Chapter 118
“Saint… are you using protection when you’re with my daughters?”
I nearly sprayed my tea through my nose.
Only sheer divine willpower stopped me from performing a very undignified spit-take across the royal tea table.
The Empress smiled sweetly as I choked, thumping my chest from the tea that had gone down the wrong pipe.
“They call you Eleos, the Saint of Grace. I’ve just been wondering… when exactly that grace will begin to bless my daughters.”
It was a joke. But the kind that had sharp edges.
I quickly straightened my posture and looked both His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress directly in the eye.
“I sincerely apologize. I should have taken responsibility and married them properly… but, as you know, things have been… complicated.”
“I understand,” the Empress said calmly. “With the Evil Gods and the underworld clearly targeting the mortal realm, it’s not as if you have the luxury to plan a wedding. Just make sure, once the dust settles… you love both of them equally.”
Why did it feel like that wasn’t just a request… but a warning?
A warning wrapped in royal courtesy.
No wedding yet, multiple lovers already... I get it, her tone seemed to say. But don’t push your luck. Don’t you dare hurt my girls.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” I replied, bowing my head. “You have nothing to worry about.”
The Emperor smiled gently and took the Empress’s hand, giving it a small squeeze. A signal, perhaps, that the interrogation could end there.
Then he spoke again.
“We’re doing everything we can to recover the two fallen divinities. The Order of Heroes is scouring the Empire, mobilizing all its priests.”
I nodded. “I’m aware.”
“The imperial military and regional authorities are assisting in the search. If they’re within our borders, we will find them. But once we do… what happens next? That’s why we called you today.”
A fair question.
After a moment’s thought, I answered with clarity.
“Once their location is confirmed, let me know immediately. I’ll go retrieve them… alone.”
“Alone?”
“Saint Eleos, that’s far too dangerous. After what you went through last time…”
Their voices were full of concern—and just hearing their words brought back the nightmare.
Satan’s cursed sword.
Belphegor and Leviathan’s illusions.
Memories twisted and poisoned until I could barely breathe.
No, I didn’t want to go through that again. But that was exactly why I had to do it alone.
“Our enemies are divine beings. Demons who have recently lost four of their own. That kind of loss will only make the Demon Lords of Pride and Gluttony more reckless. And the Evil Gods… they’ll be preparing something even worse.”
The artifacts I found in Sloth’s realm—they weren’t ordinary.
They were crafted from corrupted Saints, Heroes, and Holy Maidens. People just like me, who had fallen 300 years ago.
As Belia said… for some reason, I had an unusual resistance to corruption.
That made me the best—and maybe only—option.
“If anyone else comes with me, there’s a risk they’ll be corrupted. I have to go alone.”
It was the same pattern as before.
Locate the divine essence. Go in alone. Retrieve it.
But this time, I wasn’t alone in the bigger picture.
“What does the Empire need to do?” the Emperor asked. “Tell me how we can help.”
Now that I had the Empire’s full support, it was time to use it.
“Select the best warriors from the Holy Orders—paladins and battle priests. Then assign elite Imperial soldiers who can be mobilized at a moment’s notice.”
Rescuing Kanya and Belia had made one thing very clear:
Even if Lucifer and the Evil Gods worked together, their chances of winning in the spirit realm were slim.
The Pantheon had already recovered three divine essences. Lucifer had lost four Demon Lords.
And the Evil God was still suppressing ten divine essences within himself.
If anything, their better odds were here—in the mortal world.
The Pantheon couldn’t interfere directly here due to Lucifer’s blockade.
And Asmodeus, who had devoured Mammon and was growing stronger through Lilia’s worship, would be heavily restricted in this realm.
Which meant…
“Lucifer and the Evil God are likely to challenge me on human soil. Which also means… their followers will come to stop me. I can’t fight all of them alone. That’s where your elites come in.”
“So, to summarize,” the Emperor said, “You’ll take on the gods and their champions. And our forces will handle their mortal followers.”
“Exactly. Everyone needs to stay in their lane. If we cross lines… we risk everything.”
I couldn’t face an army of fanatical followers empowered by divine corruption and their gods.
Just like with Kanya, they’d try everything to prevent me from using Asmodeus’s power.
If I had to fight hundreds—or thousands—while under that pressure, I’d lose.
That was the Empire’s job.
And likewise, the Empire couldn’t be allowed to confront Lucifer or the Evil God directly.
Corruption. Brainwashing. Madness.
The battle wouldn’t even begin before it was lost.
“We can station our elite troops and priests near the capital,” the Emperor said. “But how will we know when to mobilize? How will you call for them?”
To answer, I slowly gathered my divine focus into my palm.
Moments later, a sound like clinking steel echoed in the air.
A shining white chain manifested in my hand.
I held it up for them to see.
“If I use the Goddess of Life’s authority, I can open a portal,” I explained. “It’s a power capable of commanding even three Demon Lords—not as overwhelming as Lucifer or the Evil God, but still significant. I believe I can manage it.”
The Emperor and the Empress exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
“If you link portals like you did at Talhaim’s rocky pass, we’ll be able to deploy troops instantly to wherever they’re needed. It’s a sound strategy.”
I gave a nod and dissolved the shimmering white chains in my hand.
“Of course, I’ll need practice. Guidance from the mages of the Arcane Tower and the priests of the Pantheon will be essential. But… it’s not impossible.”
The imperial couple nodded once more.
“Leave the assembling of troops to us. We’ll gather only the best the Empire has to offer, and keep them on standby.”
That was His Majesty.
“Knights from the noble houses—those known for their swordsmanship—will also stand ready. Between the Emperor’s command and my personal network, it won’t be an issue. Besides, no one could refuse a cause like this.”
That was Her Majesty.
Hearing their words lifted a weight off my chest.
The days of carrying this burden alone, keeping the truth to myself… they were over.
Now, the entire Empire stood behind me.
“I’ll take my leave now. I need to continue training to control this newly awakened power.”
“Go quickly. And should you need anything, do not hesitate to return to the palace. Whatever the Empire can provide—we will.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. That truly eases my heart.”
I bowed deeply.
But just as I was rising, a polite knock echoed from the door of the drawing room.
“Your Majesty, it’s the head chamberlain.”
“Enter. What is it?”
The chamberlain stepped in, wearing a bright smile.
“A report just arrived from the Pantheon. Preparations for the Ascension Rite are complete.”
Belia—the Goddess of War—who had endured 300 years of silence and suffering…
It was finally time for her to return to her throne in the Celestial Realm.
Not all 24 Orders within the Pantheon were well-known.
Some were famous—like the Order of the Sun, the White Order, the Order of Grace, and the Order of Prophecy.
But others, like the Goddess of War, were small, often overlooked.
A cloister of women. All nuns.
They trained in swordplay, martial arts, and battlefield strategy. But aside from rare missions against heretics or monsters, they lived out of sight.
The Goddess of War had never been considered “mainstream.”
But today, they were the stars.
“[Raul , my faithful disciple. Continue to follow and uphold my teachings. A great war approaches. I will need you.]”
Kanya spoke with a voice not entirely her own—a divine tongue echoed from her lips.
The High Priestess of the Goddess of War, adorned in crimson armor, knelt before Kanya and kissed the top of her foot.
“As you command! Lead your servants from above!”
Because the Order had no temple in the capital, they borrowed the grand Mage Tower Temple from the Order of Grace to construct a temporary Ascension Altar.
A massive crowd had already formed, overflowing far beyond what even “packed” could describe.
Most had come to witness the moment a god revealed their true form.
Though the nuns of the Goddess of War had armored themselves to keep order, even their numbers weren’t enough—city guards had to be summoned to help.
“Goddess! Please speak to us!!”
“What must we do?”
“Guide us! Show us our path!!”
As humans always do when faced with divinity—they asked.
What should I do from here?
How am I meant to live?
For mortals, those are the most important questions of all.
But Belia said nothing.
She simply walked—silent, solemn—into the inner sanctum of the Mage Tower Temple.
The nuns followed closely behind.
The third floor of the tower had been made completely transparent with illusion magic, allowing the gathered crowd to witness the Ascension Rite firsthand.
Under the eyes of the Empire, Belia stepped into the center of the altar.
“[…Begin. I want to go home.]”
At her quiet command, the nuns began to channel divine energy.
Beneath the temple, massive flows of elixir continued to surge—fueling the ancient magic circle beneath the altar.
The nuns’ holy power magnified, dozens of times over, protecting Kanya and the divine essence dwelling within her.
And slowly…
The divine spark that had been inside Kanya began to rise.
A radiant red light—like liquid flame.
As the essence of Belia separated from Kanya, it flared with a divine brilliance and lifted free, growing larger, brighter… until it no longer bore the shape of anything human.
Belia had returned.
And for the first time in centuries, her true form stood revealed in the mortal world.
[My chosen one. My dear, beloved Kanya.]
The towering goddess, as vast as the temple itself, extended a glowing hand toward Kanya at the altar.
Upon the back of Kanya’s hand, a brilliant sigil—the Mark of the Goddess of War—appeared.
[I leave my stigmata with you. A reminder that I will always be by your side.]
Kanya simply nodded, her lips trembling.
“Go home, Goddess. It’s okay now… I’ll be fine.”
A farewell.
To a friend who had lived inside her for a lifetime.
With a bittersweet smile, Kanya let her go.
And then, the heavens opened.
A shaft of radiant light fell to earth.
And as the goddess’s divine presence slowly faded—
“Goddess!! What must we do now?!”
“Guide us! Please, tell us what path to take!”
Finally, the Goddess of War answered.
[Si vis pacem, para bellum.]
If you wish for peace, prepare for war.
That was Belia’s final message to the world.
And then—she was gone.
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