Chapter 101: Demon Gods

In the end, I went for the Kage no Oni. I had been torn between it and Samurai for a long time, but ultimately I wanted something that would give me more flexibility rather than simply reinforcing an aspect of combat I had never studied or practiced that much myself.

After all, Kage no Oni could become living shadows, manipulate darkness to create clones, bind enemies, or form deadly weapons. I believed that was exactly where the new Skill, Demonic Shadow, came into play. The moment I activated it, I felt my own shadows moving as if they were alive. Tentacled darkness surged upward and then disappeared just as quickly, and for a brief second I even saw pairs of red eyes blinking within the black mass.

From what the Class description said, practitioners of this path gained demonic resilience and could drain life force through their shadow techniques. That meant Demonic Shadow might actually be able to devour foes or something similar. The idea sounded really damn strong. The class also specified that it was extremely lethal during night battles or indoor fights, but slightly weaker when exposed to direct bright light. I supposed the Demonic Shadow would weaken under plain sunlight, so I would have to learn how to use it more effectively in darkness.

A lot of my existing Profession Skills could work wonderfully together with these new Class Abilities, so I was genuinely looking forward to testing everything out.

Ding!

[Your Max Level Cap has increased to Level 260!]

[Congratulations! The Gods have approved of your great faith and performance, and after you have ascended from a Saintess to a Seraph, your Divine Circle has expanded, allowing you to serve yet another God.]

[Demon Gods have become interested in your abilities after you have awakened the power of Demonic Shadows, offering their sponsorship.]

“Huh?!”

Just as I was about to try out my new Skills, something completely unexpected suddenly appeared once more.

[Number of interested Gods: 4]

Oh wow, so many options! What the hell was going on? Where did all of these guys even come from? Someone help me! There were too many of them! I thought that inside dungeons they could not see me. I guess I was wrong about that. And WHY Demon Gods of all things?!

[Showcasing all interested Gods in taking you as their Saintess.]

{Demon God of Falsehood and Trickery, Furoh}

“Falsehood and Trickery, the very origin of humanity’s sins themselves. You cannot live without them. If you choose to follow me, I will teach you my Art of Mimicry. In exchange, build an altar in my honor, Mother Goddess Sylph’s Descendant.”

{Demon God of Swarms and Famine, Beelzebub}

“I can bring the end to all your foes. Choose me and I will bring an endless swarm to devour them! Curse your foes and drain them of all they’re worth! Hahahah!”

{Demon Goddess of Burning Punishment, Armageddon}

“I represent the flame of punishment that burns sinners for eternity. Everyone is a sinner, thus, eventually, you will all meet me one day. But I will give you the chance to become my beacon of dark justice. Burn sinners in my name and earn yourself salvation from my flames.”

{Demon Goddess of Alchemy and Science, Violet}

“I… Uh, I don’t know how to do this. Am I supposed to act all cool? Um, hi? I think I can teach you a lot about Alchemy and Science! We can make new things together… I only ask for a sacrifice every now and then. It can be anything, don’t worry! Animals are fine. Just the soul… well, that’s all. Um, how do I end this? Ah—”

I was left completely speechless as I read through their messages. For being Demon Gods, the last one was… um, she was really honest, I guess. I had heard about them from the game’s lore. They each had their own Demonic Cults that followed their wicked doctrines. Though it always depended on how their followers interpreted those doctrines. Not every Demon God was purely “bad,” nor did they force others to do evil things. They were merely another aspect of the world.

Though, yes, there were some that were really, really bad. These four seemed more neutral. The truly evil ones had likely not even targeted me because they could sense that I was righteous at heart.

So now… who should I choose? This was complicated.

Couldn’t I get a dual pack again like before?

“Freyja, are you there?”

“Yes?” Freyja appeared by my side and looked over the notifications with interest. “I’ve been watching attentively! Looks like you’re once more being requested by the deities of this world. That’s amazing, Brunhild!”

“Y-You think so?” I muttered. “Ah, well, I guess so. Should I really accept any of them? Maybe I should just reject them all…”

“Hmm, the power of a Seraph requires more Divine Power,” Freyja said thoughtfully. “Besides, I think this Divine Circle is larger than a normal mortal’s because your physique is already divine… so you have more ‘space’ for their presences and authorities.”

“So that’s the reason?” I wondered while rubbing my chin. “Okay… um… What do you suggest?”

“The first one seems mysterious, but the Art of Mimicry… don’t you recognize it from somewhere?” she asked.

“Ah!” My eyes widened in sudden realization. “Yes, I remember now! I need it! I can’t go without it! Fuck, I completely forgot until now! Yes, the Trickster God! So his name was Furoh all along?!”

In the Barbarian Conquest Game there had been a special Mission from the Sect of the Trickster God, a group composed of clowns, mimes, and jesters. If you joined their sect, you would eventually gain his blessing and obtain an incredible Divine Skill called “Mimicry”!

I absolutely needed it!

“Okay, sure, but what about the next one?” Freyja wondered. “I believe you’ve got space for another.”

“Beelzebub… Meh, he sounds too creepy,” I shook my head. “Armageddon though… she sounds like a goddess of justice who punishes evil but is also evil herself? Or something like that…”

“Hmm, indeed. Though… Violet…” Freyja said slowly. “Doesn’t she sound like she needs a little help? Plus, if you improve your Alchemy even more… wouldn’t that be better for us?”

“Freyja, are you actually feeling bad for a Demon Goddess?” I sighed and facepalmed.

“H-Hahahah, that’s not it at all!” Freyja muttered quickly. “Anyway, the final choice is yours.”

“Hm…”

Although the Trickster God was an obvious and necessary choice, the second option was still difficult. Agh, it was so hard to choose between Armageddon and Violet!

…And why did a Demon Goddess have such a cute name as “Violet” anyway?! Was she just an ordinary girl at some point in the past? That would certainly explain her awkwardness.

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