All of the titans stood up, however only one approached the group, the one previously seated on the icy throne. Her locks of golden hair danced as she walked with powerful strides. With each step taken, she grew smaller and smaller until she faced the group. Her once golden skin turned pale like a human woman's but her golden hair and eyes remained.
She got on one knee in front of Arthur.
"I welcome you, Champion, as the representative of Goddess of Life and Beauty's most devoted servants."
Arnold eyes were glued to the area visible between her legs.
No underwear and the privates are visible for all to see.
The robe doesn't serve its purpose at all, he thought.
His eyes moved to her chest area that was also left bare in the cleavage area. Are divine beings just careless or are they exhibitionists?
"Please don't bow to a human…" Arthur scratched his cheek, "I don't want divine beings acting as mere servants in my presence."
"Your blessing symbolizes a bond of respect and unity between us as races of different backgrounds and ancestry, not subservience." She replied calmly as she raised her head. Her fellow titans gave nods of affirmation when Arthur looked at them.
"Then… I am honored to receive your welcoming hospitality." Arthur bowed his upper body, the rest of the group followed. Arnold was the only one who didn't bow.
The woman glanced at him for a second. He caught a glint of disgust for a moment.
'She's not telling them that I have a demon factor or calling me a demon itself… I wonder why…'
She faced the group. "You need not be vigilant. We would never harm humans even if they are without the Blessed One. A temple in a deity's name should not be stained by bloodshed. That is why we eliminated all monsters within this space and sealed all entries that lead to other worlds where one might encounter more monsters."
--But an exception can be made.
Hm?
Just now, did Arnold just hear the titan's voice inside his head? He decided to ignore whatever it is the titan said.
He looked at the others.
'It doesn't seem as if they heard it.'
Their eyes were still drawn to the beautiful succubus titan, or more like glued to her barely-covered breasts and hips.
The magicians lowered their staves and the warriors sheathed their weapons.
Arnold's eyes shifted to Sabrina at that moment.
She was still talking to herself.
He then looked back at the titan. She continued speaking right at that moment:
"Are you aware of the threats looming within your world and the nine realms entirely, Great Champion? Are you willing to stand up to them if you have the power to do so?"
"I am."
"The Destiny Goddess revealed in a prophecy that a great being is plotting to overthrow the divine realm in the near future. It is your duty to prove to us that you are deserving of this power and the divine artifact that comes with it."
Arnold knew exactly what she was talking about.
Ladiath.
The Destiny Goddess is capable of foresight, an authority she was granted by the Future Timeline God. This is a power that no ordinary being can wield unless they possess the knowledge contained within the Dark Scroll.
Taking the above into account, her prophecy had some weight to it.
Unlike Angelica who only receives oracles in the form of divine messages or "callings", the destiny goddess can see the whole future. This also meant she must be the only person to know who the Angelica from that vision was.
"I-Is that my first trial?" Arthur stuttered as he asked.
"It is one of your trials but not the first, Champion."
"Then what is my first trial…?"
"We shall get to that in a moment. I, no, my sisters and I have a lot to share with you. It is entirely up to the champion if he will hear our troubles." She said with a gentle smile that could melt even the coldest hearts.
"I want to hear it."
"I am glad. Please take a moment to look at the throne one of our fallen sisters once sat upon."
At her words, all of them looked at the throne that was on the verge of crumbling away.
"This is what happens when someone tries to fulfill the duties of a Champion without being destined for it. You have the Sky God's blessing so you must've been shown the visions of what occurred prior to his death."
"He was being hunted… right?"
"Indeed. And it is the duty of divine servants—whether they are angels or gate guardians—to protect the gods. We must protect the role they serve because not all of them have a replacement. The war that you saw was a result of our struggles to keep him alive." She muttered some kind of chant in godorin before a hologram appeared behind her, "That is what we faced."
Projected on the screen were hundreds if not thousands of marching tentacle monsters, their bodies exuding power that even transcends nuclear energy. Every step they took released a wave of power that destroyed everything in their path.
The screen suddenly shifted, displaying a planet on the brink of annihilation. Its surface was ablaze, fiery cracks spreading like a spider's web across the landscape. Molten lava bubbled up from the fissures, and the atmosphere was thick with ash and smoke. The planet's core seemed unstable, ready to erupt in a cataclysmic explosion at any moment.
The screens shifted again this time revealing a planet with a yellowish sky, its blue-skinned alien-like inhabitants fleeing for their lives as titanic giants marched through their world destroying everything in their path.
Another perspective showed them marching into a world of angels that was connected to another Gate guardian's world. While the gate guardian of that world managed to eradicate the thousands of invaders, the aftermath showed thousands of fallen angels, some bathed in their own blood and crushed like paper or others with their remains only being their wings and charred bodies.
The audience watched silently but their pale expressions were a dead giveaway of their true feelings.
"Offspring of Kwixt." The hologram paused itself, "That is what they are called. They are the progeny of a being who sought to become all-powerful but was instead transformed into a species that should never have existed. It sought more beings like it for thousands of years but decided along the way to create its own species when its search turned out to be fruitless. It took up millions of identities and forms, mimicking others in its pursuit to create its very own kingdom by breeding with ordinary humans or even powerful demigods after winning over their hearts. But every seed given birthed a malformed monstrosity that either killed its mother from the birth itself or was abandoned and killed in its defenseless state."
She studied their expressions with a pause, "We have come to learn that the children that had lived for up to hundreds of years can rival a Divine Titan in power. If such a thing was present in the war then there would've been more casualties and more damage done to the divine realm."
"Is the Sky God responsible for the dungeon appearing within our world?" Arnold interjected. Everyone looked at him.
"It's been half a year since it appeared in our world according to reports." Daraia added.
"I see… Yes, I believe he used the last bits of his power to connect the dungeon—as you call it—to other worlds and not just your own, hoping that the Champion might be in one of them."
"There are many more than 100 worlds in the nine realms." Arnold continued, "There are worlds outside the nine realms that aren't habitable for any being so they aren't as important. But the nine realms alone have up to thousands of worlds per realm. The probability of finding the 'Blessed Champion' within even one percent of those worlds is minuscule. His action would've brought only destruction on other worlds."
"Pardon?" visible confusion was on her delicate face.
"Monsters from the dungeon invaded our world, all thanks to the people before you and the others waiting for us in the grand hall." Arthur and the others lowered their heads. "Well, saying they 'invaded' the world isn't quite accurate—more like they fled. They fled from unknown beings capable of killing them and other monsters without any remorse. It seems the myth about lions fearing honey badgers isn't a myth after all."
"We did a terrible thing b-but will take responsibility once we leave the dungeon…" Professor Castacia said with a small voice.
The titans looked at each other.
"That's terrible to hear," she said softly. Then, with renewed determination, she added, "I will personally go and assist the worlds affected by the fleeing monsters. Every living being is capable of the unthinkable when under distress, so it's possible these monsters harmed humans because of that. I'll start with your world first so I hope I will not be a bother while accompanying you, Champion."
"Of course, but what about the temple…?" Arthur asked.
"It needs only one guardian." One of the other titans responded, "We do not know the state of the other temples at the moment and cannot make time to go there after what you just said. The lives impacted by the monsters are more important to us. Melis will forgive us if we prioritize the mortals first."
"It is as my sister said. If necessary, I shall request help from the Sky God's disciples to aid us in guarding the temples which will allow us all to help the mortals."
"I-I see… I didn't not expect for you to be this kind… Truth be told, we were expecting a fight to retrieve the holy sword…" Arthur scratched his cheek, a habit he can't seem to shake off.
"If any of us truly antagonized the Blessed One then we'd be branded criminals of the divine realm. Of course, that isn't to say gaining control of its power will be easy. An artifact with a will chooses its master, the power is merely one requirement for that." She pointed to the other end of the room, "Please take what is rightfully yours, Blessed One."
At the very end of the large room stood a throne, located right beneath the giant portrait of a tall white-haired young man fully armored with his cape flowing in the wind. A sword of pure gold was in his hand.
Arnold already knew who it was so his gaze shifted to the throne itself.
The throne stood on a raised dais, exuding an aura of authority and power without its rightful occupant present. Beside it, resting on a velvet-lined pedestal, was a golden sword. The blade, forged from the purest gold, seemed to hum with an inner light. Its hilt was adorned with precious gems, each one catching and reflecting the light in a dazzling display. The sword's edge was impossibly sharp, a testament to the skill of the artisans who had crafted it.
Arnold could feel his breath grow heavier as he looked at the sword.
Amazing, he thought, it's on the other end of this gigantic room but I can still feel its overwhelming power.
Arthur seemed as if he was in a daze as he walked slowly towards the throne.
The air grew tense, crackling with an invisible energy that seemed to emanate from the sword itself. Arnold's eyes never left Arthur as he approached the dais, each step echoing in the vast, silent hall. The weight of the moment pressed down on Arnold, making it difficult to breathe.
As Arthur ascended the dais, a sudden, blinding flash of light burst forth from the sword. Arnold shielded his eyes with his arm, squinting through the brilliance of the powerful light.
The other titans also turned into female humans just like the first one and walked behind Arthur like nuns following a priest onto the podium.
**
"Excuse me, Miss…" Shirley called out to the titan who was still standing near the group.
"Yes?" she turned to Shirley with a gentle smile that almost looked gleeful.
"How did the holy sword end up on the second world of the dungeon?"
Everyone's eyes were drawn to Arthur as his back grew smaller, his steps toward the throne growing heavier and more powerful. The powerful light emanating from the sword was so bright that it lit up the hall
"It was during the war. The barrier you encountered outside is a work of our presence in this dungeon itself so our absence presented tomb raiders and explorers the opportunity to raid the dungeon and steal the artifact. The culprits fled across multiple worlds so we could not chase after them. We thought we were doomed to face Melis' wrath but someone returned the sword to us. She had awoken from a long slumber on her world and was a little upset so she reprimanded us all."
There was a grimace on the titan's face, "She was once our superior in the divine order but had thrown that title away due to her hatred of the gods who allowed her to experience suffering at the hands of someone they could not control."
Her eyes looked at the portrait on the far end of the hall, her delicate slender fingers trembling slightly.
"Though I hope I am wrong, I have a feeling she will never forgive any of us for not standing up for her. The kindness she showed in retrieving the divine artifact will perhaps be the last kindness she will ever show the gods or their creations. Her pursuit to vanquish evil is her only goal now."
"The female knight was once part of the divine order…?"
"No wonder she's so strong."
"Yeah, she killed the Blight Things as if they were ants beneath her heels while we couldn't even do anything."
"I wonder if she was an angel. I felt that kind of aura when looking at her."
Arnold didn't join in on the speculations being thrown around. His eyes were drawn to the portrait just like the titan.
'Who were you really…'
◊◊
Arthur arrived in front of the throne, accompanied by the four other titans.
They silently kept their distance as Arthur climbed the short steps and stood over the throne.
He could feel an energy wrap itself around him and push his back gently as if beckoning him to proceed forward without hesitation.
Arthur looked at the sword that was leaning against the throne in its sheath. His hands, covered in his sweat, slowly reached out to it.
The sword suddenly moved out of its sheath on its own and flew straight into his hand!
A powerful vibration shook this entire space.
Arthur could feel overwhelming power enter his body at that moment.
"Uk!" the sword was so heavy that it felt like he was in a tug of war with a million people but the weight slowly decreased as more of that power entered his body.
Veins of pure gold appeared on the surface of his skin, amplifying his power a thousandth-fold and pumping him with so much White Aura that it felt like the weight itself was threatening to crush him.
In that moment he felt like he could take down anything with a single slash from his sword.
-"The prophecy has been fulfilled."
He heard a familiar voice.
The Sky God. His voice, once booming with authority, sounded like a grandfather smiling down warmly onto his grandson.
-"I can rest peacefully knowing it chose you."
Arthur looked up at the portrait of the unknown young man.
'Thank you for giving me this blessing. I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations.'
The voice was gone but Arthur knew the Sky God heard him but chose not to say anything further.
There was no need to say anything because the Sky God had been with him ever since he received the blessing. He knew what was in this new champion's heart and did not discourage or mock him, like the humans did.
"Champion." One of the titans put her arms around Arthur's arm.
"Our great champion." Another did the same on the other side.
"The divine realm is saved." He could feel another wrap her arms around his upper body, her bountiful breasts deformed on his back.
"We will serve you every step of the way, Champion." The fourth titan knelt in front of Arthur and hugged his lower body, her face right at his crotch.
Arthur could then hear another voice, the voice of the fifth titan. It sounded distant, far more than the four hugging him so he could tell it wasn't any of them.
-"Your first trial begins now. Please prove to us that you are truly deserving to be called the Blessed One, not through your power but actions as well."
His eyes were drawn to her. Her emotionless eyes stared right back at him.
Arthur's eyes then slowly sought out Arnold, who was standing with his back defenseless.
Arthur closed his eyes as he tightened the grip around his sword.
A wave of gold spun around Arthur like a persistent tornado in the very next moment,
◊◊
Arnold's eyes were drawn to Anais in that overbearing quiet moment.
Why did she look so sad?
Shouldn't she be happy that her brother was acknowledged by the Divine Titans?
He suddenly felt a tug on his cape, drawing his attention away from Anais. He looked down at who was trying to get his attention.
"Sabrina?"
He noticed her trembling fingers still clutching his cape. Her hair was covering her face but he could see her mouth open and close and faint breaths leak out.
"Ru…"
A wheezing stutter came out of her mouth. She bit her lips and tried again.
"R-R…"
"?" Arnold turned to face her, her small hand leaving his cape, "What are you trying to say?"
Before Sabrina could form the word, a blinding golden radiance blocked out all the natural light, casting an eerie and overwhelming power over everyone in the hall. The sudden shift in light sent ripples of unease through the crowd.
Sabrina's head shot up at that moment. Arnold started to turn around to see the source of the light, but Sabrina's piercing scream stopped him in his tracks.
"RUN!!!!"
Her voice, shrill and filled with sheer panic, cut through the air.
The next moment, a millisecond perhaps, a blade of pure gold flew through the air.