A dazzling purple light enveloped the woman, bringing her down in front of a lord-level native species engaged in battle with the city's defense forces. This sudden development caused both sides to halt their fighting and turn all their attention to the woman.
The woman, bathed in the light, looked bewildered as she took in the unfolding events. Her confusion deepened when she realized that all eyes were now on her.
Although, due to certain unique circumstances, she was a devout believer in the Star Goddess, this did not mean she could remain calm and composed in the presence of beings that could easily threaten her life.
Yet, just as she expected herself to be gripped by panic in the face of such a creature, she was surprised to find no trace of fear rising within her heart.
She attributed this newfound courage to the goddess's blessing. However, her rational mind still warned her that she was likely about to be crushed under the feet of this monstrous being.
At that moment, the woman noticed something astonishing: everything around her appeared to be shrinking. No, it wasn't that the surroundings were shrinking; it was her body that was growing larger, her perspective rising higher and higher.
In a very short time, her body had grown to be on par with the enormous native species standing before her. Her transformation halted at this point, and though she didn't continue growing, she was already towering like a giant.
Even at this size, the woman felt her body coursing with a surge of tremendous power. Simultaneously, the light enveloping her solidified, transforming into an elegant suit of purple armor inlaid with golden accents.
"Roar!" The lord-level native species let out a furious roar upon seeing the suddenly appeared female giant before it. Its eyes were filled with wariness because it could sense the overwhelming power radiating from this giant—a power strong enough to pose a serious threat to its life.
The woman, seeing the creature preparing to attack her, became deeply anxious. Although she felt immense power coursing through her body, she had no idea how to use it.
Just then, a surge of combat knowledge suddenly flooded her mind, as though it had been poured in by divine intervention.
At the same time, the monstrous creature charged at her. Finding herself with no room to retreat, she gritted her teeth and began to fight. As the battle unfolded, the woman was surprised to find that fighting wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. In fact, it seemed fairly straightforward.
Boom!
Transformed into a Valkyrie, the woman punched the massive native species that had been maliciously transported into the city. Her god-powered body unleashed a colossal force, sending the creature flying and crashing to the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.
The scene was witnessed by the surrounding defense troops. From their perspective, they had seen a glowing figure suddenly emerge from a building, transforming into the heroic female giant now before them—a being straight out of legend.
"Look at the emblem on her armor! She's an apostle of the Star Goddess. She must be a Valkyrie sent by the goddess to aid us!"
Despite the briefness of the battle, sharp-eyed soldiers quickly noticed a subtle emblem on the female giant's armor, seamlessly integrated into its ornate design. It was almost imperceptible unless closely observed.
"It really seems to be her!"
Soon, more and more soldiers in star-patterned armor recognized the emblem on the giant woman's armor as matching the symbol of the Star Goddess. Without hesitation, they began assisting the giant in attacking the lord-level native species.
"Heh, what a perfect opportunity to showcase a divine miracle. After this battle, my faith in this city should increase by several percentage points."
From her vantage point, the Golden Dragon Lady observed the events in the city with a pleased smile.
Over time, she had come to appreciate the convenience of being a deity. While gods lacked the freedom of mortals, they possessed unimaginable powers within their domains, especially in areas where their faith was strong.
For instance, in this city, she could effortlessly select a devout believer and transfer a portion of her divine power into them at the cost of some of her own. She could even remotely guide them in combat.
After this battle, she was certain her faith base in this city would grow significantly. Low investment, high return.
...
"It seems they've all been doing well. Not that they need my attention; I should just focus on my own affairs," Muria muttered after reviewing intelligence reports gathered through family channels about the Golden Dragon Lady and his father. Having roughly deduced their current situations, he set aside the report and stretched lazily.
For their family, all they needed to do now was wait. Time was on their side. The longer they waited, the stronger they would become. When they reached a certain peak, the combined power of the three of them would be enough to reshape the world.
...
Twenty Years Later
Now matured in appearance, Muria, in his reincarnated form, was handling daily political affairs. Over the years, he had successfully silenced all opposing voices within the family. Sixty percent of the family members were now entirely obedient to him.
This dominance extended beyond the family. Muria had thoroughly suppressed the other three major families in the federation, gaining the highest level of influence. The federal government itself had been effectively reduced to a puppet; Muria could collapse it at will.
Under his leadership, the Douglas family had reached unprecedented heights, achieving what no previous patriarch had managed. The alliance had effectively become a one-man show dominated by the Douglas family.
While Muria was quietly dealing with family matters, the statue of a goddess, only about 30 centimeters tall and exquisitely carved, on his desk suddenly burst into radiant light. As the light dissipated, an elegant, sophisticated blonde woman appeared, casually sitting on his desk and looking down at him.
"Muria, it's time to move to the next phase!"
This was the Golden Dragon Lady, who, having successfully usurped the faith of an unconscious deity, now fully controlled the religious sphere.
"And what do you plan for the next step?" Muria raised his head to look at the Golden Dragon Lady's avatar, formed from the statue on his desk, and asked calmly.
Over the years, as her influence expanded, the Golden Dragon Lady had acquired more divine authority, and her followers had grown exponentially.
The god previously controlled by the Starry Church was merely an unconscious deity, comparable to a vegetative patient—alive but only capable of instinctive reactions to external stimuli. Such a god stood no chance against a savvy being like the Golden Dragon Lady in a contest of faith.
As a result, no matter how much the church's leadership struggled, they had been steadily losing ground to her. Now, they were barely hanging on.
Moreover, her faith had transcended the confines of the church, spreading to nearby small nations and even into empires and federations.
In the Shining Silver Empire, due to its centralized authoritarian system, the Star Goddess's faith had expanded slowly under government suppression.
However, within the federation, thanks to Muria, her faith had grown at an astonishing rate, to the point where she could project her avatar anywhere within the federation.
This allowed her to appear before Muria at will for discussions, though it was somewhat more cumbersome to communicate with his father.
"What's the next step? Do you even need to ask? It's time to consolidate humanity's forces! Besides the Shining Silver Empire, the Starry Church, and the Purple Thorn Federation, there are forty-five smaller nations. Don't you think that's far too many?"
"So the next step is to dismantle these minor regimes?" Muria nodded. Her thoughts aligned with his own, as he also had plans for the peaceful unification of these smaller nations.
"That's only half the step. After that, we need to integrate humanity's three major powers. Only when they're united as one can we maximize their strength against external threats."
"Overthrowing the smaller regimes and achieving peaceful transitions is simple. But uniting the three dominant powers into one entity will be far more challenging," Muria said, frowning. While his Douglas family dominated the federation, they had not yet reached the point of absolute control.
"That's your and your father's problem. It's no issue for me. The Starry Church can be unified anytime."
"Your situation is different. You rule a nation of faith. As the object of everyone's devotion, your command is absolute. But here, we have a loose federation, and my father governs a feudal monarchy, which is even more complex."
"Yours is relatively straightforward. It's Ansel who's the problem. His military legions have already become the empire's most powerful force. Overthrowing the emperor wouldn't be difficult," the Golden Dragon Lady said, unimpressed with her husband's progress.
"It's a bit much to ask my father to take such actions," Muria said with a chuckle.
"Why is it too much? Do you think he's incapable? He just doesn't want to bother. He's waiting for me to handle it for him."
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