Anyway, we somehow managed to avoid disaster. After creating a gate to the spirit world, I timidly tell Seiya that Ishtar wants to see him, but he doesn’t say a word. He creates a Bunogeos doll using earth magic and shape-shifting, then places it in Bunogeos’s bed before pulling the covers over it. I’m guessing he’s trying to buy some time while we’re in the spirit world.
“By the way…are you not going to tell the people of Little Light that you defeated Bunogeos?”
But he ignores me and heads for the gate.
“H-hey?! Seiya?! Are you even listening?!”
“The people of Little Light will be slaughtered if Grandleon discovers their existence. They’re safer living underground, not knowing anything.”
Seiya sputters without even looking at me. And just like that, we return to the unified spirit world together, awkward tension and all.
I connect the gate to the hall before Ishtar’s room. When we arrive, Seiya bursts right in without even knocking.
“Hey, Grandma, did a god from the heart of the spirit world really give us that data on the Demon Lord?”
Seiya almost gives me a heart attack. He doesn’t even greet the Great Goddess as he immediately presses her for answers.
“Yes, it was a gift from the Goddess of Time, Chronoa.”
As usual, Ishtar doesn’t snap at Seiya. Instead, she kindly listens to the Hero’s complaints while nodding—that is, until she hears about the Beast Emperor Grandleon’s stats exceeding the Demon Lord Ultimaeus’s. She suddenly wears a solemn expression.
“Then please avoid engaging directly with that enemy—Grandleon. With strength in excess of 850,000…his attributes rival that of the Goddess of War, Adenela, after unleashing her full goddess potential with Order. I am going to be brutally honest with you. It is impossible for a human to defeat Grandleon.”
I gulp audibly and shiver. The highest-ranking deity of the unified spirit world clearly just declared that beating Grandleon was impossible.
“Th-then what should we do?!”
“There is a way to defeat him. Grandleon’s phenomenal strength is surely the result of receiving the powerful blessing of a Dark God. You should be able to weaken him if you can stop the supply of power.”
Ishtar then turns her gaze to Seiya.
“Under normal circumstances, I would have waited until your battle against the Demon Lord, but…it seems we have no other choice. Seiya Ryuuguuin, I am going to teach you the Hexagram Ritual of Retribution. I have already received permission from the deities at the heart of the spirit world.”
Taken aback, I mutter:
“The Hexagram Ritual of Retribution?!”
Both Seiya and Ishtar turn to me.
“Oh? Ristarte, have you heard of it?”
“Nope! Not at all! What is it?!”
…An awkward silence fills the air. A few seconds go by before Seiya says with a straight face:
“Rista, all you’re doing is taking up space. You have five seconds to get out of here.”
“O-okay… Sure.”
After closing the door, I grit my teeth in silence.
What’s his problem?! So what if I don’t know?!
“…The Hexagram Ritual of Retribution… I don’t know the details, but I hear it’s a well-kept secret technique used by deities to destroy powerful Dark God–class enemies.”
I ended up heading to Aria’s room. After listening to her explanation, I let out a deep sigh, and she sends me a worried glance.
“Rista? Are you okay?”
“Yeah… It’s just…things have been really rough lately…”
“You must have been through a lot. Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”
I finish off the tea she hands me with a side of kindness, then put my mouth on autopilot and let the complaints pour out.
“…And you know what? I did the best I could! I even ate death worms and turned into a fish-thing while acting like an idiot! I’m a goddess, damn it! But he treats me like I’m dead weight!”
“But you would have been killed if Grandleon saw through your disguises, right? I don’t think Seiya overreacted…”
“You don’t?! I don’t even know anymore! Is that really the man I was in love with in a past life?!”
Aria, on the other hand, calmly sips her tea before looking my way.
“Hey, Rista… People don’t remember their past lives when they’re reborn. Goddesses are no different. Do you know why?”
“Huh? That’s, uh…”
As I find myself stuck for an answer, Aria firmly says:
“In order to forget it all and live a new life. You can’t allow yourself to dwell on the past.”
“Y-yeah…”
…What Aria’s saying makes total sense, but I can’t deny that Seiya still means a lot to me.
I decide to head back to Ishtar’s room after retiring from Aria’s. Of course, I’m going because I want to check up on Seiya.
“Excuse me. May I come in?”
I open the door…but Seiya is no longer inside.
“What the…?! Did Seiya learn how to do it already?!”
Ishtar smiles.
“He has always been a sponge for information, and memorizing the ritual’s procedures isn’t a difficult process to begin with. Putting the ritual into practice is the difficult part.”
“S-so where’s Seiya now?”
“He’s a very cautious boy. He probably wasn’t comfortable only knowing the secret ritual. He said he wanted to learn new skills and went to the rooftop to see Valkyrie.”
That last nugget of info gives me a bad feeling in my gut, so I thank Ishtar and hurry to the rooftop.
When I open the door to the sanctuary’s rooftop, there are two moons—a crescent moon and a full moon—side by side and glittering in the sky. Bathing in the moonlight, Goddess of Destruction Valkyrie and Seiya are locked in what appears to be a passionate embrace!
“Hooooold up! What the hell is going on here?! Is this really happening again?!”
My gut was right. I scream at what feels like déjà vu, but even then, they continue to embrace as if in their own little world. The goddess, whose only article of clothing is the chains wrapped around her body, whispers:
“Seiya, I always believed you had what it took to return to me, safe and sound.”
“I was only able to save Gaeabrande thanks to your techniques of destruction, Valkyrie.”
The distance between their faces continues to dwindle until they’re close enough to feel the heat of each other’s breath!
Wh-why?! Last time they embraced, it was just to grant him an aura of destruction! They were never actually intimate!
“By the way, I remembered Shattered Break even though I forgot the other divine techniques. Why do you think that is?”
“The Valkyrja techniques are a symbol of our bond. There is no way you could ever completely forget them. It won’t be long before they all start coming back to you.”
“I see… Valkyrie, I’m searching for a way to surpass my maxed-out stats. Incidentally, when I used Scan on you, I noticed you had a special ability called Status Limit Break. Do you know something that could help me?”
“Unfortunately, that’s something I was born with as the Goddess of Destruction. It’s not something I can teach.”
“I see…”
As Seiya stares into her eyes, Valkyrie averts her gaze in a slightly awkward manner.
“There is someone in the unified spirit world who knows how to break past your status limit, but Ishtar can’t say who it is, and I can’t exactly tell you, either.”
S-someone like that exists, but she can’t tell him who?! Why?! Is the method that dangerous?!
“Seiya, go to the Divine Forest. There, you will find a clue.”
…Feeling invisible, I decide to make my presence known and slide in between them before yelling:
“Seiya! Great Goddess Ishtar told me you learned the secret ritual, so why are you risking your life on something so dangerous?! We already have a way to defeat Grandleon now!”
“Because if things don’t go as planned, I don’t want to be thinking, I wish I had done that. By then, it would be too late. You don’t go all out during battle. You do that during practice.”
Valkyrie crosses her arms and nods in agreement.
“Exactly. You really know your stuff.”
She then rubs her slender finger down his cheek with rapt attention.
“If only I were the goddess assigned to you…”
“Yeah. Saving Ixphoria probably would have been easy with you by my side, Valkyrie.”
“H-h-hey?!”
As I begin trembling, enduring the humiliation, Valkyrie presses her body nearer to Seiya’s once more.
“Seiya, don’t use Gate of Valhalla ever again. I’d be so lonely without you…”
“Okay. I’ll avoid using it if possible.”
They bring their faces even closer together, looking like they’re about to kiss…
“Ahhhhhh!! Stoooooop!”
Unable to take it any longer, I forcibly peel them off each other.
“Wh-what do you think you’re doing, Ristarte?!”
Tears roll down my cheeks just like they did the last time this happened.
“Sniffle…! I would’ve preferred you lost to the Demon Lord in Gaeabrande if I’d known things would end up like this!!”
“H-how can you even say that?! You’re supposed to be his goddess!”
“Sniffle! I-it’s not my fault he—waaah!”
“Ristarte…”
Valkyrie puts on a serious expression…and yet, at the very next moment…
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! You’re a total mess when you cry! And you call yourself a goddess?!”
She clutches her stomach while cackling.
“Hey…! Seriously?!”
Bawling, I flail at Valkyrie, but the strongest deity in the spirit world doesn’t even try to dodge my cat slap. She just looks fed up.
“Sigh. Get it together, Ristarte. You’re not a human anymore…”
Although I’m still sobbing, I follow Seiya to the Divine Forest. It’s a long way from the sanctuary’s rooftop to the woods, and after some time, my sadness turns to pain. And then…
Sigh… What am I doing? I’m acting so stupid…
My pain eventually turns to anger and frustration.
Yeah! Valkyrie’s right! Aria and even Seiya already pointed it out! I’m not Princess Tiana anymore! I’m a goddess, and Seiya is a human! No matter what happens, we’ll never be together!
The moonlight peeks above the Divine Forest, faintly lighting up the entrance. After wiping my face with the hem of my dress, I yell out to Seiya from behind:
“Seiya Ryuuguuin!”
He listlessly looks back at me.
“What?”
“I am a goddess! And you are the Hero I summoned! Nothing more, nothing less!”
“…And…? Why are you stating the obvious?”
“I’m saying this for me—to remind myself!”
I puff out my chest and declare:
“We’re going to save Ixphoria! But I’m going to need your extraordinary talent, Seiya Ryuuguuin!”
Seiya stares at me like I’m an idiot.
“Hmph.”
He then starts walking into the forest. I follow him once again, but this time in high spirits.
“…So, Mitis, do you know anything about Status Limit Break?”
“Indeed, there is a way to accomplish such a thing.”
The alluring Goddess of Archery’s lips curl when she hears Seiya’s question.
“Then tell me. What is it?”
“Tee-hee. I can teach you, but there’s something I need to know beforehand.”
Mitis coos.
“…Why am I tied to this tree?”
After finding Mitis, Seiya wasted no time approaching her from behind and knocking her out with a karate chop to the neck. Then he proceeded to tie her tightly to a big tree nearby.
“Because you’re a nymphomaniac. I didn’t want to have to worry about fighting off a naked goddess, so I decided to take precautions.”
“I see.”
Not only does Mitis not argue, she even seems satisfied with his answer. Tied to a tree and wearing a serious expression, she says:
“Deep within the forest…in the depths hidden even from Great Goddess Ishtar’s second sight…exists an entity that may help you break your limit.”
“Oh? The depths of the forest, huh?”
Seiya thereupon swiftly turns around, leaving Mitis behind. Taken aback, I ask, “Huh? You’re not gonna untie her? She told you what you wanted to know…”
Concerned, I look back at Mitis, only to find her quivering and blushing.
“Oh…! You’re going to leave me tied up for a bit of neglect play…! How deliciously stimulating!”
Yep… I’m not sure why I even asked. It’s not like she’d die if we just left her there forever. We turn our backs on Mitis and continue into the depths of the Divine Forest.
While walking in silence for a while, I suddenly notice the trees around us are eerily distorted. The moonlight is blocked out by the forest, making it hard to see. I know this is supposed to be a holy forest in the spirit world, but it’s starting to feel as if we’ve wandered into a forest of the underworld.
I’m about to latch onto Seiya’s arm out of fear, but I stop myself. I repeat I am a goddess! Seiya is a human! in my mind as I clench my fists and press on. Seiya then suddenly comes to a halt.
“Hmm… Looks like this is the place.”
After finally pushing through the ghastly trees, I see an old well in the middle of a field.
“What in the world is a well doing here? …Wait! Is this…?!”
…It happened soon after I was reborn as a goddess. Aria told the young, wayward me, “Rista, if you don’t do what I tell you, I’m going to throw you down the Well of No Return in the forest.”
I got so scared, I cried, so she said, “All you have to do is listen to me, okay?” After that, she gently rubbed my head.
The Well of No Return…! I thought that was a fairy tale Aria made up to scold me, but it’s real…!
I shake Seiya by the shoulders.
“S-Seiya! We can’t be here! Aria used to tell me that getting near that well makes you lose your mind!”
“Looks like you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“…?! …Huh…? Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”
Seiya presses forward. He has never shown any sign of caution when it comes to training.
“You want to save Ixphoria, right? I won’t be able to break my limit without taking some risks.”
“S-sure, I get that, but…!”
There’s a rope ladder leading into the well. Seiya tugs on it to make sure it’s safe before climbing down. Although hesitant, I follow after him. When I reach the bottom, I find myself in a dim, open space.
“This is the inside of the well? It’s more spacious than I imagined…”
I can see the opening to a cavern in the distance. It looks kind of like a modern-day tunnel made out of concrete.
“S-Seiya, wait.”
I chase after him, but the moment I set foot in the tunnel…I hear a loud voice.
“Get down!”
Something flying out of the tunnel suddenly rams right into me!
“Gwah?!”
The impact sends me straight to the ground.
“Wh-wh-what the…?!”
I lift my head and look back to find someone on top of me dressed in a filthy camouflage uniform. In addition, I feel two soft things touching my back…which makes me guess… It’s a woman…? B-but why would she even be here?
Thud! Thud! Roll!
The woman, who has loose, disheveled hair similar to Adenela’s, gets off me and starts rolling on the ground.
“The enemy’s explosion magic is about to go off! Spread out!”
She screams while looking ahead. I follow her gaze, but there’s nobody there.
“The battle of the unified spirit world, Armagezeeda, isn’t over yet!”
“Arma-what…? Wh-what is she rambling about?!”
Instantly, the woman in camouflage lunges on top of me with her eyes wide open.
“Eek?!”
“You don’t know about the war?! Are you a new goddess or something?!”
“I—I don’t know anything about a war! I’m sorry! Forgive me for being a new goddess!”
Out of nowhere, she throws her fist into the ground.
“During the first war of Armagezeeda, my squad fought under the command of Mersais, the God of Tyranny, but we were almost completely wiped out after battling the pro-Ishtar Goddess of Destruction, Valkyrie! Mersais lost because of Valkyrie’s techniques of destruction, and before Goddess of War Adenela’s Dual Unlimited Eternal Blade, I…! Mn…!”
Rage burns her face, but she almost immediately softens her expression.
“But…! After much refinement, I was able to perfect my ultimate attack, Berserk: Phase Three! Adenela will be no match for me now!”
The creepy woman is all smiles, contrary to her behavior a few seconds ago. I manage to speak up and ask:
“Wh-what—who are you?!”
“Oh… I still haven’t introduced myself, have I? My apologies…”
The woman then turns her unfocused gaze in my direction.
“I’m Zet, the Goddess of Warfare.”