Surrounding the soldiers were figures in long, flowing robes, their heads bowed. They carried massive staves adorned with symbols of faith, their hands clasped together in prayer. They looked like battle nuns, armoured beneath their robes, their faces obscured by the same metal masks as the soldiers, but lighter, as if meant to invoke purity rather than terror.
Wait. Are they the ones who killed Slane's soldiers in those camps at the border? Among the ghosts around there were some women who were beating spirits of theocracy's soldiers. That would make a lot of sense.
I stayed in the shadows, my reiatsu masked as much as I could. These guys weren't like the usual Slane Theocracy forces, not like the fanatics we had fought so far. These soldiers were disciplined and skilled and there was something about the way they moved, the way they carried themselves. They were far from the desperate, crazed warriors who threw themselves at us in blind faith.
As I observed them, I realized that they weren't preparing for battle. No, they had just finished one.
Scattered around them were the remnants of another enemy force—Slane Theocracy soldiers, but these were the fallen, butchered with precise, clinical efficiency. Limbs severed, throats cut, their once defiant armour now shattered and useless. This small army had cut through them like a scythe through wheat.
But that wasn't what bothered me.
What bothered me was the symbol etched onto their armour. A symbol that I had seen before in Carne village before.
That lantern. It's the symbol my priests had back then.
I clenched my hand around Yasuragi's handle, my grip tightening unconsciously. What the hell was this?
The leader, the man with the tower shield, began issuing orders to his soldiers in a deep, commanding voice. His tone was calm and authoritative, but there was something else in it, something bordering on... devotion. They moved like a well-oiled machine, following his orders without hesitation, without fear. They were heading toward the next target, wiping out the remaining forces of their own kind.
I felt strange. Deep inside me a great excitement was emerging, the words of my zanpakuto seem to be correct. It's way easier to control them now than at the first time. This is gonna take a while to get used to.
I also could feel the belief that flowed from those warriors into me. I wasn't able to do so before, why now?
Did something change inside of me? What might it be? The only thing that happened was that I gained new domains by killing those men as if an exp bar were filled. Wait! Yes, exactly! Did I level up? Was this some kind of threshold to be able to feel divinity or something?
'You were on the border of becoming a real goddess.'
The information is kinda concerning.
'So I wasn't before?'
'Yes, and no. Something like you could have been considered one, but was incomplete. Now however you fully have changed into a goddess.'
My mind raced with the implications. The belief of these warriors, their faith in me, had manifested. I can feel it gathering somewhere deep inside me. Is there a limit to how much I can get, no idea. I do know that I could use it, I can empower them. Most likely thanks to my new domain of war.
I focused on it. It's way different than mana or spiritual power. While those two can be seen and felt as a certain fluid-like form that doesn't obey gravity, floating around, the divinity is truly formless. I just know what it is and how much of it I have, but no shape or even a place. Some areas have denser mana than the others, but here it has none it just... is.
They saw me as their goddess of war, their ruthless executioner, and in return, they had gained power through their fervent belief. It wasn't a question of whether or not I had commanded them.
Their hearts, their prayers, their unwavering belief that they were doing my bidding.
It was... intoxicating.
I had never felt anything like it before. It was as if their belief was feeding into me, amplifying my own power. The lines between their faith and my own strength were blurring, intertwining in a way that I didn't fully understand yet.
This could be dangerous.
If I wasn't careful, I could lose myself in this. Their belief was giving me power, yes, but it also meant that they had a part in shaping how that power manifested. What would happen if their image of me changed? What if they saw me as something else? Something... worse?
I was brought out of my thoughts when the leader of the knights raised his sword, the massive blade gleaming in the low light.
They could feel themselves being stronger than before, but there are no physical ways to discern.
I exhaled slowly, my breath steady. I had a decision to make. These warriors were powerful, and they could be useful. But there was a danger in allowing them to continue this crusade in my name, a danger in letting them shape the world's perception of me. I mean, I already have those domains, but who knows what other horrendous thing they will create.
Still, I couldn't deny that a part of me was intrigued by the potential here. Their faith was a tool, a weapon I could wield. If I played this right, I could use them to our advantage, to crush the Slane Theocracy from within.
But first, I needed to see just how far their devotion went.
Stepping out of the shadows, I let my reiatsu flare just enough to get their attention.
Instantly, the leader turned toward me, his masked face locking onto mine. The soldiers around him froze, their weapons lowering slightly as they sensed the shift in the air.
The leader dropped to
one knee immediately, his massive sword planted in the ground in a gesture of submission. The paladins and battle nuns followed suit in perfect unison, their heads bowed low, weapons laid before them in reverence.
The entire army knelt before me.
"Divine one. We are your loyal servants. We have come to cleanse this land of those unworthy to stand in your presence. Your will is our command."
This was too much, too surreal. But as I stared at the hundreds of armoured figures bowing to me, I couldn't deny the rush of power that surged through me. It was like nothing I'd ever felt. Their faith was feeding into me.
For a brief moment, I considered letting them continue, letting them fight for me, purging this land in my name. It would be so easy to embrace it, to give them the orders they craved, to watch them tear the Slane Theocracy apart with zealot fury.
Their belief was powerful, but it also came with expectations, ones that could shape me into something I didn't want to become.
I stepped forward, slowly, letting the silence hang heavy in the air. The leader of the knights kept his head bowed, waiting for my words
.I glanced at the sea of armoured figures, all of them waiting, breathless, for my next words. I could end it now, tell them to stop, to return to their homes, to abandon this blind crusade. But would they listen? Could they even understand, after devoting themselves so completely to this cause?
They most likely would, but it would be like spitting at their efforts and sacrifice.
So I chose the neutral option. I just nodded my head and ran with a shunpo.
I didn't give them permission, nor did I tell them to stop.
The army rose as one, their weapons gleaming in the fading light, their faith unwavering. As they prepared to march forward, I turned my back to them.
Let's see... It seems that they finished their fights. Let's talk with them.