The next day, Gideon woke up to the sound of the smooth and relaxed breathing of Deborah who came to his room late at night to make sure that he was real.
"This little squirt." Gideon sat up on the bed without disturbing Deborah. There was an objective he had to accomplish as soon as possible. That is, finding out traces of an evil god on Earth. If this were found to be the case, Gideon would not hesitate to vie for more power to protect the Earth the same way he protected the goddesses' world from the evil god that attacked it.
The evil gods are not sentient from the beginning. They slowly developed sentience the more worlds they devour and the more life they consume and incorporate to their essence.
This was the introductions to the evil god that attacked the goddesses' world where Gideon was, or at least that's what the goddess told him. Evil gods weren't inherently 'evil' per se, but because their existence was a necessary balancing mechanism to every universe. The only problem was, that those that the evil gods do target, usually have beings that are maintaining them, like the gods.
Once these two forces clash, the resulting effect would be devastation and erasure of lower lifeforms.
The gods then developed a way to hide their planets from the evil gods to avoid conflict and death. Those that are newly born, these worlds are usually devoured by evil gods without resistance, those that have a god or gods watching over it would flourish until such a time that it is exposed. Until then, they remain relatively safe.
That was what happened on Earth as well. The traces of Gideon's dimensional travel tore the veil and allowed evil gods to sniff out their world.
"I better ask the squirt later about the situation on Earth."
Gideon then continued to feel his body and his soul. Closing his eyes.
"My soul… it's definitely still that of a mortal's. I wonder if this is the work of the goddess of the gods of Earth. Since the goddess had perfected a way to grant power that can surpass even gods without transforming the vessel in her world, maybe it is also possible here on Earth.
"The problem is, as it stands, an existence that needs to be dealt with using the power that I just received would probably appear.
"I've learned this in the other world. As soon as I happen to have a power up, as if the enemies also sense it, they send someone or something to greatly hinder or even kill me.
"That evil god that I vanquished was quite a character as well. This time, I hope that's not the case."
…
Outside the world, in the void of space, the darkness that hid countless creatures, dependent on nothing. A blob of darker than black entity was gathering up power for itself.
Then, as this gathering ended, a scene in front of it, like a portal that opened appeared. The entity then extended a tentacle towards the portal. That single drop of essence that it dropped inside the portal caused the entity to writhe as if it was feeling pain and reluctance at expending this amount of energy. However, it also felt it was necessary for its growth.
Along the way, inside the portal, the blob of black substance slowly took the form of something unbelievable to humanity. It was a creature that only appears in legends and in fantasy, a creature that just the mention of its name would solicit awe and to some fear; it was a dragon.
A red scaled dragon that had spikes growing out of its jaws, and golden eyes with black slits. Wingspan that encompassed an entire airport's width. Tail with spikes at the end with black swirling energy at its tips.
Upon its approach, the gods of the Divine Realm were alerted immediately. YHWH was the first to speak.
"The evil god has sent its first champion! All heralds are to be notified. Leave the small fries in dungeons alone and focus on the champion."
"Yes!" The gods did as YHWH ordered, and the Divine Realm all but became peaceful. The previous tranquility was broken by this advancing enemy.
YHWH also contacted Deborah and ordered her to prepare. She was reluctant to leave her brother's side, but Gideon told her to listen to her patron god.
"Okay. My patron god told me to prepare to intercept a champion of some sorts. So, you better be safe until I return, okay?"
"You know I'm also being deployed, don't you?" Gideon couldn't help but shake his head at her. He understood her concern but it was too much to have his little sister try to protect him, he can protect himself.
"Ah, I forget, you are also a herald now!"
"Yes, so go do your tasks, and I'll follow my patron god's instructions." Gideon lied.
"Okay, okay."
When Deborah left, Gideon looked towards the skies, yet his sight was beyond just the physical sky but towards the realm that mortals cannot even dream of going.
Without moving from his spot, he opened his mouth and spoke, yet no sounds could be heard from it. That is, no sounds could be heard by anyone other than the target of this communication.
"Goddess Bia, my name is Gideon. I was contracted to you a few hours earlier. I just wanted to ask, is an evil god mounting an attack on our Earth?"
Bia who was at the Divine Realm suddenly trembled as she heard the voice of Gideon. It was as if this man was of a higher level than her. She felt a suppression as if she was speaking to a superior. However!
This was impossible! A mortal, possessing the power of a Supreme Deity, wasn't that some impossible dream?
Bia calmed down and answered Gideon while fighting the urge to call him Lord just as she does with Zeus, naturally.
"It is Gideon. I also felt that our connection was cut off, was that your doing?"
"No, goddess."
"Yes, an evil god did find our Earth and is currently the reason for the Sacrosanctum Concillium Vasis Dei to be opened." Bia answer his question. She did not disclose any other information aside from that.
"I see. It seems, that after I returned from the other world, I'll have to deal with another evil god. Thank you for clarifying my doubts. Tell no one about our connection being cut off, please. Thank you, again."
Without waiting for Bia's reply, Gideon cut of the communication. Just then, he used a bit of his Divine Authority to command Bia to keep their secret.
"I was right. The reason the gods opened the Sacrosanctum Concillium Vasis Dei was because of an evil god. I wonder how strong this one is? Judging from energy level and rating, Debbie should be comparable to an elite soldier of the evil god. If she ignores defense and unleash all she has in on burst, then she would be comparable to a low-level champion.
"A champion is descending and they are all going to intercept. I wonder if the evil god is comparable to other evil god I faced."
Gideon was not looking forward to the evil god's champion arriving. He was merely speculating and thinking, so that he could create countermeasures as a contingency plan.
After all, if this evil god was in anyway stronger than the one in the other world, then with his current strength, not only will he fail, he would also die along with the gods in this world.
That was something that Gideon couldn't bear to carry on his conscience.
"Since it is like I suspected, I need to utilize my memories. Although the goddess erased all traces of supernatural influence on me except the passive she granted me that is now fully integrated into my soul, I had become a mortal that had the memories and experience of a slayer, a murderer. Not of mere mortal but also of gods.
"To live comfortably in this world when I returned, I planned to only use the ability to gain wealth, however, since that is not possible without vanquishing the evil god, I am forced now to relearn the arts that propelled me to the status of slayer. I hope I can still live peacefully after all this… sigh."
Gideon resolved himself. He was going to utilize his memories, his experiences, and his expertise to vanquish this evil god, starting with its champion.
"I became a martial artist because of one fortunate encounter. It was fortunate because the one I fought spared me and taught me instead how to utilize every fiber of my being into a weapon. Not merely use the force and power that is granted by supernatural means.
"Having personal discipline was his teaching. Full control of your power was his legacy. Master, I shall yet again step into the path you once treaded."
Gideon closed his eyes and breathed in a way that looked to be impossibly difficult for ordinary men. His chest heaved and as if his ribs were not present, it expanded and caved in with each breath.
After a few minutes to an hour of doing so, Gideon finally felt the energy that he lost after he was returned.
"Qi, is not simply life-force but also will-force. If you do not have your will infused into your being, you will simply become a common creature. Without will and your power will be wasted." Gideon remembered his master's teaching.
Sigh.
Gideon released his breath.
{Gained 10 days worth of Qi.}
{Ten Orders of Magnitude in Gains activating.}
{Gained 274000 millennia worth of Qi}
"Shit! I knew it would be disastrous to do this while Ten Orders of Magnitude in Gains is in effect!"
The surging Qi that even his body couldn't contain starting to rampage as it followed the circulation of his Qi channels.
"A good thing that I already have divine authority, if not, this session would kill me in a heartbeat." Gideon breathed a sigh when he commanded the Qi inside his body to be still and not move at all unless it was circulated by Gideon himself.
After such, he easily subdued the rampaging Qi and used its abundance to breakthrough one realm after another. There were only 5 realms in his master's Spiritual Arts.
Qi Gathering, Body Tempering, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Transcendence. With a single breath, Gideon broke through to Transcendence Realm and reached its very peak. His physical strength couldn't even be compared to the gods of the Earth now. He could crush them with a wave of his hand if only they were physical beings.
With his breakthrough to Transcendence Realm, Gideon's Qi had been reduced only by 150,000 millennia. He still had a surplus of more than 120,000 millennia worth of Qi. However, Transcendence Realm wasn't the end of the Spiritual path that Gideon treaded again. His master had walked to the end of the mortal path and transcended even his mortality to become something else.
In the end, though, he was still killed and absorbed by the evil god. It was one of the most painful moments in his life.
After Transcendence, Gideon stood up. His presence continued to rise until all the Earth felt a suppression of existence. Before it affected them permanently, Gideon reigned his presence in himself. His Divine Sense, a sense that was developed after Core Formation, was enhanced and empowered by his divinity that it also transformed into something even more wonderful; Divine Awareness. With his Divine Awareness back in his arsenal, he would know what happens on Earth to the minutest of details.
Gideon focused on the void of space. He was looking at the champion of the evil god, and his eyes dimmed.
"Shit. I thought it would be some champion… did the gods lie? This isn't even considered an elite soldier in the evil god I vanquished. This is just an ordinary creature with slightly more power.
"Deborah can handle this no problem then!" Gideon's dim expression turned to mockery not of the evil god but of himself. He was too cautious and compared such a nasty existence as the evil god he vanquished to this newborn evil god. As if comparing a Chihuahua pup to a Tibetan Mastiff.
In space, the dragon opened its eyes. It sensed the gaze of someone and it felt assured. Since only its creator would be able to gaze on it from such a far distance. In the end, it closed its eyes and allowed its creator's arrangements for it to go the way it wanted to.
Gideon scanned the dragon and scoffed. It wasn't him being arrogant, it was because he knew for certain that this champion wasn't even a champion. A single slap from him currently would be enough to send it back to its creator.
"What's my preparations worth now then?" Gideon felt depressed. He originally didn't want to aim for power in this world once he returned. Now, he's already pining for more power to protect his family and the world generally.
He wasn't a heroic spirit, naturally. He was more of a stopgap for protecting the world from a specific threat.
Soon, the dragon entered the sphere of influence of Earth in the solar system, and it stirred itself towards it. In a matter of minutes, the dragon arrived, yet the Earth was not without preparations as well. The S-Class Fighters, were supported by the S-Class oracles who predicted where the dragon would land, and the S-Class producers armed the heralds with equipment they commissioned before this.
The Earth was ready to receive this threat. At first, the heralds only saw a meteorite coming towards them, however, as the 'meteor' inched closer by the second, they slowly widened their mouths in awe and fear.
"Isn't that a dragon?!"
"How is it a dragon?! This is a legendary existence! Once it shoots us with breath attacks, wouldn't we be fried?"
Numerous heralds felt that they were facing something impossible. However, Gideon, who was also there only watched uninterestedly.
Roar!
As the dragon hit the Earth's surface and the dust settled, a roar, so deafening that ordinary human beings would have had their knees buckle from fear. Even the heralds here felt indescribable fear and the urge to kneel.
"Stay your ground!" Yelled Deborah. She was leading all of the heralds in this place. Their numbers? In the millions.
Her voice was easily carried by the wind towards the very end of the gathering. This was one of the skills she had as a herald of YHWH. Once she speaks, her words would travel to the very last person.
"This dragon looks tough, but this is a creature that can still bleed! If it bleeds, then it can die! Let us cleave its body and drain its blood! Eat its flesh and make soup out of its bones!
"Anyone who cowers before this enemy will be my enemy! Everyone, charge!"
Deborah ordered as she yelled a battle cry.
"That's a Good speech, little squirt." Gideon chuckled. Even he felt his blood boiling from it.
With Deborah in the commanding position, the rest of the S-Class Fighters started their offense. This was the descent of the evil god's champion, and this champion may look comparatively huge, but with the heralds working together, they should be able to dispose of it nicely. Thought Gideon.
However, as the fight started and while Deborah was commanding the millions, they were instead losing and their losses were great. Each breath of the dragon simply reaped life like they were made of paper.
"What is going on?" Gideon's eyes narrowed as he also frowned. Thinking this through and asking, "With their energy signatures and level, it should be relatively easy for them to defeat this dragon…" Then, it dawned on Gideon, something that he also experienced once in the other world.
"Shit. These heralds are a ragtag mixture of forces that have no coordination and even basic martial training! This is also what master warned me about previously! With gods granting power, the development of the people become stunted. Only relying on the power. Instead of training themselves in using their powers, they train themselves to grow the powers they received which dangerous as well.
"Freely bestowed power can be freely taken as well. This was the truth of the investiture of the gods and the Sacrosanctum Concillium Vasis Dei. This is also true even for the goddess that summoned me. They took back what they gave."
"That's why Debbie lost to me even though I had no power to speak of when we first met."
Gideon became paler as he continued to think of the possibility of the humans losing because of such a simple reason.
"Shit, I have to do something!" Gideon decided to do something. Not simply get rid of the dragon but to use it as a grinding stone for these inexperienced fighters.
Gideon released his presence and concentrated it on the dragon. The moment his presence was felt by the dragon, the dragon stiffened up and it felt as if something far more powerful than its creator had appeared in the midst of the millions of small fries.
"Wh-Who is it?!" the dragon roared to the sky.
This was a roar that only those who knew dragon tongue could understand. Gideon's divine authority enabled him to peer into the secrets of any language and… "A giant lizard, acting mighty in my backyard?" use them freely. Gideon made certain to veil his physical location as he suppressed the dragon with his presence alone.
It was not his Supreme Deity or Divinity power that suppressed the dragon but his existential, and physical aspect.
As soon as his words fell, the dragon felt so insulated that it wanted to lash out, only to find out that it was being suppressed to the point of truly, becoming just a giant lizard. Fear crept into the dragon. It's creator was far away and reinforcements are buried in dungeons sparsely spread in this world, constantly being suppressed by the heralds.
It felt helpless for the first time. It stopped talking and concentrated on defending itself and killings those that foolishly show weakness in front of it. Like this, the dragon was used as a grinder and a whetstone for the heralds of the Earth's gods.
Deborah shot arrow after arrow as she wielded the bow that was created by her good friend Adrianne of the Smiths.
He was a middle-aged Smith who inherited the long tradition of blacksmithing in their family from the medieval ages to the present. With the gods' support, his craft had taken on a new life. His craftsmanship improved and the objects he created breathed new life into the heralds as well.
Each shot with the bow created by him through Deborah's skills in archery, would be transformed into an arrow of death and destruction. In fact, each arrow that Deborah released and hit, the dragon's scales were cracked and left it in pain. The greatest damage dealer was still Deborah's attacks.
An hour passed, and the dragon felt like crying.
Another hour passed and the dragon started crying.
When 5 hours passed, the dragon was lying on its stomach and covering its head with its little hands as if it was being bullied by the humans.
Of course, it wasn't that the dragon became passive. It was a process that took them 5 hours, to finally notice what Gideon had noticed earlier. They were not united, not coordinated, and especially not well-trained.
Seeing this problem, Gideon simply shrugged for a moment. This was a result that was neither satisfactory nor too disgusting.
"I should find someone to teach the little Squirt to lead an army. Well, the best would be military people who were awakened. Preferably of a high rank and position with experience under his belt."
"Sigh. I guess I'll have to get myself busy this time. I don't want to rain on my little sister's parade after all." Gideon decided to let his sister be the protagonist of Earth. After all, she was connected to a monotheistic god, not sharing any divinity and territory with others unlike the pantheons.