spot at the end of the path among the grove of frozen trees, Ytria was confused, there was nothing, but a snow glade and a rock wall made by the mountain that stretched out to the sky until it could not be seen.


    "It was supposed to be here!" Ytria said and walked all over the place without finding anything that indicated she was in the right place. "I do not understand..."


    "Your memories might be wrong..." Theik¨®s said in a carefree way.


    "No, I''m sure the seal was here!" Ytria insisted and began to dig the snow. "Perhaps it was covered by snow after so many millennia without anyone coming here."


    "You speak as if in the past someone came to clean this place..."


    "Well, there was a village close by that took care of this place in the past. They didn''t know what was here, but they were afraid to irritate it and have their village destroyed for it, so they took care of this place from time to time."


    "Hmm...Hm?" Theik¨®s propped herself against one of the trees and realized that it wasn''t an entire tree. "Get out of the way, I''m going to dig this place up. You might be right."


    Theik¨®s returned to her original form and as Ytria moved out of the way, behind the blue dragon. Theik¨®s flapped her wings, creating a current of air and electricity that exploded and swept the snow away.


    (That way you''ll be able to find what you''re looking for.) Theik¨®s said while a cloud of snow covered the place.


    When the snow cleared, in the place where Theik¨®s created a small storm, a deep hole appeared in the snow.


    Inside the hole it was possible to see the three pillars of rock that curved slenderly towards the center where a circle with various symbols and ancient runes hovered over a round white stone.


    Ytria''s eyes gleamed with a slight longing and fear as she saw the symbols radiating a pale blue light. She remembered how exhilarated she was as find that place for the first time and then the fear of being there, the fear of return to her state of madness and destruction.


    "Aren''t you going down?" Theik¨®s, already in her human form, asked.


    Ytria took a deep breath and sighed heavily, easing the fear that was starting to get stronger and looking at the dragon, she responded with a smirk. "Yes, I''ll go down.... You..."


    "?"


    "No, nothing." Ytria took another deep breath and began to slide through the snow to the bottom of the crater created by Theik¨®s.


    "Can''t you use your powers?" Theik¨®s asked while hovering as she followed Ytria.


    "I only have two percent of my real powers. It is just enough to break ten parts of the seal, the rest I''ll be counting on you."


    "Eh? I don''t want to." Theik¨®s said with distinct displeasure.


    Ytria stopped slide snow down and looked at Theik¨®s with displeasure. That made the fact that she had brought Theik¨®s there useless. Ytria sighed and closed her eyes as she scratched the back of her neck. "Then I guess I''ll have to tell Athena that you''re of no use to her..."


    At that moment a snap could be heard which had been caused by Theik¨®s''s sudden turn of the head as she looked at Ytria with wide eyes. "Y-you said what?"


    (Stupid dragon...) Ytria disguised the smile that was beginning to appear on her lips and waved her hand. "No, nothing important, it''s just that if you''re not useful then there''s no point in her keeping you around, right?"


    "N-no, but I''m useful, I''m strong!" Theik¨®s flapped her wings and hovered towards Ytria. "See, I can even give you some mana."


    This came as a surprise to Ytria who only wanted Theik¨®s to cooperate with her, but her teasing was far more effective than she expected and now she was receiving the draconic mana from Theik¨®s, feeling her body lighten and the weakness of her powers being restored quickly.


    "See? I can be helpful!" Theik¨®s said after a few minutes supplying Ytria with mana.


    It had only been a little over five minutes, but Ytria felt as if thirty percent or more of her power had returned. The normal was that as soon as she ran out of mana, the world would supply her with more and regenerate her mana in a matter of seconds, but that part of her that had connection to the world''s mana had been lost when she sacrificed a part of her soul to bring the Athena''s soul to this world.


    Lacking this trait in her, Ytria would recover mana like an ordinary person, but she had thousands of times more mana than an ordinary person and it would take months to recover everything.


    Ytria looked at Theik¨®s with an impressed look for having regained so much mana in such a short time. She knew dragons were amazing creatures, but that was beyond her imagination.


    Now, with thirty percent of her mana, she could create the keys to open ninety percent of the locks and the rest she could manipulate Theik¨®s to do it.


    "Amazing..." Ytria said with a smile. "Impressive, but with this you still have to help me."


    Theik¨®s opened her mouth to oppose Ytria, but then remembered the words from a few minutes ago and fell silent, becoming slightly sullen.


    "Think of it like making Athena owe you a favor." Ytria said, trying to cheer the dragon up. "So you can ask her to do something for you."


    "!!!" Hearing it, Theik¨®s beamed, grabbed Ytria and dove to the bottom of the crater. "Ehehehehe!"


    If the king of Veand saw what the dragon looked like now, he would not believe his own eyes. Theik¨®s were like two different people when Athena was involved.


    When the subject didn''t involve Athena, she had a composed and elegant personality, but if the matter involved Athena, she became a child excited by a new toy.


    This was unnatural even among dragons. In addition to Theik¨®s, there were three other dragons who had a fascination for another species, making their type something rare, strange, and excluded from the dragons'' social cycle.


    A long time ago Theik¨®s had her first contact with a human, the man who caught her attention was a otherworlder who, after coming to this world, decided that he would live a life free of responsibility.


    A powerful man who lived as he wanted and founded a kingdom together with Theik¨®s who chose to be banished from her clan and live with the human.


    Theik¨®s could have made the man immortal, but man didn''t want to. He was content to have Theik¨®s as his queen and to have a strong son who would inherit the throne of the kingdom he founded with the love of his life.


    The man lived, grew old and died loving Theik¨®s, who watched the man wither not knowing what to do after his death.


    Seeing Theik¨®s'' anxiety, the man asked her for something that would quiet her heart.


    He gave her a mission of hundreds of years and sealed it with a blood oath, making Theik¨®s the guardian of the kingdom she helped found. But this is history of the past and Theik¨®s, even though she was still bound by the pact, she was living in the now.


    Once they reached the ground, Ytria began to work on creating the keys to each part of the seal, but even with the necessary knowledge, doing this was not an easy job. Ytria needed to take each rune and symbol and fuse them with her mana without breaking them and thus create an astral key that would be used to unlock a part of the seal.


    Besides being a difficult job, it was extremely delicate and if Ytria got it wrong even for a little bit, all the work would be lost and she would have to start all over again.


    It indicated that the work there was far from over.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Anemus and Mifa were sitting next to a charred body that was missing an arm and a leg, but even if just a little, the person was still breathing.


    "I can''t feel anything coming from her. Is this person really Athena?" Mifa asked with a pained look.


    Anemus bit her thumbnail as she tried to think of what to do. She didn''t know if that person was Athena or not and she didn''t have a spell strong enough to heal that kind of wound.


    The person lying between Mifa and Anemus was completely charred and even had burning embers in their body still. They appearance was unrecognizable and their mana was too weak to be felt. It was as if the person was clinging to the last spark of their life.


    Anemus knew that in that state, if she tried to move that person even an inch, the person would die instantly. She was divided, wanting that disfigured person to be Athena at the same time she did''nt wanted it.


    (There''s Serien, who has the strongest holy element, but what if this person isn''t Athena? What if we heal them and they end up to be one of the gods? What do I do?)


    Mifa stared into Anemus'' thoughtfully indecisive eyes. She could almost tell what the fairy was thinking and also had the same concerns, but unlike Anemus, Mifa had only one thought.


    (If this person is Athena, we''re making her suffer more than necessary and if not, it''s not worth living alone...) Mifa stood up and transformed after she had walked away from Anemus and the stranger, then said. "I''ll go get Serien."


    Anemus didn''t have time to disagree, when she opened her mouth, Mifa had already jumped away, towards where Serien should have been and a few minutes later, Mifa returned with the queen on her back.


    Serien was shocked to see the person who still clung to life even though thet was at death''s door. The person was in such a deplorable state that Serien wasn''t even confident that she could heal them with her magic alone.


    "T-this person is Athena?" Serien asked.


    "We''re not sure, but..." Anemus made a confused expression and then.... "It doesn''t matter. If it''s not Athena, that means I''ve lost her again and have no interest in going on without her." Anemus said with tears in her eyes.


    Serien gulped and began to cast her most powerful magic, creating a great magic circle that radiated warm, golden light.


    At that moment, Serien realized how much time she had gone without using magic, as the casting time was taking longer than usual.


    The queen''s mana seemed to want to refuse to do what she want to. The queen soon blamed herself for taking so long and felt anxious, but the cause of that was the dying person in front of her.


    Because of the residuals from {Mana Scatter}, the mana in the place was also interfered with and hindered the use of magic.


    After two minutes more than necessary for the spell to be ready, Serien placed her hands lightly on the charred body''s chest and cast the spell {Miracle Heal}, a spell she could only use once every ten days, something that Athena had taught her.


    It was a powerful spell, a superior version of the spell Serien already knew that had the ability to regenerate even lost limbs, but contrary to what it should have been, the effect was slow, painful and exhausting for both Serien and the target.


    The person writhed as they skin, bones, muscles and organs were regenerated and showed the true identity of the person being saved.


    When the skin was almost complete on their neck, the screams of agonizing pain soon echoed across the plains where they were, making Mifa cover her sensitive ears and Anemus frown as she watched the woman''s hair grow.


    "Reds...." Anemus said in a sad and shaky voice. "Red hair..."


    Serien looked at Anemus and then looked at her healing target and before she could react, a gust of wind hit her, then another sliced ??Redel''s head and Anemus screamed desperately as she faced the truth.


    "No!! You promised you''d come back!!" Anemus roared and punched the dead goddess in the chest. "Athena!!!"


    Mifa falled on her knees, feeling her heart being crushed by the hope she had nurtured, even though she knew it was a dangerous thing to do and so cried in a way she had never cried before.


    Serien, who was recovering from the impact she received from Anemus'' magic, looked at that scene and also began to cry in a way that she didn''t cry even for her dead family members.


    Anemus was yet to realize what she had done, but the fact that she had killed the body of a god changed a lot both in her and in Athena, who was in a astral form.

 Chapter 119 - Gehenna - Freedom Of A Goddess And Death Of A Dragon

    Minutes before the mana sphere disappeared, Athena thought hard about how to get out of that place, she spent a long time digging through the [Akasic Records], but due to the {Mana Scatter}, {Soul Torment}, {Distortion of Space} and {Magic Interference}, it was impossible to make use of locomotion spells.


    Athena had created a perfect prison against anything that even she couldn''t escape from.


    So, in a cage of magic, where she was attacked every moment of distraction, Athena gave her everything to maintain the magical barrier and survive until she could cancel the spells.


    However, maintaining spells proved to be an extremely difficult task. Athena expended her mana to maintain the sphere of destruction spells, she expended mana to maintain the protective barrier and had her mana dispersed every time the mana shield was penetrated.


    Within seconds Athena had already received several injuries to her back, ribs, arms and legs. The wounds, which made her blood flow like an open faucet, varied between cuts, punctures and burns and her soul was also being attacked.


    When Athena destroyed Nirsa, she felt that same weird sensation as when she killed something, but this one was significantly more powerful.


    Athena had gained everything the god of night represented and had grown stronger, but it was a power that only manifested itself during the night.


    Thus, her new powers were useless in that moment of crisis against Redel, which led Athena to not think straight about a strategy and in a moment of despair, she launched destructive spells when seeing that she would lose to Redel.


    Anyway, now, with a little calmer mind, Athena saw that this was not the only way to deal with that situation and regretted having acted on impulse.


    In that moment, she could have teleported or perhaps created several anti-magic field to weaken Redel and even cast dozens of strengthening spells on her own in order to confront the goddess.


    In addition to her carelessness and lack of calm, Athena realized another mistake in herself. Earlier, she''d denied the fact that she''d been arrogant for having enough power to subdue a god, but that''s exactly what she''d done.


    Athena became arrogant and even seeing that the two gods were as strong as she was, Athena confronted them head on without using all her power, underestimating them.


    However, Athena didn''t underestimate them because she thought she was better than her two opponents, but because she thought more gods would come after Redel and Nirsa, and she didn''t want to be caught by surprise when she was tired.


    Athena realized her mistake and scolded herself, but it was too late for that, her mana was nearing the end and if that continued, she would be destroyed by her own magic, so it was time to put an end to it all.


    Athena stopped to supply the spells and tried to cancel them, but the spell did not go away. That''s because it still fed on Redel''s mana that was being consumed, burned and shredded alive amidst all that energy, leaving Athena with the only choice to resist a little longer.


    When the sphere was about to disappear, Athena, who had been pushed to the extreme of her mana capacity, could no longer keep her mana shield up and suffered from the last wave of the explosion of the spells she had cast. Then for a brief ten seconds, she felt what Redel had been feeling for over a minute and in the midst of the intense pain, Athena watched as time passed slowly.


    The magic penetrated Athena''s flesh, tearing at her flesh, breaking her bones and burning her organs as it tried to tear her soul apart too.


    Athena screamed as she felt a kind of pain she hadn''t felt since she''d first absorbed mana from the world in Sigma''s desert. No, the pain this time was more intense than the pain she had felt in Sigma, it was as if they stuck dozens of red-hot swords into her body and not happy with just that, they poured molten iron over her body. It was a kind of pain that would drive anyone insane.


    Athena was in so much pain that something that shouldn''t have happened did. Foti¨˘, who was far from where Athena was, could feel her mother''s pain throughout her body and fainted because she was unable to stand so much pain.


    When it was finally over, Athena couldn''t even maintain her physical form and weak as she was, Athena''s presence faded into the air as if she had turned to dust.


    Athena really was close to becoming just mana residue and didn''t know what to do, because even after receiving the power that came with Redel''s death, she couldn''t get back to her physical form.


    Well, that''s until a new power emerges in the world.


    ***


    Killing a god wasn''t as simple as destroying they body, because if a god''s body died, it would just come back after a while.


    Even so, killing a god''s body was still an extraordinary feat and that was something Anemus achieved in a moment of despair and anger at the thought that Athena was dead.


    When Anemus killed Redel, a part of everything the goddess was and represented was split in two. The divinity, authority, purpose and power, a part of all this was shared between Athena and Anemus.


    The sun had long since hidden on the horizon, giving space in the sky for the night to take its rightful place, but even so, Anemus, Mifa and Serien still were crying for Athena beside the goddess''s body.


    Anemus felt a new power surge within her, but none of that mattered anymore. Athena was dead and Anemus thought that power was useless if her lover was no longer with her, but that was only until she heard the voice she so desperately wanted to hear.


    "Why are you crying?" Athena asked as if nothing had happened.


    Anemus looked up and even seeing Athena standing there, she couldn''t believe what she saw. After all, she still didn''t feel Athena''s presence and began to think that maybe she was a ghost.


    "Athena!" Mifa, who was crying as much as Anemus, jumped into Athena''s arms. "You... You''re alive!"


    "But of course I am!" Athena replied and thought. (That was close....)


    ***


    Redel was about to die in both flesh and soul when Anemus rescued her from the fall that would lead to her death.


    This was because Athena''s magic had consumed so much mana from the goddess and destroyed her body to such an extent that even her soul was being affected.


    Redel had the option of letting her body die and going back to the divine plane, but she didn''t want that. If that happened, in addition to the humiliation she would suffer from her siblings, she would also be incapacitated for tens of thousands of years until her new body was born.


    The goddess chose to stay in her body and try to regenerate it, but anything she tried just used up her remaining mana in vain. She clung to life without understanding what was happening outside her own body, as she neither could see or heard with her body in the state where she looked more like a afire wooden puppet.


    However, suddenly a comfortable heat penetrated her burned flesh and reached her soul that began to devour the mana of the magic before it was consumed by the residues of the magic that still remained in her body.


    This made Redel begin her healing process, but in a way that she had never experienced before in all her millennia of life. For the first time the goddess was feeling real pain, something only the mortals she so underestimated had ever felt.


    However, Redel endured the pain, in the end, the pain was just the price to pay for her to come back in full force and destroy everything Athena loved and stood for. Redel wanted to make Athena pay for what the mortal had done to her brother.


    Unfortunately for the goddess, those who were by her side and who healed her were people strongly linked to her enemy and target of revenge.


    When Redel finally managed to open her eyes, everything went dark again and then she heard the familiar voice of her older sister, Naph.


    "How reckless..."


    "Huh? What is this place? What happened?" Redel asked. She was confused by the situation in which she found herself.


    Redel was in a foggy space that she didn''t know, she already understood that she had been killed, but she couldn''t understand why she hadn''t returned to the divine plan, where she would have to put up with the humiliation of her brothers and sisters.


    "You died, my little sister." Naph responded without showing herself to Redel. "And before you could return, I intercepted your soul. Having the banishment undone was great for me."


    Due to the divine banishment, Naph''s powers were greatly reduced, but now it was as if she were a bird that had escaped from her cage and could stretch her wings.


    In the world there were many lost souls who hadn''t been reincarnated, but now that Death was free, those souls flew all at once to Naph, leaving a gigantic charge of power in her.


    "I knew that would happen and it''s a shame for Nirsa to have his soul destroyed..." Naph said in a way that sounded more like a mockery. "But don''t worry, I''ll take care of you."


    "Sister, what are you going to do?"


    Redel tried to run away, but it was impossible to get out of there. That place was a space similar to the divine plan, but Death was the boss there and there was nowhere Redel could escape.


    ***


    It had been two hours since Ytria had started undoing the seal and had already destroyed three parts of the seal.


    Everything was going well despite the delay and Ytria, in her imagination, could see Athena smile when she see that Uran was free. She was anxious, but still remained calm and patient as she worked on building the keys.


    However, things would not be so simple. Asherah would not allow the seal to be unraveled so easily and for the purpose of getting rid of Ytria and Theik¨®s, she sent one of her sons, Kadra, the god of the earth.


    It was not necessary to send two gods as she had done with Athena, this was because there were only a dragon and a human. One god was more than enough to handle the situation and so it was done.


    As soon as she felt the presence of the god there, Theik¨®s wanted to flee, because despite having fought several battles in the past, she had never fought someone as strong as her, she had never taken her battles seriously and had no experience in real battles.


    Theik¨®s'' instincts screamed for her to spread her wings and get away from there as quickly as possible, but then her pride as a dragon spoke louder and instead of fleeing, she struggled.


    Kadra, a man with copper hair and green eyes, slender and handsome, was a calm god and even as he stared at the women inside the crater, he hadn''t said anything, but it wasn''t necessary to say why he was there either.


    Seeing Theik¨®s, who was still in humanoid form, fly towards him, Kadra did the same and the shock of impact between the two sounded like a landslide.


    In that impact, Theik¨®s was the one who got the worst of it, being hurled to the snow-covered ground, but then, the sky had what it took to give the dragon the upper hand.


    The storm clouds that always blanketed the northern skies were a mighty weapon in a blue dragon''s domain. Kadra, who hovered in the air, waiting for the cloud of snow, which had formed from the impact of Theik¨®s against the ground, to bend down to launch another attack, did not notice when a bolt of lightning fell on him from the sky.


    The bolt was so powerful that it melted the snow and dug deep into the ground, creating a lake of bubbling water from which Kadra emerged with a puzzled look. He had never experienced being overwhelmed like that, even though the attack hadn''t been powerful enough to hurt him.


    At that moment, Kadra felt a latent excitement that he had never felt before and opened a big smile as see that the dragon was as well as he.


    Feeling the blood rushing furiously through his veins, Kadra rose from the lake, floating to the edge and used his purpose to clear all the snow from that place without causing destruction.


    In an instant, the snow covering the ground disappeared and the ground dropped several feet lower, revealing a backdrop of gigantic dead trees and frozen corpses.


    The preparations were made and that place would be the stage where the god would fight a being that managed to stop him and throw him to the ground. Kadra felt an amusement he hadn''t felt for a long time, and even though he had to ignore his mother''s orders to do so, he wanted to have fun.


    Theik¨®s didn''t see it as something fun, in fact, she was scared, because even after hitting the god with a lightning bolt like that, he was still fine. She wanted to run away, but her pride didnt allow it, she had never run from a battle and wouldnt start now.


    Theik¨®s returned to her original form, covering herself with hard, electrified blue scales, releasing electrical sparks with every breath and following the god''s every move with her eyes.


    "We''d better get away from here first..." Kadra said with his calm and voice as he looked at Ytria. "That mortal will die if we fight in earnest here."


    Theik¨®s looked to the side and Ytria was still focused on the seal of Uran. Theik¨®s snorted when she saw that she was more afraid than a human, not knowing that Ytria struggled to keep her fear under control so as not to shake her hands.


    (Let''s switch places.) Theik¨®s said.


    Hearing Theik¨®s'' voice in his mind, Kadra found this really interesting. Someone who wasn''t a god to be able to use telepathy with him, it was a wonderful thing. Kadra was increasingly fascinated by Theik¨®s and impressed by Ytria''s courage that hadn''t moved even an inch from where he''d seen her at first time.


    However, even if he respected them for the courage they had, he would still have to kill them for going against his mother''s wishes. Kadra lamented in his heart that he had to carry out that order as he flew in a direction away from Ytria.


    In a snow-covered open field between two mountains, Kadra landed and again the scenery changed to a dry, snowless, rocky land.


    "Here should be far enough away." Kadra said as he heard Theik¨®s land behind him.


    (Agreed.) Theik¨®s responded and circled the god like a beast studying its trapped prey.


    At that time, the flow of mana became stronger and denser to the point of breaking the heavens. This was the effect of the two powerful beings releasing all the power they had.


    Neither intended to hold back in battle, but for different reasons. Theik¨®s would use everything because she was afraid of dying, while Kadra used all his power out of respect for the dragon.


    The energy emanating from that place made the ground shake, lightning strikes and the mountains crack. It was a flow of mana so strong that Ytria, who was hundreds of meters away, could feel it.


    It just meant that this battle would be brief to the point where everything could be resolved in a single blow.


    Theik¨®s condensed all of her mana into her lungs, creating a lightning storm within herself as Kadra condensed the mana into the ground in a way that ripped gigantic chunks of earth and rock out of the ground and compressed it into five huge stones.


    When everything was ready, Theik¨®s breathed out all the energy contained within her in the form of an extremely thick ray of intense blue color and Kadra, in turn, launched the five stones like meteors he had created towards Theik¨®s.


    The stones were less than a hundred meters high, but the speed with which it were hurled was enough to lit it on fire and turn them into massive bombs.


    As they both expected, it was all over in an instant.


    Theik¨®s breath went straight through the stones, producing a powerful noise, hitting Kadra and paving everything in front of the dragon, who in turn was hit by five stones which was like meteors embedded with Kadra''s purpose.


    As the beam swept across the white landscape, the meteors exploded and created a gigantic crater where thousands of stone stakes appeared followed by a pain-filled roar mixed with the crashes.


    After mighty, deafening bangs and explosions, Kadra, who, despite having protected himself, had been hit and dragged by the lightning to some distant place at the foot of a mountain, awoke but could not move.


    The god took a deep breath, feeling everything ache and satisfied, he smiled as his body began to turn to earth. That was the first time he had died, but he didn''t care. Kadra closed his eyes and disappeared into a heap of scorched earth.


    Theik¨®s breathed heavily as blood trickled from her nostrils to the ground, making a red pool in a dark hole in which she was impaled by thousands of stone stakes.


    Theik¨®s looked at the ground with her blurred vision and remembered that she hadn''t done what she wanted to do yet, so she didn''t want to die yet, not without having Athena''s child.


    A son who would be immortal and make a family with her so that she would no longer be alone, Theik¨®s didn''t want to die alone.


    When silence returned, there was still so much mana everywhere that Ytria didn''t let the opportunity pass and began to absorb the mana of the god and dragon.


    Ytria couldn''t purposefully absorb the world''s mana because she didn''t have a strong body like Athena''s, but if the situation was like it is now, when there had mana in abundance spread by someone around the environment, she could calmly absorb it for not being just pure mana like the world''s mana.


    While she did her work of unseal Uran, Ytria absorbed as much mana as she could before the mana merged with the world''s mana. With that, Ytria got enough mana to undo the seal on her own and now she just needed time.


    Theik¨®s struggled against the cold and death. She regretted not running away when she could, but she was also proud that she hadn''t.


    (It was a long life...) Theik¨®s thought and then smiled with sad eyes. (Maybe not that long...)


    Still impaled on the stakes, Theik¨®s didn''t have the strength to get out of there, but she was strong enough to tighten her muscles so she wouldn''t lose as much blood. Theik¨®s thought that if she lived a little longer, she could still be saved, but she also didn''t hold that much hope in that possibility. She didn''t have the strength to be an optimist, but she also didn''t want to be a pessimist.


    Theik¨®s even thought it was funny that she was clinging to life so much, when she didn''t even find life that much fun. But that was due to her new interest, which also gave her a dream and a goal. (Athena...)


    Some time had passed and the sky was completely dark, Theik¨®s didn''t even know if she was still breathing and she was too tired to open her eyes. Nothing hurt anymore and she couldn''t even organize a thought.


    All Theik¨®s saw was a dream where she was with her son in her arms and Athena was also there smiling at her.


    As Theik¨®s died with a beautiful dream, a column of white light illuminated the polar sky, creating hundreds of northern lights.


    This was the sign that everything would change, the sign of Asherah''s destined downfall, the beginning of the one-sided war of the gods.


    From the light was born a girl with long white hair who in an instant, without saying anything, teleported along with Ytria to where Athena was scattering.


    ***


    It was already very late at night, but due to the interference of her own magic, Athena was unable to regain her physical form even after having received the purpose of the god of the night by killing Nirsa.


    However, when Redel died and Athena received some of the powers that the goddess''s body wielded, she began to recover much faster, but it was still too slow.


    Athena was in a hurry to get back, as she couldn''t talk to Foti¨˘. Athena didn''t know if this was because of magical interference in her body or if something had happened to her daughter.


    It made her worried and anxious, so she tried her best to be able to walk at least, but even with her effort, her recovery was terribly slow until Uran and Ytria surged ahead of her.


    "Athena, who is this little girl behind you?" Mifa asked when she saw Uran standing behind Athena with a cute smile on her face.

 Chapter 120 - Gehenna - Prelude To The End

    Once they arrived where Athena was fading as mana, Uran gathered everything that constituted Athena''s existence in that world and helped her recover from the state she was in, returning Athena''s form and restoring whatever mana she still had was not difficult at all for Uran. Doing this was like blowing a dandelion flower in the wind or gathering sand with your palms for the goddess.


    That was a simple task and that the goddess did with all the pleasure in the world, because what Uran wanted most at that moment was to see Athena.


    When she returned to her original form, Athena looked at Uran and then at Ytria with a huge smile. Her promise was partly fulfilled and her friend was free. Athena didn''t understand why she felt so attached to Uran, but either way she was happy to see Uran there.


    Uran looked at Athena with eyes full of joy and unable to contain herself, the goddess hugged her friend while repeating Athena''s name again and again.


    Hovering there, where the battle against Redel and Nirsa took place, Athena hugged Uran back and seeing Ytria with a lonely gaze, Athena pulled her into her embrace as well.


    "Thank you, Ytria." Athena whispered in Ytria''s ear, then stroked Uran''s hair and asked. "Am I late?"


    "Mm..." Uran shook her head. "I was ready to wait as long as necessary."


    Athena laughed and Ytria felt as if something burned inside her. That''s because Uran didn''t give her that amount of time in the past and destroyed her life by making her turn to dust everything she and her friends had conquered.


    The three landed on the plain, which had gained new rocks and boulders in its scenery, and Ytria stared at Uran with displeasure. It didn''t matter if the girl was a goddess, Ytria needed to get her rancor out and started venting her feelings.


    "You would wait as long as it took for Athena to free you, but what about me?!"


    Uran stared at Ytria with a confused look for a moment and then looked at Athena, as if wondering what the woman was talking about.


    Athena in turn sighed and understanding what Ytria was saying, she explained to Uran, who soon denied it. "Huh? I didn''t curse you."


    "Uou didn''t not? It was all sudden and it''s been a long time since then, but I remember clearly the power you gave me consuming me!" Ytria said with a crooked smile of anger on her face. "If it weren''t for that, everything would have been different!"


    "Wait, you were my first friend and I only gave you some of my power!" Uran said and in that instant something came to her mind. "Unless..."


    "Unless...?" Athena asked.


    In the past, four thousand years ago, when Ytria and the others opened the seal, Uran could feel the dormant power in Ytria, but he didn''t care and gave her friend some of her power so that way, Ytria could fulfill her dreams and goals of a world without war.


    However, some time later Uran realized her mistake, but it was too late and there was nothing she could do for being sealed. Uran said everything she was thinking about what could have caused Ytria to lose control and with a plausible explanation, the goddess made the woman calm down.


    Well, "calm down" would be a nice way of describing how Ytria was doing. As she listened to Uran''s explanation, Ytria''s face paled as if she were a ghost.


    "The power I gave you, strengthened the darkness in you..."


    "So... So..." Ytria said with a shaky voice. "All this time..."


    "You were being consumed by your own power." Athena said with a complicated expression on her face. That because she knew the feeling of being controlled by something she should be controlling. "Ytria, it wasn''t your fault."


    "H-how not?! I killed millions of people because I was unable to control myself!" Ytria screamed sterically. "I destroyed every kingdom I helped to pacify and build!"


    "But you didn''t do it because you wanted to." Uran said. "You are a mortal, your soul was not prepared to have so much power. Much less the power of a god.... I think in the end it was really my fault."


    With her head down and shoulders hunched, Uran blamed herself. Her appearance was of a child and the way she was at the moment made her even smaller. Ytria could see that at least until then, Uran was just a child despite being a powerful goddess.


    Ytria pressed her lips together briefly and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the anger she felt for Uran, as well as trying to get rid of the anger she felt for herself.


    The fact that Uran had given her power and thanks to that she had destroyed everything she had fought for didn''t change, just like the fact that she was weak and succumbed to her own power hadn''t changed.


    Ytria could not blame Uran, for it was her own fault. With this in mind, Ytria denied the guilt the goddess claimed on herself. "I should have been stronger, tried to resist the power that was growing in me, but I got too self-confident and got carried away, destroying all my dream..."


    "You also don''t have to go so far as to blame yourself-" Athena said, but was soon refuted by Ytria.


    "No, that goes for you too, Athena."


    "Huh?"


    "If I hadn''t succumbed, then sealed and gone to that world, none of this would be happening to you..." Ytria lowered her head, feeling her shoulders heavy with the guilt that overwhelmed her. "You would probably be happy, with your wife and maybe even have kids...."


    Ytria spoke with a shaky voice, imagining a completely different life for Athena, but this without taking into account what Athena thought of it and the woman was not happy with all the nonsense she was hearing.


    "Helena, shut the fuck up!" Athena said in a bitter voice. "If nothing had happened and I hadn''t died in the other world, I wouldn''t have met so many people important to me and would be with..." Athena made a strange expression when imagining the possibility of having continued with Luana in the other world and shook her head. "Never mind... I don''t want to think about the possibility." Athena tossed her hair back from her face and smiled. "Nothing bad that happened to me was your fault, but if you want to take responsibility for something, let it be how happy I am today. If I hadn''t come to this world, I would never have found my true loves and friends."


    That was Athena''s resolution and Ytria saw it in her eyes. In her eyes had no regrets, let alone accusation or anger. Athena was happy with her new life, even though at the moment she is facing a crisis that she didn''t see how it would end.


    Athena was sure that if she had to choose between the other world and this one, she would choose this world a thousand times over.


    In this world she found true love, not just from one, but from two people she also loved. In that world she found friends she cared about and cared about her, as well as she found a daughter, a family she loved with all her might.


    In the other world she had friends and family who cared about her, but she abandoned them for a toxic love that led to her death. Well, that didn''t bother her, at least not anymore, because she thought that if none of that had happened, she would still be living a lie she didn''t know about.


    Either way, Athena was happy to be there and had no reason to blame Ytria or any grudges against the woman. In fact, Athena had many reasons to thank Ytria.


    "If I have to say something to you, it would be ''thank you''." Athena finally said as she placed her hand on Ytria''s shoulder.


    In turn, feeling much lighter with her feelings, Ytria covered her eyes with her hands. Behind those hands were eyes filled with tears that came with relief from the resentment and guilt that was being drained from her heart.


    Ytria felt her chest lighten as relief took her heart. All the grudge, loneliness and sadness she had felt for four thousand years was fading with every word of thanks from Athena, who asked her to forgive herself, leave the past behind and look forward to the future.


    Ytria wanted to do what Athena asked her to do. She very much wanted to do and be what Athena expected of her, but something so soul-infused in her wouldn''t go away so easily.


    When she was still Helena, the lull of an ordinary life made her stop looking at all that feelings. These feelings that she carried for so long were less intense because of the words that Athena addressed to her, but that didn''t mean the feelings she carried had disappeared.


    However, that didn''t mean it was impossible to get rid of it all and move on. Ytria accepted Athena''s words and took a step to forgive herself and leave the past behind.


    Athena became the strength for Ytria, who come to love her even more.


    ***


    "This child is Uran, my friend and the most powerful goddess in the world."


    Mifa walk way from Athena and looking at Uran, who was smiling shyly, she approached and stroked the little girl''s white hair. Mifa''s reddish brown eyes gleamed with a certain interest as a radiant smile formed on her lips.


    "She..." Mifa looked at Athena and hugged Uran enthusiastically. "She is so cute!!!"


    "Eh? Ah, yes, she is." Athena said when she was taken aback by Mifa''s reaction. "But is that really what caught your attention?"


    "Hmm?"


    Mifa looked at Athena with eyes that said nothing else mattered but Uran''s cuteness, letting Athena dumbfounded by her beloved''s reaction.


    Athena shrugged and turned to Anemus who was still stunned to see that her beloved was alive. "Are you alright?"


    "I... You..." Anemus'' green eyes looked lost in happiness, relief and confusion. "Athena?"


    Athena smiled and knelt in front of the fairy, looked into her eyes and touched her face still wet from the tears of despair and grief from a few seconds ago.


    "It''s all right." Athena said and pulled Anemus into a hug, which made Anemus realize that what she saw was real. "I am here."


    "Athena!" Anemus clung to Athena as if she hadn''t seen her in a long time. "I thought... I thought you had..."


    As she spoke, Anemus clung to Athena more tightly and sobbed repeatedly as tears began to well up in her eyes again. It made Athena realize again that her careless actions made people who were important to her suffer.


    "I''m not going anywhere." Athena said and hugged Anemus tight.


    After that, when Anemus calmed down, Athena told everything, in the smallest detail, about what happened during the fight against Nirsa and Redel. How she killed Nirsa and gained her authority and purpose of the night, and how she had to deal with Redel, being criticized by Mifa and Serien who said there were better ways to handle the situation.


    "Yeah, I thought of that way only after I had already acted." Athena said and looked at Ytria. "That reminds me that I didn''t ask how you managed to free Uran."


    Ytria, who was sitting next to Serien, but a little further away from the group that surrounded a bonfire, explained the whole process of freeing Uran, who was now dozing like an ordinary child with her head resting on Athena''s thigh.


    "...Then, just after I started, a god appeared and Theik¨®s took the initiative and..." Ytria made a worried expression and continued after a brief moment. "And if nothing bad happened, she must still be fighting him somewhere up north."


    "That''s something I''ve been wanting to ask since yesterday." Seren said. "Who is this Theik¨®s? Besides, I still don''t know anything about that Lucifer." Serien placed a hand on her forehead and took a deep breath as she realized there was so much she didn''t understand. "Actually, could you just explain to me what''s going on now? Because, you know, my whole kingdom, my house, has just been pulverized and my people are all here, in this inhospitable world."


    Serien hardly understood all that. In fact, the level of stress she had built up since Athena returned had escalated greatly. And even after the relief that came with getting her children back and knowing that Athena was alive after two years missing, Serien was just a mortal, who until recently had faith in a single goddess. Ever so, she discovered that such goddess was a farce and that this same goddess had been swallowed up by her friend and sovereign, Athena. To Serien''s stressed mind, all the recent events were too much for her to handle.


    Seeing that the queen was in a chaotic state of mind, Athena used the magic {Mind Manipulation} to relieve the stress and anxiety of the woman who soon calmed down, allowing herself to listen to Athena''s explanation.


    "Athena, sorry to interrupt, but..." Ytria said and Athena soon understood what she wanted to say.


    "You''re worried about Theikos, right?"


    "Mm... She might not be able to beat that god."


    "Okay, but I don''t have enough mana yet to face another god, maybe in one more hour..."


    "But Theik¨®s may not have another hour..." Anemus said.


    "That''s why I''m going to ask Lucifer and Ella to go with you, Helena."


    "Oh!" Anemus exclaimed upon hearing Lucifer and Ella''s names. "Athena, Foti¨˘ is not well! Earlier, she was passed out in Lucifer''s arms and..."


    "It''s okay already." Athena said. "I just talked to her and she''s fine."


    It hadn''t been long since Foti¨˘ had woken up and as soon as she did, the nymph soon came into telepathic contact with her mother. Foti¨˘ was desperate at first, but soon calmed down after Athena said she was fine. So after they talked a little, Foti¨˘ informed that with the absence of Serien, Mifa and Athena herself, the people were in chaos even with the presence of knights, soldiers, adventurers to protect them and the leadership of Oliana, Lobana and Sahari.


    "That reminds me, Serien, the people need someone to guide them. Oliana, Lobana and Sahari are taking care of everything now, but Foti¨˘, your brothers and children... the kids as the only royalty to lead them in a chaotic time like this, things can get out of hand." Athena took Mifa''s hand. "Mifa, I know we''ve just met, but could you go with Serien and bring the people here?"


    "Huh?" Serien scowled and scattered thousands of tiny balls of light around the dark plain. "Do you want to bring the people here? Look around!"


    In the dark of the night, with the dim light from the moons and the balls of light that Serien had scattered around them, it was difficult to see the real scenery from where they were.


    The place was a wide plain of green and yellow vegetation, and although the land was quite fertile, it was rocky. Also, during the day it was possible to see a large valley nearby, which was full of hellish miasma, as well as some woods where most likely there would be monsters.


    However, the place was not of all bad, because there was everything to live for. Farther west of where they were was a wide river of drinking water and if they walk two days to north, they would find hot springs.


    That place was a good space to start over and build a kingdom where the people could live. Athena intended to rebuild her kingdom there. After all, one of Athena''s plans was to return the world to the state it was before Lhia and Faena.


    In order not to wake Uran, Athena didn''t get up and just looked around, then turned her eyes to Serien. "I don''t see a problem with living here."


    "How not? You didn''t see anything!"


    As Serien was unaware of Athena''s new abilities and didn''t see her use any magic or skills to help see in the dark, the queen thought that Athena had only looked around superficially, but the truth was different.


    The Empress didn''t need her eyes to know everything that was to know about that place. In addition to being able to feel every live thing and object there, she could see clearly.


    This went beyond the draconic eyes that she could see in the dark as if it were dim light. Now, with her night vision, it was like he was daytime all the time.


    That was something she was able to do because of the authority and purpose she''d gained from killing Nirsa. Now the darkness of the night would no longer affect Athena, who was the most surprised with it.


    "Don''t worry, I see everything." Athena replied calmly, even if inside she was in a state of fascination. "For now, do as I say."


    That fascination was motivated by what she could see with that ability to see everything at night. Athena looked up into the night sky and could even see other planets which should have looked like just bright spots in the sky. And if she looked at the moons that reflected the sunlight, she could look at the planet from outside, as if the moons had become her eyes.


    The world was beautiful and even in the dark, Athena could see the different colors that the planet had. Polar auroras dancing in the atmosphere, volcanoes painting a part of the scenery with a incandescent red, a sea that glowed with a sparkling pink light, a monster walking in the middle of the bright blue sea and many other things. It was a unique sight, which Athena dazzled as she talk to the people around her.


    Serien took a deep breath and then sat back down at the sight of her ruler''s confident expression. There wasn''t much she could do after Athena made a decision anyway, so Serien decided to do as she was told. However, there was someone who was not happy with Athena''s decision.


    "I do not want." Mifa said as she firmly gripped Athena''s hand. "Not again."


    "Mifa, you''re the only one who can get there in a few minutes with Serien." Anemus said.


    "No, no, you''re faster than me, Anemus!" Mifa replied making gestures with her hands representing the wind. "I''ve seen you fly and the wind doesn''t rub against your body, allowing you to fly much faster than anything."


    "Eh, no, I need to stay here and help Athena." Anemus said, clearly wanting to be alone with Athena. "Besides, you''re also one of Athena''s queens, you need to do what''s good for the people."


    "You..." Mifa narrowed her eyes. "Devil..."


    Anemus hid a smile and after arguing for a while, Mifa and Serien left. It would only take them a few minutes to reach where the people of Basilica was, but it would take them days to come back to that plains with everyone and that was what Athena expected.


    ***


    With Uran free, Athena expected an invasion of the gods at any moment and while she rested, she kept her focus on everything that was changing around her. At that moment, nothing went unnoticed by Athena''s perception.


    Athena saw and felt everything that happened in all directions up to hundreds of kilometers around her. Animals chasing and killing each other, monsters lurking in the darkness as they trembled in fear of the presence of two powerful existences there, and even mosquitoes being devoured by a frog were known to Athena.


    With that waiting and vigilance while resting, Athena asked Fotia to tell Ella to come to her. She needed Ella''s speed to take Ytria north. Athena could teleport the woman to the place, but only if she knew the coordinates of the place.


    When she teleported her people to the world outside the floating islands, she used the coordinates she remembered from the game. That was a hunting ground where she used to level up killing ghouls, undead manticores and other undead monsters she had in place besides mutant and infernal monsters.


    In other words, it was just a stroke of luck that nothing too bad happened. Had it not been for Mifa, Anemus, the knights and soldiers, adventurers and the Valkyries who did their best to keep the people safe, many casualties would have occurred.


    And in addition to the coordinate problem, Athena was worried that Theik¨®s had perished and teleported Ytria straight to her death. So sending Ella with her wasn''t a bad decision.


    "What do you want with me?" Ella asked as she arrived in a thunderous blast of air that woke Uran. "I thought it was for me to stay with your daughter and protect her."


    "I need you to take Helena to the north and help Theik¨®s kill a god." Athena said.


    "Huh?! Why should I do this? I just want to watch!" She frowned.


    Athena smiled slyly, something only Anemus saw, and began to stoke Ella''s thirst for entertainment with a possible adventure with an epic battle against various gods, where she could use all her power at her will.


    "...And this is all motivated by her." Athena pointed to Uran who was still sleeping peacefully on her legs. "She''s our trigger, cannonball and key to victory, but it looks like she needs some rest before she can really act."


    Ella looked at Uran, felt an ominous shiver run up her spine, from the tip of her tail to a tingle at the tip of her horns, and jumped back in terrifying fear.


    For the dragon, the one with its head resting on Athena''s legs was something terrible that should be eliminated as soon as possible. But then, it was still just terrible fear making her instincts scream.


    When Ella looked straight at Uran and realized that she was steeped in the little goddess''s mana, calm returned to her mind.


    That was like swimming in the current of a calm sea, where everything was white and without any evil. Different from what she expected from a being who was feared by all powerful beings who knew of her existence.


    Seeing that Ella understood the truth about Uran without the need for an explanation, Athena smiled with satisfaction and returned to feed Ella''s thirst for adventure and she soon started wagging her tail in enthusiasm.


    ***


    After losing three children and the powers she had drained from Uran, Asherah ordered her eighty-three remaining children to descend to the mortal plane to destroy Athena and everything related to her, and then seal Uran away again.


    However, seeing that their mother didn''t shed a single tear for her dead children, the other children found themselves less faithful to Asherah.


    Besides, she now had an amount of power that wasn''t enough to give orders as she saw fit. A single god might not be able to subdue her, Asherah still was a goddess superior to her children, but if all eighty-three came together to confront her, she would surely perish.


    Yet they were still her children and as such, they would not kill their own mother, but it also did not mean that they would continue to obey her.


    The gods were selfish beings, but they also took pride in following their purposes. Instead of going to fight and die at the hands of a mortal, who strangely had power great enough to confront and kill a god, and a goddess who was feared even by Asherah, they spread across the world and began to pursue their purposes.


    Asherah was alone and soon found herself on a one-way road to her destruction. She felt scared and helpless in the same way she felt when Yahweh abandoned her and banished her from her original dimension.


    The goddess knew her fate was worse than death. She didn''t want to cease to exist, as that was what she was most afraid of.


    Asherah felt her heart race and her despair grew even strong as she remembered Lucifer''s conversation with Michael in the dungeon cell of the Imperial Palace.


    The possibility that Athena was the rebirth of Gehenna flooded Asherah''s mind, and she began to gasp in panic. She had to find a way out of this situation alive, she didn''t want to disappear. After all, nonexistence was the root of fear of every god that exist or ever existed.


    In the midst of all that storm of measure and despair, without thinking twice, Asherah turned to the one she swore to hate for the rest of eternity.


    Using the last of Uran''s power she had, the goddess opened a small rift to another dimension and telepathically asked for help.


    (Yahweh, you must help me!)

 Chapter 121 - Gehenna - The War Of Gods

    When Ytria and Ella arrived in the north, the night sky was lit by lightning and thunder that ripped across the sky toward the land farther east of where Uran was sealed.


    "What''s going on here?"


    "I''m the one who should ask that!" Ella said with bright eyes and an excited smile. "Must be having an amazing battle here, let''s go!"


    She shifted into her draconic form again, embraced Ytria''s entire body with her rough armored hand, and flew to where the lightning rained down.


    In the crater created by Kadra, the god of the earth, Theik¨®s was still impaled by hundreds or thousands of stakes. She didn''t know whether or not she was dead and all she saw was pure, quiet darkness.


    Theik¨®s was on the verge of death and without strength to resist the tiredness and sleep that came with the cold of death as her blood flowed out of her body.


    She didn''t want to die, but she didn''t have the strength to continue and she let herself be dragged away by eternal sleep.


    In her final seconds, Theik¨®s found herself in a completely dark and silent space. There, she had nothing and at the same time she had everything she ever lived and dreamed of living.


    Seeing everything she had already conquered, Theik¨®s felt satisfied even though she had one last dream that she wanted to fulfill and couldn''t.


    With satisfaction bringing her peace, Theik¨®s began to disappear, until suddenly, in the midst of this shuffle of everything and nothing, someone she hadn''t seen in a long time appeared in front of her with a smile.


    "You..." Theikos smiled.


    However, despite the smile, the man looked at her with sad eyes. "Is that what you want?"


    "What else can I do?"


    "You''re not done with everything you have to do, Thei."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Thei, you need to go back."


    "Huh?! But I just found you!"


    Theikos took a step forward, but she did not approach the man. In fact, it looked like she was further away.


    "It''s not time for us to get together again yet, Thei." The man''s eyes flashed and a bolt of lightning from his hand lit the darkness with a flash. "Go back!"


    The lightning that came out of the man''s hand cut the air irregularly and hit Theik¨®s'' chest, which seemed to be energized with thousands of lightning bolts.


    This was the moment when Theik¨®s adapted to the divinity she had received from killing Kadra. Theik¨®s'' draconic mana, which had an electrical elemental nature, merged with the earth god''s part of purpose and divinity and gave rise to a new power that quickly began to act in order to pull Theik¨®s from her death.


    From the crater where Theik¨®s was, an immense wave of mana rose to the cloudy skies and silvery rays began to rain on the dragon''s body that pulsed with life.


    That was the moment Ytria and Ella saw from afar. When lightning came down like rain and lit up the dark northern night.


    This, the absorption and adaptation of Theik¨®s to that power, was all only possible because of Athena''s mana that had merged with Theik¨®s''s mana when she helped Athena absorb Lhia.


    Blue dragons had a mana recovery similar to the mana recovery Athena had. Then, while helping Athena, without realizing it Theik¨®s was absorbing the mana that Athena expelled and when Athena''s mana came into contact with Theik¨®s''s mana, the invading mana acted as a parasite, feeding on the dragon''s mana until it became part of it.


    Which in a way was strange, since Theik¨®s mana devoured and gained the properties of Athena''s mana instead of the other way around.


    With that, when Theik¨®s killed Kadra, she accomplished what no individual in that world could do, with the exception of Athena, Anemus, Foti¨˘ and Mifa.


    Now she could get stronger by killing and feeding on someone''s existence.


    Theik¨®s destroyed the stakes that impaled her and cowered inside the crater as if she were a baby in its nest. Her mana grew denser as her body was struck by lightning, causing her appearance to change.


    In her draconic form, Theik¨®s had three horns, one in the middle of her forehead and one on each side of her head that curled backwards, her scales were cobalt blue and her eyes were sky blue, but as her mana grew denser, those traits changed.


    Theik¨®s now had a fourth horn, its scales showed a royal blue that released rays with every movement and when she finally opened her eyes, it was a blue never seen before, giving a beautiful and frightening impression at the same time.


    ***


    Faith was a powerful thing, especially if it was aimed at something like an idol of worship. People prayed and believed in their idol faithfully, creating what was called a "miracle".


    Not that all prayers were answered, quite the opposite. Only once every few years, after having accumulated power from each prayer, each sacrifice, and each faith, the idol would have the power to fulfill someone''s request.


    However, this did not change the strength of faith mortals had in their "gods." This was because they themselves fulfilled their own desires and gave full credit to the idol they prayed to.


    It was a vicious circle where only one person every few years was privileged.


    Seeing this, Yahweh, who was desperate for power, did what most gods would not do, he revealed himself to a mortal. But before doing that, he had something important to do, he couldn''t share that power with anyone else and Asherah, his wife and accomplice, stood in his way to that power.


    The first thing he did as the mortals'' faith began to build up inside him was banish Asherah and her eighty-eight children to another dimension, so he would have all power for himself, but it also caused a great wound in his heart.


    Yahweh loved Asherah more than anything, but he had caused the death of a being whom he feared more than he loved his wife and had no power to confront, he had no choice.


    Because of his fear, despair and pain for doing what he did with his beloved, Yahweh moved away and was absent for many millennia, speaking only to his son Raphael and to some mortals throughout the history of mankind.


    Yahweh was so absent, that he did not notice that his child were falling from the heavenly grace which he dictated to his divine plan. Worst of all was Michael, who had raped his own sister and smeared himself with the blood of his brothers and sisters.


    However, instead of fixing things, Yahweh just expelled Lucifer and the survivors of the war that took place between his children, then used Lucifer''s rebellion to generate more power for himself.


    Yahweh had not been a good father, brother, son or husband, he was almost like an evil god and even showed himself to mortals as the evil gods did.


    In fact, he was not a good god in all. His ambiguous rules made his worshipers soon forget him and so he drowned them all once, and promised never to do it again, but Yahweh was like a boy with a box of ants and later he repeated it again and again time until the turn of a man named Noah came.


    Yahweh was definitely a cruel god who only cared about the power he received from the faith of mortals. Now he had the power he desired and did not need to make any more appearances on the mortal plane, because the faith of mortals only grew stronger with the passage of time. But no matter how much power he had, his heart was broken by what he''d done to Asherah, Lucifer, and their other children.


    Now Yahweh just watched time pass in his dimension, waiting for the day he would have to face his greatest fear, Gehenna. Then, the day after realizing that Michael had disappeared, he heard a voice he missed so much.


    (Yahweh, you must help me.)


    (!!!)


    The moment he heard Asherah''s beautiful voice, Yahweh''s wounded heart leapt and ached in his chest. He wondered if perhaps he was imagining things, as it had been thousands of years since he had kicked out his wife.


    Perhaps, the longing he felt for her had reached the limit and now it had gained a voice or finally he had gone mad, but in the end it didn''t matter, he was hearing her sweet voice again. And even though that voice was distressed at the moment, Yahweh was happy that he was listening.


    (Asherah...)


    (Yahweh, please save me!)


    (Huh!? Save you? From what?)


    Asherah was briefly silent and lied. (Gehenna has been reborn and is trying to kill me!)


    She didn''t know if Athena was really the rebirth of Gehenna or even what her real goal was, but she thought that if she told the truth, Yahweh would just turn his back on her again. She was sure that if it was to put an end to Gehenna, Yahweh would come to her rescue.


    Furthermore, Asherah felt that the god owed it to her for all he had done to her after what she had done for him.


    She felt betrayed, hurt, hurt and wanted revenge.


    If Yahweh, Athena and Uran fought and the three died, Asherah thought that would be a good way to end it all. And even if only Yahweh and Uran died, she would still win, as she could deal with Athena personally.


    (Gehenna is back?!)


    Yahweh''s voice faltered a little, but it was enough for Asherah to hear the fear embedded in the words.


    However, she didn''t give up.


    (Yes and that''s why I need your help!) Asherah insisted and whimpering, she continued. (If everything we lived together meant anything to you, please don''t let me die! All my kids have turned their backs on me and I''m all alone...)


    Yahweh was silent again and for a moment, Asherah felt anxious and the fear of Yahweh refusing to help her, surfaced on her goosebumps. But then her heart was quieted when Yahweh spoke again.


    (Hold on a little longer, I''ll help you!)


    The god''s voice was imposing and full of confidence. That''s because Yahweh felt powerful enough to confront a primordial god and he said that Gehenna still hadn''t regained all his power, which could lead him to victory.


    ***


    It had been a while since Athena couldn''t sleep properly. Anemus, who had been at the woman''s side this whole time, had already noticed this.


    Ever since she''d returned from that hole where she''d found Faena, Athena had slept, woken up with frightened eyes, looked around and sighed with noticeable relief.


    In that moment, Athena slept sitting up, leaning against a rock near where they were camping, with Uran still lying on her legs. This at the insistence of Anemus, who saw the weariness in her face.


    However, that sleep, like many others before it, was disturbed by a nightmare that had been occurring since she had taken Faena''s powers.


    A smoky red scene, with bodies everywhere and she stands alone in tears. In her arms, the bodies of Anemus and Foti¨˘, and around her, the lifeless bodies of everyone who was important to her.


    This was the nightmare that had been tormenting Athena.


    This was her greatest fear and she was seeing it right now. Athena struggled with her wrinkled face, contorted in bitterness and sadness. All this while she begged for something Anemus didn''t understand and then her startled eyes opened.


    "Is it the same nightmare?" Anemus asked. "Why don''t you tell me what it is about?"


    Looking at Anemus, panting and sweating, her eyes moist, Athena opened her arms towards Anemus, who went to her and hugged her.


    Anemus held Athena in her arms and for the first time, Athena, who was always so strong, seemed so fragile to her.


    Not knowing what to do or say, feeling Athena tremble in her arms and hearing her sobbing lightly, Anemus just hugged her, stroked her platinum blonde hair and kissed the top of her head.


    After a few minutes without saying anything, just holding each other there in the dim light of the fire, Athena fell asleep again. But this time, maybe because her fingers were entwined with her beloved''s, Athena was in a peaceful sleep.


    Anemus, seated beside her, her head resting on Athena''s shoulder, looked at the fire, which crackled at irregular intervals, thoughtfully. She wondered what haunted Athena so much, not knowing that she was one of the causes of her lover''s nightmares.


    Gradually, while she thought about it, sleep took Anemus, who soon followed Athena to the world of dreams.


    Then, without anyone noticing, it all started.


    The starry sky was ripped in two by a gigantic dimensional rift, which glowed in shades of purple, yellow, pink, red, and orange as it emanated a suffocating wave of energy that awakened everyone sleeping in the world.


    Startled by so much power and pressure, Athena, Anemus, and Uran sprang from their slumbers and stared wide-eyed at the sky, where several glowing winged beings emerged from the crack in the sky.


    The world was painted in a unique crimson hue as in Athena''s nightmare, causing the woman to frown apprehensively.


    From behind the glowing winged beings appeared two beings that emanated an overwhelming power that made Anemus feel crushed.


    "Mom..." Uran said.


    Athena looked at Uran, who was looking up, and followed her gaze to the woman behind the winged beings.


    "Is that your mother?"


    Asherah was wearing a tangle of veils that fluttered in the night breeze, billowing gracefully in any direction. She had long, shiny hair that looked more like a veil made from the starry sky, big golden eyes, a long pair of milky white wings, and in her right hand she carried a sword made of light.


    Her face was beautiful and stern with a cold gaze full of evil intentions, causing both Uran and Athena to shiver, and terrifying Anemus who fell to her knees.


    Next to Asherah, Yahweh was magnanimous, a true king to be revered, refusing even to look down.


    The god had long silver hair, a long beard, also silver, and eyes that shone a white light. He wore a weapon made of something shiny that Athena had never seen before, as well as two long swords that appeared to be made of the same material as Michael''s spear.


    Athena felt overwhelming power coming from him, a power greater than the power she felt coming from Asherah, a power comparable to Uran''s power. But this did not frighten Athena, for although he came close to Uran''s power, he was not Uran.


    Athena had already deduced who he was and knew that if she was right, as long as Uran was by her side, she had nothing to fear. Because while that god''s power was overwhelming and stagnant to a certain amount, Uran''s was growing by the second.


    Furthermore, Athena''s sole purpose was to bring Asherah to her knees in front of Uran and make her apologize for what she did to her own daughter, or just kill her. It didn''t matter what happened first.


    Anyway, Athena''s only real enemy was the goddess who looked a little scared in spite of all her majesty. However, Athena still had a problem to solve. She could feel a latent power straining within her and Anemus, but it wouldn''t blossom.


    The lack of power made Anemus feel overwhelmed to the point where she couldn''t get up and it made Athena remembered her nightmare.


    Athena needed to make Anemus fight and defend herself while she was busy with Asherah.


    "I''m going to need you to buy me some time." Athena told Uran.


    Uran looked at Athena and followed her gaze, looking at Anemus. "Mmm, how long?"


    "One hour." Athena looked at Uran, worried that the little goddess was not yet at her peak. "You can?"


    Uran wasn''t sure, she was still under a holdover from the seal, so much so that she was still in a childish form, but she wanted to be of use to Athena, her only friend.


    "Yes, I can." Uran replied with a smile and flew away.


    "Uran..." Asherah said as she watched her daughter fly up to the altitude she was at.


    "Hi Mom, I''m out of ''punishment''." Uran said.


    Asherah flushed with rage as she saw Uran''s small hands emphasizing the word "punishment" with finger quotes. Asherah wanted to stuff Uran back into the seal and this time put another seal under another seal on top of the first, but she took a deep breath and calmed her anger.


    She knew she had no chance of victory against Uran and looked to Yahweh. "This is the last daughter of Elkunirsa."


    Yahweh looked at Uran and gave a brave and frivolous smile. "She looks like him." Then, after saying this, Yahweh narrowed his eyes. "Even her essence is similar... Child, what is your purpose?"


    Uran moved her eyes toward the god. "I don''t have one. I''m everything."


    The moment he heard this, Yahweh laughed along with his childs, but Asherah did not, as she knew the truth.


    Destruction? End? No, Uran was more than that. She the beginning and the end, creation and destruction, evil and good in a single being.


    Uran was a primordial goddess and her power was vast.


    Asherah knew and desired that power, but more than anything, she feared it. It was an absolute power that could bring the gods to their knees before her, but with Uran free, Asherah wished that power had never existed.


    However, with her power still recovering, what Uran said turned out to be just a joke to the gods present there, but the laughter didn''t last long.


    With an empty-handed movement, Uran cleared half the space in the sky where millions of her brothers and sisters hovered with their wings spread wide.


    Yahweh looked scared to his left, where Raphael, his son and right arms were, and a tearful wail echoed in all directions. "Kill that bastard! Find Gehenna and bring him to me!"


    With that shout and command, the war of gods began.


    The gods, brothers and sisters that Iran did not know, advanced in a single chorus towards the little goddess. They were what were called "angels", but not those angels that Lhia had created, but the real thing.


    However, they were like annoying flies to Uran, who ignored them and advanced straight towards Asherah and Yahweh.


    The battle quickly became something entirely outside the purview of the angels, the winged, glowing beings that painted the sky like stars.


    All they could do was stay away and do everything they could to not get caught in the crossfire between the three gods.


    Explosions, clashes of weapons and spatial distortions happened all the time, while Uran tried to do to her mother the same as she did to her, and Yahweh stood in the way, protecting his beloved at all costs.


    On the ground, Athena was trying to get Anemus to react and get rid of the fear, but her voice didn''t seem to reach the fairy, so, as a last resort, Athena kissed her.


    It was a suffocating, wet and hot kiss that shocked Anemus by surprise, who soon regained the courage her had lost and almost automatically, she hugged Athena and sucked the tongue that invaded her mouth, making Athena smile.


    "What... What was that for?" Anemus asked as she freed herself from Athena.


    "It was the only way I could think of to bring you back from the fear. I didn''t want to use painful methods on you." Athena ran her thumb over Anemus'' swollen lips and smiled mischievously. "Well, it worked and there have a thing we need to do."


    "??"


    Athena sat facing Anemus, took her hands and suddenly, a circle formed around them.


    Anemus raised an eyebrow at that circle, but she was used to seeing things happening unexplained around Athena, so she didn''t bother to ask and just followed Athena into whatever the woman was planning to do.


    "Let''s get stronger." Athena squeezed Anemus''s hands gently and licked her lips nervously. "{Interpersonal Liaison}"


    Athena activated a spell and the circle glowed a pale blue light. That was a spell that temporarily linked her to Anemus and the two felt as if they were inside each other. Everything Athena felt, Anemus felt and vice versa.


    In that moment, Anemus understood everything about Athena and Athena about her. Even the mental bond that Athena and Foti¨˘ had with each other, Anemus could understand and felt a slight jealousy to see that Foti¨˘ was closer to Athena than she was.


    "Jealousy of Foti¨˘?" Athena laughed.


    Anemus flushed and looked away momentarily. "What is it?"


    "Something needed to do what I am about to do." Athena said and with a pained look, she summoned another spell. "{Universal Mana Drain}"


    Suddenly, after Athena finished casting the spell, everything went gray in Anemus and Athena''s vision. It was as if time had stopped and they was the only one moving. However, that was just because of the mana charge they were receiving at that instant. To anyone looking from the outside, it was like seeing an apocalyptic mana storm.


    Asherah looked at it and shivered. "Yah-Yahweh! Gehenna is there!"


    Yahweh looked where Asherah was pointing and swallowed hard, but he couldn''t do anything. Uran had proved to be a powerful adversary and if he did anything other than deal with her, he feared he would die.


    "My children, kill those two down there!"


    The angels looked at Yahweh and then at the two women amidst the whirlwind of mana that reached the sky, creating ripples in the space where mana was frantically absorbed and expelled, and distorted the plain like an earthquake, creating chasms and hills in all directions.


    As soon as they saw what they would have to face, the angels were afraid, but it was an order and they moved forward.


    Within the whirlwind of mana, Athena and Anemus absorbed the mana that invaded their bodies. The mana was pure, with no element or form, just an immense charge of energy, which caused changes in their bodies.


    Their hair shone as did their eyes that looked like blue headlights while glistening veins marked their skin, making it look like they were being rooted from the inside out.


    Athena made sure that all that mana absorption didn''t affect Anemus'' health, making herself of a filter for the mana that Anemus absorbed.


    Anemus had gained some divinity and divine purpose, but it wasn''t enough to cause changes and make her significantly stronger, unlike Athena who had taken everything Nirsa stood for.


    Either way, all the mana they absorbed merged with their mana, strengthening their bodies and existences, as well as turning the divinity they acquired into something more powerful than what they had taken from creating gods.


    ***


    Forty minutes had passed when the whirlwind of mana pulsed and changed from light blue to brilliant white.


    Anemus'' wings involuntarily unfolded and turned completely white, as her hair grew and spread all over the floor inside the circle like roots tangling in Athena''s hair which had also grown and spread.


    The changes in their bodies weren''t just in their hair, but also in their skin, eye colors and other features they didn''t have before, like Anemus'' ears which now also had white feathers and Athena who had reverted to horns and tail.


    They were changing outside and inside.


    While everything was happening within the mana storm, the angels tried to reach the women at the center of it all, but all in vain.


    Those who got too close and came in contact with the mana, were either disintegrated in the storm or flung to the ground and crushed like flies.


    Others who tried to attack from afar, only found their efforts futile while in another part of the sky, Asherah, Yahweh and Uran were fighting an apocalyptic battle that destroyed mountains, made meteors fall like rain and split space like paper, with swords and magics.


    The angels had no choice but to continue attacking Anemus and Athena, even if it was useless. Their efforts might be futile, but following their father''s order, or at least trying, was a priority for them.


    Suddenly, as they struggled to obey Yahweh''s command, they were attacked by three powers that came from three different directions.


    From the north, a gigantic bolt of lightning struck a part of the angels, knocking them to the ground. From below, a tower of fire rose to the heavens, swallowing and burning the angels who cried out in agony. And from the east, several black and gold balls of energy exploded and shattered thousands of angels.


    These were the attacks of the forces accompanying Athena. Two dragons, an archangel, a fenrir and a being of pure fire. But what caught the most attention of the angels was the archangel with logos of black hair, red eyes and limpidly white wings.


    "You will all die today."


    "Lucy?!" The last archangel of the army of winged beings said when he saw Lucifer.


    "Oh!" Lucifer smiled wickedly.. "Hello, Gaby."

 Chapter 122 - Gehenna

    #Please let me know if you find some error.#


    The eternal bond that Athena and Foti¨˘ had, initially was something that just linked their fate into one and allowed them to feel what was each other''s situation. From the moment Athena started accumulating power, the eternal bond began to change and became something like a bridge between their souls. And this bridge allowed Foti¨˘ to use Athena''s mana however she wanted in addition to it''s previous functions.


    This started after Athena and Michael''s fight. Athena was already at a godly power level and became even stronger after absorbing Michael''s powers. This makes the bond between Foti¨˘ and her expand and become stronger.


    As Athena was much more powerful than Foti¨˘, the bond became something one-sided. Foti¨˘ was the one who felt everything Athena felt and all of Athena''s power was available to her.


    At first it was subtle, but after Athena took Nirsa''s divinity and his purpose to herself, the intensity of what Foti¨˘ felt and the power she received increased several times over. This to the point that when Athena and Anemus kissed moments ago, Foti¨˘ could clearly feel when Anemus sucked Athena''s tongue.


    Well, with the bond becoming a one-sided bridge, Foti¨˘ was plunged into power the moment Athena started absorbing mana not only from the world, but from the universe itself.


    However, for Foti¨˘, who could barely sustain her own power, that was too much power and she began to lose control, falling into despair, afraid of hurting innocent people around her. So Foti¨˘ ran away from people who were too scared to realize what was happening to her and suppressed her powers as much as she could until she heard her mother''s voice.


    Meanwhile, everyone who was considerably strong was fighting the winged beings that suddenly appeared and just like they appeared, they started attacking everything that moved.


    The Valkyries and the rest of the adventurers scattered among the people, along with the soldiers and knights, gave their best to protect the people who were paralyzed in fear and giving up, making their service even more difficult if it weren''t for Mifa, Lucifer and Oliana, who swung a club as big as herself and struck down dozens of angels who underestimated her strength.


    When the night sky split in half and those beings that radiated golden lights appeared scattered across the sky like stars, the people who were already exhausted from so much tragedy happening in such a short time, sank into despair and giving up.


    They were ordinary people who had never picked up a sword or used magic before. People who only lived each day for the survival of their families. They didn''t have the slightest chance of victory against soldiers or adventurers, let alone those beings who emanated terrifying power.


    The only choice left to them was to wait for a quick and painless death.


    Seeing the state of the people''s morale, Serien raised her voice to the limit using magic and raged against her people''s lack of spirit.


    "This is no time to be sitting with your head down, hoping for a quick death!"


    Serien''s voice was filled with fury and hot feelings that went straight to the people''s shattered hearts.


    "If you don''t have the power to fight, then die protecting those who will be the future!"


    As the people rose, doing their best to protect the children and pregnant women, a column of fire rose into the sky and exploded, painting the night red with fire and blood.


    Of course, that didn''t solve everything, there were too many enemies and even in her current state of power, Foti¨˘ could not subdue the millions at the same time as Uran had done in another part of the world.


    Many of the enemies, who fell to the ground after being hit by Foti¨˘''s attack, began to attack the common people as if seeking for something.


    The state they were in while doing this was miserable. Their wings, which until then had gleamed like stars, were fading as if something had taken the light from them. Well, it wasn''t something, but someone.


    Lucifer, the morning star, the bringer of light, the beacon of grace... These and others were the names that Lucifer carried. The archangel who was responsible for administering the power distribution of lower-ranking angels.


    When she was still in heaven and even after suffering from what Michael and Raphael did to her, Lucifer never thought to wield that power against her brothers and sisters.


    She loved them and even though she had killed thousands of them during her rebellion, she didn''t want to take away something that could destroy their existence.


    Angels were children of Asherah with Yahweh and despite being gods, they were different. Like every god, they too had purpose, but their divinity came from something called "Heavenly Grace".


    Heavenly Grace was something that resembled the mortal soul, but more powerful, but bright, but divine...


    The truth was that angels were just mortal souls with purpose and divinity artificially provided by Yahweh. This differentiated them from real gods like seraphim, cherubs, archangels, Nirsa, Naph and others, who had their existence sustained by their purposes and not by divinity.


    To their misfortune, Lucifer''s purpose was to be the guide of these divine souls and therefore, she had the power to give her grace to her brothers or take their grace for herself if she wished.


    "It''s time you paid for everything my brothers and I suffered in hell." Lucifer said as rivers of golden energy flowed into his hands. "Live in this world and die like mortals!"


    While suffering from their graces being taken from them, the angels took an action that was not worthy of mighty gods.


    Desperate to continue existing, the angels who were dropped from the sky by Foti¨˘, Mifa and Oliana and had their graces taken by Lucifer, began to hunt, tear and take the souls of mortals around.


    It wouldn''t give them the power they originally had, but they thought it would still be enough to at least resist Lucifer. They could not have been more wrong. Because even though it contained immense power, the souls of mortals did not contain divinity and would not last long.


    Besides, they didn''t have that much opportunity to kill the mortals scattered all over that place, because among the helpless crowd, there were people who were willing to fight and die to protect those who could do nothing for theirselves.


    However, the fallen angels were still stronger than the mortals who confronted them and a battle on land for survival began as angels in droves died in the smoldering sky.


    One of the mortal warriors that stood out from the rest was Sahari, who at no time strayed too far from where Serien was protecting her servants and kids like Faena, her children, Malana and her younger brothers, with her magic.


    "What are you doing?" Sahari complained when she was able to approach Serien after the angel she was fighting crumbled to ashes. "Take the kids and get out of here!"


    "Run away? That''s not going to happen!" Serien said with a serious expression. "While the people are fighting, I will stay and protect as many people as I can!"


    As Serien said that, an angel fell close to them, then looked straight at Serien and started moving towards her with a fanatical gaze. He could feel the holy energy, almost akin to heavenly grace, in the queen''s soul and now that he had lost his, he wanted Serien''s soul.


    Sahari immediately took Serien''s fronts, getting into battle stance, imbuing her swords with his skills and making a bitter expression.


    She could feel that this one was different from the one she had just fought and with a bitter smile, Sahari said. "... At least I''ll die for you."


    "Then we will die together..." Serien replied in a voice almost too calm for the situation. "If you die today, I will follow you."


    "Well then, I guess I can''t die."


    Serien smiled and prepared to cast her spells any time Sahari needed to. As for Sahari, she relaxed her tense expression at having Serien with her and with eyes intent on every movement of the enemy ahead of her, she advanced.


    Angels kept falling like moths attracted by the flames of a bonfire and Mifa, and the others, did their best to kill them as if they were pests to be avoided and protect the people.


    With that, Mifa gradually became stronger. This new strength that Mifa acquired came from the remnants of existence they maintained after being drained by Lucifer. If Mifa killed just one, it wouldn''t make any difference, but before long, she had already killed hundreds of them and the number only increased.


    The change in Mifa''s powers soon became noticeable in her appearance, which until then was that of a giant wolf with grayish brown fur, then, little by little, it became an orange-brown and shiny in the sun.


    In addition to the color of his fur, intense red marks spread all over his body like roots and an arc of light began to float along the rib of his neck.


    She was like the wolf whose story was told in an ancient story in the countries on the far east of the continent. A deity in the form of the most majestic beast that existed who represented the sun itself to the world.


    This made the people, who were already struggling with everything they could, get inspired and fight with more courage, hope and determination. This could also be considered faith and that faith was being directed towards the queen who fought for them, making Mifa even more powerful.


    That evolution of Mifa was something amazing for anyone, even for Lucifer, who now also had a slightly different appearance than she had until recently.


    "What you are?" Lucifer asked Mifa as she hovered lower. "Everyone who has any connection with Athena has only gotten more and more powerful in the last few days..."


    "Does that not include you?" Mifa asked in a guttural voice and with her paw, she crushed one of the angels that was trying to approach the children under her. "You''re much stronger than you were earlier..."


    "But nothing compared to that."


    In the sky, where Lucifer pointed, Foti¨˘ was the incarnation of flames, brimming with suffocating power. She was doing what Athena had told her telepathically and letting her power flow and burn everything she touched.


    The fact that that cute and joyful creature that Foti¨˘ was, was now a symbol of violence and death for the invading gods didn''t seem real to Mifa, who had in a short time won the friendship of her lover''s daughter.


    In any case, at that moment, Foti¨˘ was a terrible monster that overpowered enemies with overwhelmingly destructive power and that sent chills even to her allies.


    "How did she get that way?"


    "I don''t know, I was fighting and keeping the angels away from her, but suddenly she was flying and killing them."


    "I''m glad she''s on our side..."


    ***


    At the same time that the battle began in the makeshift camp of the Empire of Basilica, in the north Ella and Ytria witnessed something that had never been seen before.


    Ella and Ytria were amazed at what they saw as they landed near where lightning rained down on the crater where Theik¨®s seemed to be sleeping.


    Theikos looked like a completely different dragon than the two of them remembered. The dragon emanated a power comparable to that of an ancient dragon and Ella, feeling her fighting instincts throb, couldn''t stop smiling.


    This is because although Theik¨®s'' power was comparable to that of an ancient dragon, it was still a different power and Ella, who always wanted to fight with all her might against someone strong, could feel it.


    Lying at the bottom of the crater lit by thousands of lightning bolts, Theik¨®s had her scales being practically forged by the heat of the rays that hit her and ran through her immense body with speed as they strengthened each of the scales, now silvery blue, that contracted as they repeated an adsorption in divergence between them.


    Theik¨®s'' scales looked alive. This was because as she breathed, the scales moved ghostly in an almost smoky way. In addition, every time the air came out of Theik¨®s''s nostrils and mouth, lightning bolts exploded and ascended to the sky, which blazed with more lightning.


    In addition to its scales, Theik¨®s'' horns were constantly being hit by endless lightning, making it look like the dragon was linked to the storm clouds of lightning.


    For Ytria and Ella, it was as if Theik¨®s was being crowned by the lightning storm itself.


    "She''s becoming a deity..." Ytria stated open-mouthed. "That''s impressive..."


    The only dragon who had become a god did not meddle in the world and since his ascension to godhood, no other dragon or mortal had achieved that feat in that world.


    Well, no mortals except Athena. Athena was an oddity, a singularity that made no sense in the world that from the beginning had a kind of deity without "color" or purpose.


    Anyway, when Ella was about to enter the crater and wake up Theik¨®s, Theik¨®s opened her eyes and took flight, opening her immense wings that were constantly baptized by lightning.


    (Athena needs us!) Theikos said.


    Ella and Ytria looked at the majestic appearance of Theikos without being able to look away. They couldn''t think of a word other than "beautiful" to define Theik¨®s and could barely react when a great bolt of lightning slashed across the sky and Theik¨®s disappeared.


    "Eh?"


    ***


    Sahari moved with mastery and grace as the orange-haired, gray-winged angel moved like a hungry, desperate beast with a sword in his hand.


    However, even if he was behaving like that, he was still a divine being and his strength, speed and stamina were far greater than that of a mere mortal.


    In the beginning, Sahari even managed to have an advantage over the angel, but that was only because he had no experience in fighting depending only on his physique.


    After a few exchanges of non-fatal blows and clashes of swords, Sahari was beginning to be overwhelmed by the angel who had no interest in her and wanted Serien''s soul.


    Sahari was tired, her arms and legs trembled and throbbed as her lungs swelled for oxygen even after Serien enchants her with various booster spells and heals her of even minor scratches.


    As for the angel, he was still steady, even though his wings had begun to appear to be decomposing. His expression showed that he wouldn''t give up Serien''s soul until he died. That made Sahari and Serien start to get apprehensive.


    "If you continue in my way, I will kill you too, mortal!"


    Sahari smirked and stepped to the side, standing in front of Serien. "That...if I...don''t kill you first..."


    "Ha~ Do you think I''ll die if you kill me?" The angel bluffed.


    Author''s Note: I couldn''t resist! :v


    The angel knew that his time was running out, but if with that he managed to break Sahari''s fighting spirit and take Serien''s soul, he could buy time to fly to Yahweh, who could give him a new heavenly grace.


    Sahari made a confused expression and frowned. "Isn''t it.... how.... works? I kill you... and you die..."


    "Usually yes, but I''m a god, you ridiculous creature!"


    As soon as the angel finished saying that, Mifa appeared and snapped it, shook it until it shattered, causing blood and feathers to rain everywhere.


    Being overwhelmed by sudden relief, Sahari dropped her swords and sank to the ground, feeling her legs give out.


    Seeing Sahari in that state, Serien made six knights, who were passing by, protect the children and servants, and ran towards the fencer who was breathing heavily.


    "Are you okay?!" Serien asked as she knelt beside the armored woman.


    "I am..." Replied Sahari in a breath.


    "It''s not time to rest yet, Sahari..." Mifa said while looking up at the sky. "Those that can still fly are fleeing to the west, where Athena is, but those that were dropped are still alive and some are using shapeshifting to blend in with the people."


    "What will we do?" Serien made a sour expression.


    "We will keep fighting..." Sahari replied. "We have no other choice."


    Hearing this, Mifa smiled with her eyes and reverted to her humanoid form, having only her long, and now red, hair covering her breasts.


    "That''s good to hear... I''ll make sure that at least the Valkyries have the power to fight the fallen." Mifa said as she pulled out several strands of hair. "It is nothing compared to what Athena could do, but it will help."


    "Strands of hair?" Serien asked in disbelief.


    "Not just any hairs..." Mifa grumbled. "Remember I spent months studying magic? Each of these fuos are enchanted with physical and magical strengthening magic. As long as it''s in contact with your skin, they will work, try it."


    Sahari and Serien each took a thread and soon felt the difference in their powers. Sahari felt that she could take down even a small giant with all that power and Serien felt flooded with mana.


    "Wow!" Sahari and Serien exclaimed their wonder. "This is amazing!"


    "Yes, there''s nothing wrong with that." Mifa said with her bare chest puffed out and returned to her wolf form. "Give one to Nimo, Eun and Neu, they will also be of great help."


    After that, Mifa, Foti¨˘ and Lucifer followed the angels who fled in fear of confronting Foti¨˘.


    ***


    Athena and Anemus were getting stronger and stronger while the angels were at an impasse on how to deal with it, ''cause there, within that apocalyptic mana tornado, Athena and Anemus were untouchable.


    "Gabriel, there''s nothing we can do while they''re inside that thing!" Shouted one of the angels.


    "No, we have an option. Where''s Idriel?"


    "Why Idriel?"


    "He can manipulate energies. If he opens even a small rift in that mana maelstrom, I can kill them from here. Find him!"


    "Right!"


    The angel flew somewhere amidst all that mess of magical explosions from the battle between Uran, Asherah and Yahweh, the mana tribulation caused by Athena and Anemus, and angels desperate to carry out their father''s will, leaving Gabriel, the last archangel still at Yahweh''s side, with a worried expression as he faced the desolation of mana that surrounded his targets.


    ''Be quick, before it''s too lateˇ­'' Gabriel muttered to no one.


    However, when Idriel was found and brought to Gabriel, millions of other angels appeared and with them, a force none of them expected, who killed angels straight across as if it were nothing.


    This force was formed by a white dragon, who had a human woman on it''s back, who cast strange spells everywhere, a blue dragon that gave Gabriel a bad omen, a being made of pure fire that painted the sky red with blood and fire and who they least expected, Lucifer.


    "You will all die today." Lucifer said, manifesting her magnificence.


    Lucifer appeared to be in her prime as an archangel. Her wings glowed brightly with a white aura, her eyes glowed gold and red menacingly, causing the angels who knew her to shiver and around her, a sinister black aura rippled violently as if it were thousands of tormented souls.


    "Lucy!?"


    Gabriel couldn''t believe his own eyes that saw the person he loved and respected the most. As well as the one he turned his back on when she needed him the most, out of fear.


    "Oh!" Lucifer smiled wickedly. "Hello, Gaby."


    That smile sent hideous shivers down Gabriel''s back, who only remembered the kind smile directed at him by Lucifer, and it made him realize that that Lucifer from the past no longer existed.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Didn''t I just say it?" Lucifer looked at everything else with eyes blazing with hatred, but then those eyes turned cold as they found her father. "I came to kill you all."


    Suddenly, one of the angels around, upon hearing what Lucifer had just said, attacked in a courageous howl.


    "No!"


    Gabriel screamed, trying to warn his brother, but the angel was no longer there after being hit by a sinister black, red and white energy that Lucifer had released.


    "Where''s Raphael? I don''t see him anywhere."


    Gabriel made a sour expression and his face turned away, not wanting to face the truth about his beloved sister, he growled the answer, leaving Lucifer uncharacteristically quiet.


    On the other hand, while Lucifer remained silent, guttural howls, roars, explosions and death screams continued to occur everywhere.


    Gabriel, no, the angels always imagined that the apocalypse would be something where they would be the ones to subdue and not the other way around. Now they were like prey being hunted in droves by a pack of violent, hungry lions, and Gabriel, the last archangel, didn''t know what to do.


    Suddenly, as Gabriel thought about how to deal with all that and waited for an action from the person he thought was the most dangerous, an outrageous laugh burst from Lucifer''s throat, who was stomping her feet in the air.


    "He died with just one move!!!!" Lucifer laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. "I would give anything to see the face he made when he was simply erased from existence!!!"


    Gabriel was stunned by this sudden reaction. The way Lucifer laughed sterically at her older brother''s death while also shedding tears, it was something the archangel did not expect to see such sweet Lucifer do.


    He never understood the reason for Lucifer''s rebellion and when he asked, all he was told was that she was trying to take they father''s place and so was banished to the worst place Yahweh could find.


    (What the hell must it be like to twist someone so much?)


    All Gabriel knew about the so-called "hell" dimension was that it was where souls tainted with negative feelings ended up. He didn''t imagine that hell was a twisted place of pure suffering and eternal torment. A place where those who weren''t strong enough would be consumed until they became part of hell forever.


    Seeing Lucifer like that, he wanted to bring her back. Give her peace and love until she goes back to the way she was before. He wanted to have his beloved sister back.


    "Lucifer, stop! I know you''re not like that!" Gabriel yelled.


    "I''m not like that? Like how? You all made me like this!" Lucifer responded and stopped with his arms bathed in blood. "Ah! I had an idea!"


    "???"


    "Why don''t we have a family reunion with everyone together?"


    Lucifer lowered her hands, pointing to the ground, and a sinister energy traveled from her hands to the ground where an abyss appeared. It was so dark that no light came out or enter.


    "That''s..." Gabriel''s eyes widened and he looked desperately at Lucifer. "Stop Lucifer, if you do this, what will become of this world?!"


    "Gyahahaga!" Lucifer chuckled at the sight of dark figures fleeing the hole. "It''s gonna be okay." She said while looking at her brother. "See that person in that thing made of mana? She''s going to be the new goddess of this world and she''ll rule even the demons!"


    "You''re crazy! I can''t let you do this!"


    "Stop me then." Lucifer responded with a smirk that broke into a crooked grin as she saw Gabriel draw his bowstring. "Shoot!"


    With Lucifer''s scream, Gabriel released the radiant arrow that flew at an infamous speed towards Lucifer, who could not move due to the opening of Hell''s gates. But then, before the arrow hit Lucifer, a wall of fire rose between Lucifer and Gabriel, swallowing the arrow.


    "Foti¨˘!!" Lucifer smiled.


    They weren''t that close, but Lucifer''s mental state was obviously compromised by so much hatred and bloodlust. At that moment, for Lucifer, Foti¨˘ was a lifelong friend.


    "What are you doing?" Foti¨˘ asked in a voice that she looked like she had come out of the fifth of hell. "What''s that hole in the floor?"


    "Is that a demon? Mammon?" Gabriel asked, startled.


    "I''m getting more soldiers!" Lucifer said with a smile drunk with madness.


    "Hm..." Fotia shrugged and flew off without giving Gabriel any importance.


    However, Gabriel could not ignore the existence of such a powerful demon, at least what he thought was a demon, at that moment, when there were so many problems to solve and powerful enemies to face, and aimed his bow at Foti¨˘''s back.


    Gabriel''s hands were steady and his eyes were intent on every movement the existence of fire in front of him. However in his mind, something was screaming for him not to release that arrow. It was like if something really bad could happen if he targeted that being. But for him it was too dangerous to live on.


    Gabriel thought that if he didn''t kill what he saw almost as a demonic god, his father might be in danger. Because the power that thing carried in it was almost greater than his own and was increasing by the second.


    The threat that the archangel saw in Foti¨˘ was enough for him to make his decision. Gabriel put all his power into the arrow and then a light flooded the world with white.


    "What?!"


    This was not the power of the archangel or the gods who fought, much less the power of dragons or some demon that Lucifer had released, but of the two people who were absent from all that chaos.


    Athena and Anemus emerged from a luminous blast of energy that spread and destabilized all type of power in all directions, whether it were from a little monster or from the gods there.


    That blast of energy destroyed the door of hell that Lucifer had opened and created cracks in the rift in heaven, making Yahweh feel anxious.


    That also destroyed Gabriel''s magic and undid the transformation of Foti¨˘, who lost consciousness and collapsed in a free fall. As for Mifa, who resisted the momentary disturbance of mana, looked at Athena with frightened eyes, because the woman didn''t even move when saw Foti¨˘ collapsed.


    "That..." Ytria''s eyes widened as she made a complicated expression. "Ella, we need to get everyone and team up with Serien!"


    (Tsk! I already know that! Theikos!)


    (I felt it, but I''ll stay.)


    "You know your things!" Ytria said and looked at Foti¨˘, who fell unconscious. "We have to get her!"


    (Would you stop ordering me around?) Ella complained.


    "Fast-!!!"


    Ytria''s concern for Foti¨˘ was unnecessary. As soon as she was hit by the energy that destroyed her magic, Lucifer saw things clearly again and dove, saving Foti¨˘ from her death.


    (See? You''re in too much of a hurry!)


    "Of course I am..." Ytria looked at Athena and Anemus. "Nothing good will happen if we stay here."


    Anyone could feel the pressure Athena and Anemus caused as they levitated through the air, surrounded by a tempestuous and yet calm flow of colorless mana.


    Power was something Athena sought and should have, and now she had terribly immense power. The problem was the expressions on their faces, or rather the lack of expressions.


    Athena didn''t even turn her face away when Foti¨˘ was falling, the same was true for Anemus with her cold eyes. They were different and Ytria, Ella, Theik¨®s, Lucifer and Mifa could tell with just one look.


    "Mifa, let''s go!" Lucifer yelled as reach out to the woman. "There''s nothing we can do here!"


    "Go without me."


    "Huh?"


    "I understand what you''re feeling, I''m scared too..." Mifa hardened her expression and looked at Lucifer with steady eyes. "But I''ll stick with them until the end."


    Lucifer frowned, clicked her tongue and with Fotia in her arms, she flew away using all her strength, followed by Ella and Ytria.


    ***


    When Athena and Anemus resurfaced, Uran was starting to have trouble fighting Yahweh while trying to kill Asherah.


    Unlike Yahweh, who was constantly being fueled by the faith power of mortals beyond the dimensional rift, Uran was still recovering. Her power, while immense, was in a limited state.


    She even could be the most powerful being in the world if she was at her best, but not right now. The moment she was freed, her powers began to regenerate at an astonishing speed, but to stay at her fullest power, she needed time.


    Aside from her still reduced powers, Uran had no experience in fighting. The last time she fought, she lost and was sealed. And there also had the fact that she had only one goal in mind, to kill Asherah.


    During the entire fight against Yahweh, Uran aimed all her attacks at her mother. The moment she got careless in an unsuccessful attempt to finally kill Asherah, Yahweh took this chance to end the fight and seal Uran again, but... That was when the power disappeared as if it were a lie and the world fell silent.


    So to Uran, Athena''s arrival had been more than welcome. She didn''t care how different Athena was, because Athena would never lose importance to her even if she changed.


    "We..." Suddenly Athena and Anemus started talking in chorus. "We slept too long..."


    "???"


    Asherah looked scared and confused, but that wasn''t unique to her. All there, the angels, Mifa, Yahweh and Theikos were scared and confused.


    Happiness was something exclusive to Uran, who smiled a childish smile, full of joy to see that Athena got what she wanted.


    "Now we''re going to fix everything wrong."

 Chapter 123 - The End Of A Story - 1 - Chaos In The World

    First of all, I come to ask for your help for a good deed.


    There was a tragedy in a city in Rio de Janeiro, and a lot of people died and many others were left homeless, needing help in such a difficult time.


    Do a good deed and help as you can.


    The people of Petr¨®polis really need this strength and although many NGOs are doing an amazing job, even they have limitations.


    So make this horrible world a little better world and, even if you don''t want to donate to Petr¨®polis, donate to an NGO near you.


    Do your part and be happy.


    To help the people of Petr¨®polis, the information is on this site: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/saiba-como-ajudar-as-vitimas-das-chuvas-em-petropolis-rj/?amp


    That said, let''s get to the chapter.


    I hope you have a good read and that your day is promising.


    Now I''m going to sleep. :)


    _______________


    It all started with the solitude of the absolute being.


    They were the beginning and the end of all existence and thus, they also had all power and all knowledge. But even though they had all this power and knowledge, they were lonely.


    The name of this being was Void.


    The Void was always happy and sad at the same time when he looked at their creation. He envied the mortals who, though so ephemeral, seemed more complete than their creator.


    The Void looked at them, at mortals, and wanted to be with them, smile with them, cry and live with them, and so the creation of the gods began.


    Despite envying their own creation, the Void also loved them and that''s why they created the god to take care of their creation in their absence.


    The first gods were called primordial gods. They had unimaginable powers and like their creator, they could create life out of nothing as well as destroy entire dimensions.


    However, all this power made the Void, who was molding their new body, fear for their creation and limited the powers of the gods.


    Each of the primordial gods were split in half, forming two completely different but still equal beings.


    Furthermore, the Void also caused the gods'' powers to be drastically reduced while separated. They also gained purposes in their deities that they couldn''t ignore, and on top of all that, they could only revert to being one being for a short time.


    In this way, the Void felt that their beloved creation was safe.


    However, the Void was not an unjust being and seeing the silent displeasure of the gods, they tried to equalize with them. When they was creating their new vessel, wanting to be fair to the gods, the Void also implanted purposes in their new existence and those purposes were Truth and Justice.


    Obviously these purposes weren''t just because they wanted to be just with the gods. There were things only the Void knew.


    Then, after seeing that their beloved creation was in good hands, the Void relinquished all their power in their original body and like a primordial god began his journey.


    Although he relinquished all of his power, he remembered everything he ever knew about the future and could not live like mortals did.


    Mortals experienced a different surprise each day and that was what the Void wanted, so he put his plan into action and taught mortals how they could become gods.


    The road was long before Void''s chosen mortals reached godhood. Many of those who believed in the Void failed miserably and died, and those among the many who succeeded were not useful in the Void''s plan of lose all the knowledge he had.


    Once they reached godhood, mortals became arrogant and started wars against the gods that already existed, causing the Void to become the existence that all gods feared, the god that could kill gods, Gehenna.


    Many gods have come to fear Gehenna and even avoid him. Despite the vast majority of goddesses liking his appearance, in addition to being lonely, Gehenna became fearsome as a symbol of death among the gods and that made him want to live among mortals even more.


    After several attempts and frustrations with mortal ascents to godhood, things began to move in a direction that the Void, now called Gehenna, wanted with the rise of El and Elkunirsa.


    Once El and Elkunirsa reached godhood, Gehenna caused a slight distortion in their ascension and thus Yahweh and Asherah were born, who were part of the first two, so Gehenna only had to wait before he could finally get rid of all her knowledge.


    While waiting for what he wanted, Gehenna returned to travel between worlds and even knowing everything that was going to happen, he did his best not to interfere with the course of the story that mortals told with their lives.


    However, nothing stopped him from being a character in these stories and so he did. But that''s another story and time passed quickly while Gehenna had fun.


    Gehenna''s plan was to die. If he dies, his memories would be erased in his vessel. Although, it would remain in his original body.


    With his memories erased from his mind, he would no longer know anything about the future and so he could live fully as mortals and gods did.


    However, there were memories of his journey that he didn''t want to lose, so he tore off a small piece of his own existence, deposited all of his cherished memories in that piece and stored that piece of his existence with his memories in the soul of a mortal who hadn''t even been born yet.


    Then, as planned, Gehenna sacrificed El and Elkunirsa, suffered the consequences of his own plan, and disappeared to become a new being.


    However, Gehenna hadn''t looked that far into the future and didn''t know that by depositing a piece of himself in a mortal soul, another existence would be born and today it would be known as Athena.


    And now, in the center of all creation, where an endless silhouette hovers and twists like a great dark cloud, Gehenna slept amidst the endless streams of mana that came from all directions.


    Unlike his muscular, masculine body that had been molded into the appearance of a famous hero in the distant future, Gehenna now had a more delicate, sinuous and beautiful appearance. She slept soundly until a surge of mana hit her like an electric pulse and her eyes, black like the vastness of all existence, opened and she disappeared in a flash.


    ***


    The world was in complete chaos as everything was lit by ghastly lights from the rift that split the night sky in two. There was also tremors occurring across the continent and storms were raging everywhere, causing deaths in all world.


    All this chaos because, in a single point in the world, two women absorbed the universe''s mana using the world''s mana veins as a shortcut. And this shortcut caused a continual disturbance in the world''s mana, but the true chaos was within the minds of Athena and Anemus.


    With all that mana, that power, building up in the bodies of Athena and Anemus, something that had sprung from Gehenna''s memories awoke from the depths of Athena''s existence.


    That something was a fragmented Gehenna ego, but more twisted and evil than the original.


    As soon as it woke up, this egoˇ­ no, this alter ego quickly took control of the minds and bodies of the two women, who had no chance to suppress it.


    The caise of this was because the alter ego flooded the minds of Athena and Anemus, who were bound to each other with magic, with the millions of memories of Gehenna and thus took over their bodies and minds.


    It was as if they were drowning in a vast and dark ocean as the memories of Gehenna were taking place in their minds. And just like that, the alter ego began to influence and control their minds and bodies.


    The Alter ego had only two goals with that act against Athena and Anemus. Two missions it had given itself. Those quests were, first, to kill Yahweh and Asherah, the phony gods who deceived and killed their creator, then return to Gehenna, its origin.


    It didn''t know that that all happened because of it''s creator''s plan. It had no way of knowing, as the only memories of this incident were the deaths of El and Elkunirsa, which Gehenna didn''t want to forget.


    This was because the Alter ego did not know that everything that had happened was part of its creator''s plan. A plan orchestrated by Gehenna himself to rid of the remnants of his abandoned omniscience.


    To be fair to the alter ego, there was no way he could have known that all of this had been planned by Gehenna. All the information it had were fragments of memories that Gehenna didn''t want to lose and, those memories, only held parts of the truth about it''s creator''s death.


    With so little information at it''s disposal, the alter ego came to believe that it''s creator had been tricked and killed by his own creation.


    Killed by gods who weren''t even real. This was unacceptable in the alter ego''s view point. It believed that the creator was bigger than that.


    The alter ego believed that Yahweh and Asherah had played some dirty trick against the creator, against Gehenna, who was limited in an inferior form, and that was a thought that filled it with revolt.


    So when it opened Athena''s and Anemus'' eyes and emerged from the vortex of mana, which rained down on their bodies like an apocalyptic hurricane, and looked at Yahweh and Asherah, who were fighting a small child, it''s hatred burned and it released an anti-magic wave.


    This anti-magic wave spread in all directions, destroying magical powers and skills, such as the magic that Lucifer used to open the gates of hell, the form of fenrir that Mifa kept and the pure fire form of Foti¨˘, who was the most affected by that, but that was also a wish of Athena.


    As a last-ditch effort, when the alter launched that anti-magic wave, with the help of [Akashic Records], Athena mixed a spell to block the soul corridor that had formed between Foti¨˘ and her and after that, Athena''s ego was completely swallowed up by the alter ego''s will.


    So that was when Uran looked at Athena and her face, still a child, lit up with sincere joy.


    Athena was the most important person for the little goddess.


    Uran didn''t know when it started, but her heart always exploded with happiness when she had Athena in her field of vision.


    This helped her to remain patient two years ago, when she first met Athena, and went on to watch everything Athena did through the crack in the seal.


    Well, it when she could muster a sufficient amount of power to do so.


    That feeling of having millions of ants crawling around in her belly and the warmth in her heart, that only happened to her when she saw Athena.


    Anyway, without realizing it, Uran was already loving Athena. It was a strong love that could be compared to the love that Foti¨˘ felt for her mother... No, it was bigger than that.


    The love that Uran felt for Athena was greater than a brotherly love, but it was not a lover''s love.


    Well, there was no way Uran could understand that, she had spent millennia alone and her feelings were still somewhat clouded. She was so confused about her feelings that, even though she still loved her mother, Uran was trying to kill her.


    With her feelings stamped on her small and beautiful face, Uran flew towards her friend with open arms to hug her, but she did not even come within ten meters of Athena, because she was soon hit by a powerful gust of wind. It made her disappear into the darkness of the night so fast that hardly anyone on that battlefield could see which way she was thrown.


    The alter ego, who dominated the bodies and minds of Athena and Anemus, had no interest in Uran when Yahweh and Asherah were right in front of it''s eyes.


    And though it''s faces, Athena and Anemus'' faces, didn''t show it, the alter ego was thirsty for blood, for the blood of traitors, and wouldn''t waste it''s time on an unknown kid, who wasn''t even in the creator''s memories.


    ***


    At the same time, far away from the battlefield, Ella carried Ytria on her back and Lucifer carried Foti¨˘ in her arms and they flew east amidst a raging storm.


    As soon as they saw that something was wrong with Athena, they fled.


    However, they didn''t run away out of fear, they wouldn''t be that disloyal. They did it because they knew things would only get worse from that moment on.


    They were aware of their limits and, even though they didn''t know or understand the situation of Athena and Anemus, they knew that they would only be burdens for the two, who had risen with a great power.


    Besides, once she regained her sanity, all Lucifer saw was Fotia.


    The demon lord had the mission to protect the nymph and fleeing the battlefield with Foti¨˘ was her only choice after the anti-magic wave was launched.


    While Ella and Ytria talked trying to theorize what was happening to Athena to launch that anti-magic wave and have all that aura and murderous intent emanating from her and Anemus, Lucifer was sunk in worries about Foti¨˘, who wouldn''t wake up.


    She had already tried everything, from tickling to a kiss that made Ytria and Ella, who were distracted, react in amazement at the scene, but none of that worked and Foti¨˘ continued sleeping.


    Well, the fact that the nymph was only sleeping was Lucifer''s relief, but that didn''t make her any less worried.


    "It''s no use looking like that, Lucifer." Ytria said. "After that, it''s normal for her to be in this state. She needs to rest so she can reorganize her mana."


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    (She''s talking about the spirit form this nymph was in. That form where her whole body is made of fire is pure mana and being hit by a wave of anti-magic... It''s lucky she''s in your arms now.) Ella snorted.


    Knowing about the relationship between Athena and Foti¨˘, Ella had been quite annoyed with what Athena had done.


    In the time she spent in the castle, sometimes playing with Foti¨˘, Faena and the other children, Ella developed a friendship with the nymph, a friendship somewhat greater than the pseudo friendship she had with Athena, and seeing her in that state, it irritated Ella.


    Also, the fact that Foti¨˘''s cause was something that Athena caused, made Ella even more angry, as they were family, something Ella lost a long time ago. But, that''s a different long story and Ella would rather forget about it, so she just frowned a little.


    "If I, who was in a physical form, was affected and I can''t use any magic yet, imagine who was in a spirit form... Her mana must be in chaos." Ytria explained and Lucifer''s heart calmed down.


    (We''ll get to the camp soon. Let her rest for a few hours and everything will be fine.)


    "That''s if there''s still a camp..." Lucifer said quietly as she saw what was happening around them.


    Random storms came out of nowhere, changing the temperature dramatically from hot to cold and then hot again. Earthquakes and landslides in all directions, and worst of all, the rest of the floating continent and islands slowly plummeting from the sky as the mana crystals faded one after the other.


    This was an unknown fact, or rather something that only Gion, Ytria, Lanar, Nimo, Faena, Neu and Eun knew.


    The lands that floated in the sky were held in the air by levitation magic that was maintained by the mana crystals.


    Lhia had done an impeccable job in her last moments and that was undeniable. However, now it was all just a death trap for millions of people.


    Seeing the islands and the mainland falling almost in slow motion in that tenebrous light of the rift and storm lightning, Lucifer thought that maybe that would really be the end of that world.


    "Something''s been bothering me." Ytria said. "Why weren''t you two affected by the wave of anti-magic?"


    "Hm? I was affected, but because of all the divinity I took from my siblings, I was able to recover instantly." Lucifer explained with a shrug.


    "And you, Chionothyella?"


    (I''m a dragon.) Ella said wryly.


    "Is that your explanation?!" Ytria asked in disbelief.


    (Yes, I''m an old dragon, even though I''m still young. I wouldn''t be affected by a mana flush that affects someone''s mana circulation. It would only affect children of five thousand years or younger.)


    Ella''s explanation made Ytria''s interest in dragons and adventurous spirit awakened. As Ella spoke, Ytria''s eyes sparkled with excitement as she planned future trips to study dragons in person.


    "I can already see the camp..." Lucifer said and hovered in the air when she saw the situation of the place. "Holy Hell..."


    ***


    With so much chaos and death in the world, there was one being who was legitimately happy with all that, and that was Naph, the goddess of death.


    The reason for such happiness was because her plan was working.


    Together with her brothers, Viha and Meno, Naph had created a plane solely for the passage of the dead to reincarnation.


    This would cause her to be established with the goddess who would bring redemption to lost souls and strengthen her existence for mortals, as only a small part of northerners worshiped her.


    After seeing Yahweh''s power, Naph quickly understood what a god like her needed to do to gain more power and strengthen her existence.


    She wanted the faith of mortals so that, when Athena or Uran took the place of supreme goddess of the world, she would still be needed in that world.


    Naph had no intention of going against Athena or her younger sister, Uran. In fact, even now, she regretted never having done anything to help Uran.


    So Naph created the underworld, a place the dead gods could never leave as long as Viha, Meno and she had the power to keep that plane locked away.


    Naph knew that the deaths of gods wouldn''t just end with the deaths of Nirsa, Rendel and Kadra, soon other gods would be killed and fall there and Naph intended to make sure they never left.


    Well, there were some gods, some of her brothers and sisters, who weren''t as bad as Redel was. And there were those, like Ertalla, who even sympathized with Athena. These would not be locked away, but would need Uran''s permission and forgiveness to leave the underworld.


    And so, as if following Naph''s plan, just like the souls of mortals, the souls of angels slain in the camp and on the battlefield soon fell into the underworld.


    However, unlike the souls of mortals, the souls of the gods were thrown deeper into the underworld, where Naph had placed various astral creatures to torture them.


    Eventually, Naph''s name was recognized by all mortals, and while it was more of a fear-worshipping, Naph received the faith mortals had that they would pass through the underworld and return as a new being, be it an animal, person, or plant, according to the life they had led while was alive.


    Of course, this was just a mortal superstition, a fable that someone had told children about an underworld from another world, where the mortal souls had to gone to seeking for the redemption for their sins.


    Well, that was also another story to be told in the distant future.


    ***


    All this happened minutes before Lucifer, Ella, Ytria and Foti¨˘ arrived at the camp.


    The people were exhausted from all the tragedy that followed them in the last few hours. They had never experienced situations like the ones they faced. Their minds troubled by the deaths that had occurred, could barely digest all the information they had witnessed.


    Being teleported to an unknown land, which they believed was hostile to life, seeing their homeland decimated in the blink of an eye, walking around and being attacked and killed by unknown winged beings...


    The people Athena had saved were extremely exhausted. Both mentally and physically. They could barely move after all that had happened in such a short space of time.


    It had only been three hours since all that had happened and changed their lives. Hardly anyone normal would be able to accept things as they were and remain calm. They were desperate.


    Serien, accompanied by Sahari, Lobana and Oliana, walked among the citizens who were still alive, mostly children and young women, and tried to help and comfort the depressed people.


    Not even the soldiers and knights, who still patrolled and did their best to keep the people safe, were all right.


    They were clearly tired. They panted, sweated and hardened their expressions in an attempt to hide their fatigue and stress, but in the end, they were still just as exhausted as the one they protected.


    However, they didn''t stop and kept pacing back and forth, taking turns and short breaks. They kept to their duty and out of respect for their courage, determination and dedication, no one said anything to them, they just thanked them silently.


    As she walked through the camp, Serien''s heart pounded in his chest every time he saw a corpse.


    No matter where she went, there was a corpse of an adult, a child, a woman... That was when it wasn''t just a piece of a body or just a puddle of ground meat and blood.


    Beside these bodies, there was always someone in tears, crying out their grief with fury and wailing in their cry of pain. That scenes made Serien feel heavy as if she''d lost a piece of her.


    The queen wanted to hug them and cry with them, but then who would be their safe haven? If she collapsed, they would lose their pillar, and so, Serien held back and continued walking through the crowd, healing the wounded who still had salvation.


    "How many wounded are left to be healed?" Sahari asked Oliana.


    Sahari was extremely worried about Serien, who cast a high level spell after another, healing even those who had lost legs or arms.


    Even though she was using Mifa''s hair as a catalyst, doing that was too risky, because, normally, Serien could only cast that same spell twice a day.


    From all that tragedy, Sahari saw a happiness arising in the future. They were starting to understand each other again and getting closer. Sahari didn''t want anything to happen to Serien, even less now that the mood between them was getting better.


    However, Sahari also couldn''t stop Serien from doing what she had to do. In this helplessness, all that was left for Sahari was worry and zeal.


    Seeing the distressed eyes of her friend, Oliana, who was as tall as a mountain giant, dressed in armor whose color it was no longer possible to tell, looked at the entire camp as far as her eyes could see and could barely count how many wounded still remained.


    N/A: A mountain giant is, on average, three and a half meters tall, and can reach around seven meters. They are considered the smallest species among the giants. However, Oliana is not a giant.


    "Thousands...?" Oliana answered uncertainly.


    There were thousands or millions of wounded scattered throughout the camp, it was impossible for Oliana to count them all in that moment.


    Sahari looked at Serien with pained eyes and bit her lip, avoiding asking Serien to stop, as she knew that wouldn''t happen. She could only pray that Serien''s mana wouldn''t run out and the worst would happen.


    Serien''s eyes were filled with pain and at one time or another, they filled with tears at the sight of someone crying with a body or piece of one in her arms. But she couldn''t stop and along with the few remnants clerics of the old church of light, she continued to heal as many wounded as she could.


    However, there was another worry that Serien couldn''t get out of her head. Something Lucifer had warned her about before she left for the battlefield where Athena was.


    There were other angels in disguise among the people.


    Shapeshifters who waited for an opportunity to kill someone else and take their souls as a way to extend their weakened lives. Beings who saw mortals, regardless of race or color, as only finite batteries, useful only for a few minutes.


    Since Lucifer, Mifa and Fotia had left, there had been twenty attacks that Serien had been aware of. However, in fact, the attacks of the fallen angels had already passed the hundreds and they only managed to kill three of the attackers.


    Serien was starting to think that maybe peace would never come again, and that''s when Michael appeared before her.


    A tall and handsome man with golden hair, eyes and wings, but he wore rags and carried, attached to his body, thick black chains that absorbed any kind of mana, preventing him from using any kind of power.


    A powerless archangel, someone she knew nothing about other than that, for the moment, he was Lucifer''s plaything as Hercules was Athena''s, a captive enemy.


    "If you take these things away from me, I might be able to help end with the fallen." Michael said, looking into Serien''s purple eyes.


    ________________


    This isn''t the final chapter, don''t worry, it''s just a piece of it.


    Well, I think this is pretty obvious...


    I underestimated the length of the story and when I went to see the draft, it was huge. There will probably be another two or three parts yet, so instead of a final chapter, it''s more of a final arc. :v


    That said, I don''t know when the next chapter will be released. I''m writing on my cell phone and this is horrible. To make matters worse, due to the rains in RJ, the delivery of my pc case was delayed by five months...


    It seems that the company was flooded by a flood and made all the company''s equipment and materials useless. Well, I already paid, so I just have to wait.... Damn rain.


    Well, I hope you stay as patient as you''ve been so far and keep following "Last Played" until the very end.


    Kisses. ;*


    All J.

 Chapter 124 - The End Of A Story - 2 - The Queen And The Fallen Archangel

    "If you take these things away from me, I might be able to help end with the fallen."


    The response from the knights and the three Valkyries, who were with Serien, was quick to protect the queen from the chained anemy.


    They surrounded Serien with a solid barrier of shields, spears and swords aimed at Michael, just waiting for an order from Serien to dispose of Michael, but that order never came.


    The order never came because as soon as she saw Michael, Serien froze in fear on the place as if she was seeing something terrify.


    The fear she felt was the most primal there was, the fear of dying. It was a fear that makes you want to run without looking back. A fear that makes you tremble. A fear that makes you break out in a cold sweat and want to scream desperately.


    However, Serien didn''t scream, not because she didn''t want to, but because she couldn''t. Her throat was dry, what kept her from screaming and in a way, she was grateful for that.


    This fear Serien felt wasn''t unfounded, this wasn''t her first time seeing Michael. It was purely by chance that Serien was there when Michael appeared in Basilian''s sky. Then she witnessed he being beaten by Athena and given away to Lucifer like if he were a toy.


    In that time, she had spent all day in her cabinet, working on the documents that came with the destruction caused by Gion and also the destruction caused by Athena when Yggdrazil showed up in the palace, but anyway.


    Seiren was on her way to her room and, as she passed through the palace''s outer corridors, she happened to witness what happened to Michael.


    That night, with so many powerful beings in one place, Serien barely felt the pressure of Michael''s presence, but as she seeing him, even from afar, she knew he was dangerous.


    When she saw Michael''s mana, his mana was like Lucifer''s, no, although it appeared that they both came from the same source, Michael''s mana was more intense, dense and powerful than Lucifer''s mana.


    Anyway, Serien was terrified, she could imagine what Michael was capable of and was afraid of her imagination coming true, but she didn''t show that fear.


    In her mind, which was troubled by stress, worry, anxiety and fear, Serien focused on the word "strong" and imagined how Athena would act in that situation.


    Which wasn''t much help, as she knew Athena would hit first and ask questions later. But even so, Athena was a great reference for Serien, who wore the coldness in her eyes and the calm in her face.


    She also thought of her children, her siblings, her servantsˇ­ her people. With all these people in mind, whether they were known or not, and with the inspiration that Athena was for her, Serien built up with her courage the solid camouflage that she was wear, a noble appearance, keeping her calm.


    Of course, this courage was more for the good of her people than to maintain her noble dignity or monarchical pride, she never cared about that. Serien had built that courage for her people. She knew that if she collapsed, her people, who were already in a deplorable state, would descend into despair of no return.


    In addition to the courage she built in herself for her people, what also maintained the dignity that Serien displayed were the brave and valiant warriors who were willing to die to protect her. That courage was also for them, Sahari, Lobana, Oliana, all knights and adventurers, that Serien held her head high.


    The queen knew that even if she was terrified, she couldn''t show weakness when she had people ready to throw their lives away to keep her alive. Serien had to honor their courage and she did.


    From the moment Michael approached and spoke directly to her, Serien didn''t look away. Her silvery black hair was disheveled, her robes were simple and she wore no jewelry, but Serien maintained the noble aura she had.


    With her back straight, chest out and chin up, the queen stared at the archangel with her icy purple eyes.


    The screaming fear inside her told her to run away and made her break out in a cold sweat, but then, after a few seconds of just staring at the man, Serien''s voice was calm with a dignified authority.


    "By ''fallen''..." Seiren narrowed her inquisitive eyes. "...do you mean those like you, who are hiding among my people right now?"


    "Yes my siblings..." Michael responded with a bad taste in his mouth because of the queen''s gaze.


    He remembered seeing Serien as he was dragged by Lucifer through the halls of the palace and into the dungeons. He remembered the look of dread on her face, an expression that didn''t exist on her face at that moment.


    "As you can see, I''ve already killed some..." Michael pointed to the regenerated wings on her back. "But with these chains, I can''t do anything but kill them."


    Serien remembered Michael''s wings being ripped off, though she couldn''t remember who have done so. She also remembered Athena saying something about his powers, but she had too much on her mind at the moment and she couldn''t remember what it was.


    Anyway, the queen was sure that those wings shouldn''t be intact and it started to haunt her mind with the possibilities he could use his powers even using black iron chains.


    However, this time Serien''s concern was unnecessary. Michael hadn''t regained his powers and probably never would.


    The fact that the archangel got his wings back was purely the result of what the angels themselves had caused, what could be called karma.


    This is not an interesting story, it could even be seen as an act of childishness on Michael''s part, but to him it was an act of betrayal on the part of his own family.


    When the angels appeared, Michael was happy. Ignorant of the real events, he immediately thought he was being rescued when he saw his siblings, but...


    The angels weren''t there to save him. They didn''t even look at Michael when they arrived and yet, when they saw him all ragged and chained like a slave, they made fun of the archangel and saw an opportunity for ascension in their older brother''s death, which clearly didn''t happen.


    Michael was weak, chained, wingless and weaponless, but he was still an archangel and the angels'' mistake was to underestimate him after making him their enemy.


    Feeling humiliated and betrayed twice, Michael went on to kill his brothers and sisters even when they didn''t come to him.


    Using the chains, which weakened him, as weapons, the archangel lassoed his siblings, pulled them to the ground and killed them one by one without mercy.


    In Michael there was no reason for mercy. They, the angels, no, all the gods, on your mother''s or your father''s side, they all deserved no mercy after so much humiliation.


    And even as the angels pleaded with tears in their eyes, pleading for their lives, Michael tore at them with his bare hands and bloodthirsty eyes of pure hate. Michael had become the karma they couldn''t handle.


    This killing continues until, while killing a high ranking angel, Michael saw Lucifer hovering in the flaming sky and that was a beautiful scene in his eyes.


    With the sky burning crimson flames overhead, the beautiful, sensual woman flew and rained blood in an endless waltz.


    Michael was fascinated by so much beauty and wanted to fly with her. He wanted to be in the same sky as Lucifer was. He wanted to fight by her side even if it meant his death, but he didn''t have wings and coun''t fly.


    Michael gritted his teeth in bitterness at not being able to fly and his fascinated eyes darkened as he looked down, at his agitated victim.


    Michael was holding Ezekiel, a high-ranking angel, by the neck and squeezing tightly with the intention of killing him. As for the angel, he thrashed violently, trying to free himself from the hands that strangled him, struggling to live.


    Seeing that his brother was still alive despite the force he applied, Michael had an idea of ??what to do and his golden eyes returned to a hopeful glow.


    Ezekiel was one of the few angels who had skills and spells that resembled those of an archangel. He was everything Michael needed at that moment.


    With his hands buried in his brother''s guts, Michael recalled the sensation he''d felt when Athena had done the same to him and stripped him of his powers.


    He remembered what it was like to be impaled and have something pulled out of him, of how he felt like he was mere prey, who was having it''s organs ripped out while was still alive. Michael recalled every detail and repeated the same with Ezekiel.


    However, even having the exact memory and minutely repeating with Ezekiel the same things that Athena did to him, the result was not the same.


    The black iron chains attached to his body didn''t allow him to use his mana properly and all he managed to get of Ezekiel''s powers was a physical regeneration skill before finally killing him.


    One way or another, luck hadn''t left Michael yet, as his chains weren''t pure black iron and therefore didn''t nullify his mana completely as the chains used by the Valkyries on Athena did. On the other hand, he had taken too long to get Ezekiel''s skill and by the time his wings returned to normal, Lucifer was already gone.


    "You must be wondering what I want in exchange for killing my siblings." Michael continued. "Well, that''s simple..."


    While killing Ezekiel, Michael saw what he loved most and had long lost. He saw Lucifer''s smile, a smile she always directed at him. A genuinely happy smile full of love and light.


    As he delved his hands into Ezekiel''s deepest interior, Michael was constantly looking up at the sky.


    It was something irresistible, his eyes were always searching for Lucifer and, in his search, he saw what he loved most in his entire existence.


    That was something he thought he lost a long time ago. Michael saw Lucifer''s genuinely happy smile, a smile that was always aimed at him and only him, but no more.


    At that moment, Lucifer was enveloped in a shimmering golden glow, her pure black hair fluttered, her red eyes glowed with each angel''s death and her smile had the most absolute beauty.


    Michael wanted that smile for him. He wanted her to smile that way at him when she looked at him and for that, he was willing to do anything.


    "I want Lucifer to look at me again..." Michael said.


    As he said this, Michael showed a longing melancholy with his faraway eyes, which made him look fragile with his fading smile, making him even more dazzling than he was.


    As a divine being, Michael was already a very handsome man, but with that melancholy air around him, all those who looked at him at that moment were mesmerized.


    That fragile, almost sad appearance made people''s hearts heavy and warm in the midst of so much desolation. The people, who saw the archangel that way, wanted to hug and comfort the man, even though they were the ones who most needed comfort.


    However, not everyone was fascinated by Michael and that was not even the archangel''s intention.


    Among the many people mesmerized, Sahari, Serien and Lobana made disgusted expressions at the sight of Michael''s fragile appearance.


    They didn''t know Lucifer''s history with Michael for sure, but they knew they were siblings and understood that Michael''s feelings for Lucifer were impure. They are disgusted to see that, but not only that.


    They weren''t affected by Michael''s unintentional charm because they had higher priorities than dazzling the archangel''s fragile appearance.


    Lobana was constantly thinking of the millions of children that were scattered across that valley. She thought of the sadness they felt, the despair they experienced and their senseless deaths.


    She was so worried about the kids that it wouldn''t surprise anyone if she ran to their rescue at any moment, but she didn''t. In spite of all her worries, Lobana was aware that she wouldn''t be able to save all the children in that place.


    Moreover, Lobana also knew that as long as Serien lived, more children could be saved and so she kept calm and stayed by the queen''s side.


    While Lobana had a lot of worries, Sahari had only one person on her mind and heart for a long time now. She thought of nothing but the safety of her beloved Serien.


    So for Sahari and Lobana, no matter how handsome and frail Michael looked, all they had to offer him was caution. They listened carefully to every word spoken by the archangel and carefully watched every move Michael made so that if he did something that put the queen in danger, they could react as quickly as possible and kill him even if it means one of them would die.


    As for Serien, she saw nothing but a monster in front of her, and while she kept her solemn mask on, she only suffered in fear and she couldn''t even think about what Michael looked like.


    Aside from the fear that kept her from paying attention to the beautiful melancholy before her, Serien had a lot on her mind to worry about.


    Stressed out by everything that had happened, anxious about what could happen at any moment, and worried about her children, friends, and her people, all Serien wanted was to end this conversation once and for all and continue saving those who could still be saved.


    However, even with all this weighing on her mind, even though she didn''t care enough to sympathize with Lucifer or Michael, Serien couldn''t help but be baffled by Michael''s claim.


    "What did you say?" The queen asked, thinking she heard wrong.


    Serien didn''t know much about the history they had, but from what little she''d heard that night in the palace grounds, she knew that Michael was a damn pervert obsessed with his own sister and that he''d done something really bad to her to the point she hate him with all her might.


    "What are you talking about?" Serien asked not understanding what Michael''s purpose was.


    The queen couldn''t understand why he wanted the attention of someone who hated him so much. To her, well, to anyone who knew about that nonsense, it would all be irrational.


    "I love Lucifer and I want her look at me again." Michael answered seriously.


    "Why?" Seren insisted. "It don''t make any sense!"


    It made so little sense that for a moment Serien had forgotten her fear and wanted answers to something so irrational. She wondered if he was a masochist or if maybe this was a new way to torment Lucifer.


    Well, not that she cared about Lucifer. Serien barely knew her and had no bond or sympathy for her, but Lucifer was on Athena''s side and as such, Serien thought that the demon lord was also within her protective reach, even if she didn''t need to.


    "But why this matters now?" Michael questioned with some indignation.


    Serien was so perplexed by the whole pointless situation, that she had forgotten what really mattered.


    So when she heard Michael''s indignant question, she momentarily closed her eyes and let go of her search for answers.


    (Indeed, it doesn''t matter...) Serien thought as she took a deep breath and turned to face Michael coldly. "You''re right, I don''t care if you want to please Lucifer or whoever else. All that matters is that you''re asking for something impossible and..." Serien narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Let''s say I agree with that..."


    "Serien!? You can''t be seriously considering this, can you?" Sahari asked with some bewilderment in her voice.


    "Calm down..." Serien laid a hand on Sahari''s shoulder and said. "That''s just a hypothesis." Then she continued as intertwine the fingers of her hands together. "Let''s say I accept your proposal and release you, but then, instead of fulfilling your end of the bargain, you kill us..."


    "I would not do...-"


    Michael tried to say something, but fell silent when he saw Serien''s hand raised, asking him to shut up and he did. But it was not because Serien had asked for silence, normally he would have killed her for it, he had shut up because he was surprised at the authority she tried to impose on him.


    "Of course you won''t do anything, I know that..." There was so much going on, that Serien had forgotten that Michael had two major weaknesses, weaknesses that she only came to think of as she made her assumptions. "Me and you know that if you kill us, Athena will kill you even if she have to follow you through hell. Well, that''s if Lucifer doesn''t kill you first..."


    Unlike Serien, Michael hadn''t forgotten, he couldn''t. After all, it was his heart, no, it was his life that was at stake and he was afraid of death.


    Michael understood his situation well and was just trying to get a deal with Serien because he couldn''t get rid of those chains with his own strength.


    "I know that..." Michael replied. "I won''t do anything to make Lucifer walk away from me any further."


    With Michael''s answer, Serien just muttered something inaudible to herself and kept her cool, superior gaze on Michael.


    This made the archangel''s blood boil in rage. Seeing a mere mortal, a mere human looking at him like that was demeaning, but knowing that killing her was one of the worst decisions he could ever make, Michael just blundered silently as he swallowed his pride.


    As she faced Michael, Serien kept thinking about a plan that would allow her to use Michael for the benefit of her people. She wanted the best way to use Michael, as she understood that having him as a "hunter" wasn''t a bad idea.


    However, releasing Michael was simply too risky from the Queen''s point of view. Even considering he was in constant danger having his life in the hands of Athena and Lucifer, Serien couldn''t trust his words alone.


    Having lived through what she had with her late husband, Serien had learned her lesson and wouldn''t do something stupid like blindly believe a possible enemy again.


    (How to restrain him while allowing him to use mana?) Serien wondered. (But before that... If he has free access to mana, will he regain his power?)


    Serien thought of several possibilities of disastrous futures in which she freed Michael. This without knowing that Michael didn''t even have the power to use the mana of the environment to recover the mana spent.


    When Athena took his powers, she had also taken his natural ability to regenerate mana and because of that, even if he was freed from the chains, Michael was in great danger of dying if he used more mana than his mana core had.


    Just like he did when he regenerated his wings, every time Michael used a skill or magic that he developed, he would have to spend the mana from the mana core that Athena had put in place of his heart.


    The mana core was what kept him alive and if he used up all the mana in the core, he would die just like any mortal who used up all the available mana.


    After much thought, Serien finally came to a decision. There was a way to restrain Michael without interfering with his powers, but she was going to need him to agree and so she started a negotiation.


    "And what guarantee do I have that you won''t kill us the moment we set you free?" Serien asked with no hurry.


    Of course, her soft voice was just part of her mask. At every second spent in that conversation, there was a person she couldn''t save. Then, without showing it, the anxiety was consuming her inside.


    "Guarantee?" Michael asked thoughtfully, looking around, and after a few seconds, he looked back at Serien. "Wait for me, I won''t be long."


    It was very fast, when Serien and company blinked, Michael was already flying over the dark sky that was illuminated only by the beams of lights of vibrant chophors that came from the dimensional rift.


    Then, as they passed, Michael dove to the ground, somewhere among the people, and reappeared in the sky while holding something that looked like a person.


    At first, seeing what Michael had done, thinking he was one of her citizens, Serien made a grimly bitter expression, but upon realizing the person had wings, the queen sighed in relief and put on her mask of indifference again.


    The angel was a beautiful woman with long, almost crystalline white hair. Her wings were of lifeless gray and her blue eyes were dull, as if they were already dead, but she was still young and beautiful as a painting.


    Serien looked at the beautiful angel, who struggled and begged her brother for her life, and felt nothing seeing the woman desperately trying to escape her impending death.


    Seeing the angel begging for her life, Serien only wondered how many of her people that woman had killed. How many children, women, husbands and parents were crying now because of her actions. For the first time that day, that expression Serien had on her face, full of indifference and cruel coldness, was not a mask.


    "What are you going to do with it?" Serien asked and the answer came in an instant.


    Michael made her look at Serien and then, while holding her thin neck, Michael started pulling her head up while pushing her body down.


    Feeling and hearing her bones breaking and flesh tearing, the woman screamed desperately, begging Michael, her brother, to spare her life, but it was only cries for help in vain.


    Then, as Michael severed the head from the body, pulling along a long length of the spinal column and smearing blood and organs onto the already blood-smeared floor, silence ensued for a few seconds.


    "That''s my guarantee." Michael said as he held his lifeless head in front the people there. "If I wanted to kill you all, I would have. These chains only prevent me from using mana, but they don''t interfere with my physical strength, although I can''t break them..."


    Seeing that scene, Serien was sure of what she already knew. Michael was extremely dangerous and should be restrained as quickly as possible.


    She only had one way to do that and keep Michael working for the good of her people. Serien decided that she would make a blood pact with him.


    "How far are you willing to go for us to have a deal?" Serien kept as calm as her nerves would allow. "Seeing you rip out that woman''s throat only strengthened my conviction that you are too dangerous."


    Serien cleared space between riders and stood between Sahari and Lobana, coming face to face with Michael.


    With that action, she wanted to show that she wasn''t afraid to die and that she knew he wouldn''t kill her for fear of Lucifer hating him even more by angering Athena.


    "With those chains attached to you..." Serien continued as she looked down at the body between them and felt an icy shiver down her back. "...We might even lose some of our own, but I''m sure we can kill him."


    "But you won''tˇ­" Michael said in a serious, and imperceptibly menacing, voice.


    "Maybeˇ­" Serien retorted. "Like I said, you''re too dangerousˇ­" Serien narrowed her eyes at Michael and smiled subtly. "What are you willing to do to have my trust?"


    Looking into Serien''s purple eyes, Michael answered without hesitation. "I''m willing to do anything if it''s going to make Lucifer look at me again."


    (Lucifer again... This is gross, but I can use it.) Serien thought with a victorious hidden smile. "Have you ever heard of the blood pact?"


    As they heard Serien talk about the blood pact, everyone around her, knights and valkyries with haunted eyes, turned their attention from Michael to the queen.


    "Serien, you can''t be serious about this, can you?" Sahari asked with a shaky voice.


    "It''s okay, I know what I''m doing." Serien replied without looking at the woman.


    "B-but..."


    "Just trust me." Serien reaffirmed her decision with a steady gaze at Sahari. "I''ll be fine."


    A blood pact was an ancient and powerful magic that was mostly used by kings to keep promises between kingdons like a ceasefire during a war.


    It was magic so powerful and dangerous that it affected even the mighty dragons and giants. This magic was such a dangerous magic that no one, for a long time, was willing to use it, making it almost a legend.


    The side effects of making a blood pact were fatal most of the time, as it took a lot of mana just to survive.


    In the process of making the pact, the souls of the beings involved were marked and this caused such intense pain that if they survived, whoever made the pact would wish they had died.


    Michael knew nothing about the said pact, but for him, knowing it or not, it made no difference. If that leads to Lucifer looking at him with new eyes, Michael is more than willing to give up his arms and legs.


    "I don''t know what it is, but if it makes you believe me, I''ll take it." Michael replied.


    His main purpose in all this was to get a good image before Lucifer, but he also wanted power to be by his beloved''s side. For that, he needed to get rid of the chains that for some reason were stronger than his old spear.


    If it weren''t for the black iron chains, Michael wouldn''t even be there, stooping so low as to make a deal with Serien, who at that moment was trying to keep her joy in check.


    (What luck!) Serien thought, hiding her smile, and then answered. "Don''t worry. Making the pact will be pretty simple."


    Serien had a perfect plan to handle the side effect of the blood pact and of course, she didn''t explain anything about it to Michael, because if he didn''t take it and died, she would still win.


    "So what am I supposed to do?" Michael asked.


    The blood pact, powerful as it was, was a simple thing to do. It was like writing a contract, but with blood after a little ritual.


    "Wait a minute, I''ll prepare everything." Serien responded by pulling a dagger from Sahari''s belt. "I''ll borrow this."


    Without a second thought, Serien, who was wearing a simple light blue dress, ripped a piece of the dress''s skirt and borrowed the goblet that Lobana carried around her waist for some unknow reason.


    "Give me your wrist." Seiren asked as she approached Michael. "I''m going to need your blood."


    Michael didn''t question and Serien, with the borrowed dagger, slashed the archangel''s wrist, which began to bleed instantly. Then Serien placed the goblet under Michael''s bloody wrist and filled it to the brim.


    The amount of blood was important to the blood pact. If it were an egalitarian pact, the amount of blood should be the same for both parties. But if it was a one-sided pact, the disadvantaged party should put in more blood.


    With the goblet full with Michael''s blood, Serien cut the tips of her index and middle fingers and dripped her blood into the goblet.


    "Preparations are complete." Said Seren. "Now I need you to put your mana in the cup."


    "Huh? How?" Michael laughed. "These chains keep me from using mana!"


    "What are you talking about!?" Seren frowned. "You were still in those chains when you took the other angel''s powers, right?"


    "Is different!"


    "How is it different? Didn''t you use mana?"


    "No!"


    Contrary to what Serien thought, Michael had stolen Ezekiel''s mana without using his mana. He couldn''t use mana with the black iron chains attached to his body.


    The chains absorbed mana and he was already glad he got the regeneration skill and even happier because the chains didn''t affect the core that kept him alive.


    "So how are we going to conclude the pact?" Serien complained after hearing Michael''s explanation.


    "I don''t know! Can''t someone inject mana into this thing instead of me?"


    "No! It won''t work!" Serien bit her thumbnail nervously.


    Seeing the situation, Oliana, who had only been watching the situation until then, sighed and lowered herself to the height of the little ones in front of her.


    "I can help with that..." Said the Valkyrie. "Of all of us here, I''m the one with the most mana and if I inject my mana into him, I can do a domino effect and push his mana out."


    At that moment Serien''s eyes gleamed at the idea and she quickly made Michael hold the goblet along with her.


    "We are ready." Seren warned.


    Oliana nodded and with her fingers on Michael''s back, she began to inject mana into the archangel, who in turn was doing his best to direct the mana that was beginning to flow through him into the goblet.


    Everyone watched the scene expectantly and cheered as the blood in the goblet began to bubble up as it absorbed the mana and changed color to a dark blue.


    "Oliana, stop!" Seren said. "Is ready!"


    "And now?" Michael asked with interest.


    "Now I''m going to write the contract and then we''ll both throw it in the fire." Serien replied. "Somebody lit a bonfire."


    So, while writing the contract with a thin toothpick she carved herself, without anyone noticing Serien took one of the strands of red hair Mifa had given her and swallowed it. That was also part of her plan.


    So, after everything was ready, in front of a bonfire made of semi-wet kindling and pieces of dry rags, without mention the contents of the contract, Serien and Michael throw it on the fire and it didn''t take long for the sides effects to start to happen.


    As the contract burned, the laws of magic marked the queen''s and archangel''s souls as if it were red-hot iron.


    They both fell to the ground as screaming and writhing as if their bones were shattering as blood spurted from their mouths.


    Sahari was the first to act and putting her weight on the body of her beloved Serien, who was not very strong, which made the task easier, she positioned her forearm in the queen''s mouth so she wouldn''t bite her own tongue.


    Following Sahari''s example, Oliana held Michael against the ground and Lobana stuffed a piece of cloth she ripped from a corpse''s clothes, into Michael''s mouth.


    So all that was left was to hope and hope they survived this.