Ever since Liu Che first gazed upon the Lunar Plane, he had thrown himself into researching how to strengthen divinity and amplify the combat strength of his followers.
The matter with Cuizi was just the beginning.
In the future, across other worlds, there would be more souls like hers—powerful, fated existences ripe for harvesting. As long as one of his group members invoked Eternal Meditation, those souls would be pulled straight into the Eternal God Realm.
Liu Che didn't even need to personally intervene. That was the beauty of it. His subordinates were already gods themselves. When idle, they could simply watch for the tremors of worlds below and claim what they found.
Inside the resplendent Eternal Palace, Dongfang Huaizhu lay against Liu Che's chest, her delicate face tinged crimson. Her breath came slowly, still recovering from the intimacy that had left her trembling.
After a long silence, she whispered softly, "My Lord God… is it true that a goddess who reaches Eight-Star rank can descend to the lower realm?"
Liu Che chuckled faintly. "What? Do you miss your family?"
Her eyes lowered, ashamed. "…My father is old. I worry for him."
"You needn't. Once someone joins the Eternal Pantheon, lifespan is no longer a concern. As for your Shenhuo family—they now lead the Dao Alliance. You've nothing to fear."
"Thank you for your blessing, my Lord. Huaizhu will serve you faithfully."
For a goddess, serving her god was both a sacred duty and the highest grace. Unless one earned the personal favor of the divine, most goddesses did little beyond their cultivation, prayers, and ritual visits to the temple.
To be called to His side was rare. To share His bed, rarer still.
Only yesterday, Huaizhu had been locked in brutal combat with spirit beasts. Yet upon returning to the Eternal Temple, the divine summoning card had flared with light. Her joy was overwhelming. After bathing in incense and perfumed water, she had answered His call—serving Him through the night.
Now, as dawn painted the skies, she was still nestled against Him, basking in the grace no prayer could earn.
When Liu Che finally murmured, "I'm developing a spell. Soon, you'll be able to lower your consciousness and observe the mortal world," Huaizhu trembled and began to weep in joy.
A single promise from God had reduced her to tears.
Elsewhere, in the Eternal Realm
By the clear waters of a divine pool, Shirahoshi sat alone, her enormous frame curled in on itself. The Sea Princess's delicate face was clouded with misery.
Yesterday, she had watched another goddess called to His chambers. Again.
Why not her?
Why had the Eternal God never summoned her?
Was she… unworthy?
Every day, Shirahoshi rose earlier than the rest. Every task assigned to her, she performed perfectly. Each time God appeared, she made sure to present her most beautiful, radiant self.
And yet, she was always overlooked.
The other goddesses never said it aloud, but their disdain was obvious. Once, they had greeted her warmly when she returned to the temple. Now, most barely looked at her. Only a few, like Boa Hancock, still spoke to her with kindness.
In the Eternal Shrine, as in all places of power, rivalry thrived. The difference here was that the struggle had no blades or blood—only silent contempt.
"Why do you look so sad, sister?"
A voice floated down like the song of an immortal.
Shirahoshi looked up to see a beautiful woman descending gracefully from the skies, her presence exuding pride and strength.
Shirahoshi frowned. Another strong-willed, haughty goddess. She didn't like the type. Her first instinct was to turn away with a cold snort.
But then she hesitated. Friends were scarce. Loneliness gnawed at her. With a soft sigh, she admitted, "Because I am too beautiful for God's eyes… I am never called to His side. I cannot even serve Him in bed."
"Oh? I don't believe that," the woman replied gently. Her name was Yao Yao.
Shirahoshi laughed bitterly. "Don't comfort me. If God liked me, why has He never summoned me?"
Yao Yao's smile deepened. "Perhaps because He cares for you more than you realize."
Shirahoshi blinked. "What… do you mean?"
"Think. Among the god-level beings, there are two who stand above all. One of them, Lady Nuwa herself—Lin Qing'er—has never once served God in such a way. Do you know why?"
"I… I don't," Shirahoshi admitted.
"This is His care for you," Yao Yao explained softly.
Shirahoshi's heart trembled.
She had never considered it that way.
Of course, the other goddesses misunderstood. To them, she seemed unloved, ignored—like Gabriel, left adrift in silence. Over time, they had distanced themselves.
But the truth was different. To Liu Che, Shirahoshi's innocence was too precious to stain.
And so He had protected her by never calling her.
It had only made her suffer in silence.
Yao Yao studied her sympathetically. Such a childlike girl—it was no wonder she struggled here. "Do you want to know what kind of woman God truly favors?"
"Yes!" Shirahoshi's voice cracked. She clutched Yao Yao's dress like a drowning soul clinging to driftwood.
"Then take this. All the answers you seek are inside."
Yao Yao handed her a slim book.
Its title read: One Thousand and One Ways to Win a Man's Heart.
Shirahoshi's mouth fell open.
The book was infamous across the Eternal Realm. It had been penned by the Sacred Tree of Affliction, who had gathered countless observations of mortal love and turned them into instruction. Intended to educate naive beings on romance, it had instead exploded in popularity.
Now nearly every goddess possessed her own copy—even the exalted Four Goddesses, Hina, Rixiang, and the rest, were said to have them!
If Liu Che ever discovered that His sacred tree had been teaching His goddesses "seduction manuals," He would chop it to kindling.
The Nasuverse – Fuyuki
Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka had uncovered the sinister nature of Yanfeng Kirei. With her suspicion confirmed, she began her preparations in earnest.
First, she turned her household maids into unwavering believers.
Every day she traveled to various leyline points, subtly altering their flows. The Holy Grail still collected mana, but now her own altar-patterns ran beneath it, redirecting and strengthening her personal hold.
Half a month of labor. Nearly all the precious gems of the Tohsaka family consumed.
At last, the altar was complete.
"What should we do next, Lady Rin?" a maid asked, kneeling with her sisters.
Rin's expression was calm, cold. "We go to the Matou family. It's time to bring my sister home."
"Yes!"
A convoy of hundreds departed. The stir it caused in the Mage's Association was immediate.
Even Yanfeng Kirei called to ask if something serious had happened.
Rin only smiled sweetly. "It's nothing, Uncle Kirei. I simply miss my sister and wish to bring her back for a while."
"That's good," Kirei replied smoothly. "The Matou's insect magecraft rivals even your Tohsaka gems. There's no need for conflict, especially with the Holy Grail War so near. It would be disastrous if both families weakened each other."
He thought to restrain her with talk of family honor.
But Rin had already bent her family to her will.
The disobedient elders? Crippled and cast into her dungeon.
She was not as ruthless as Solanum Nightshade, but her own style had formed—gracious to allies, merciless to enemies.
Half an hour later, the Tohsaka convoy arrived at the Matou estate.
Matou Zouken shuffled out, leaning on his staff, his withered face twisted in perpetual disdain. His countless eyes and ears had already told him who approached.
"So, the little brat of the Tohsaka family comes to call," he sneered. "Best you return home, girl. Such matters are for elders to discuss."
He looked upon Rin as nothing more than an ignorant child. She was, after all, only sixteen.
Rin's hair shimmered in the sunlight as she tilted her head mockingly.
"Then perhaps, old man, you could stop staring at me with such disgusting eyes. It's terribly rude to look at a beautiful girl like that."
The silence was sharp, cutting.
Zouken's sneer deepened. "So you will not leave. You think you can challenge me with this rabble?"
The ground split. Engraving worms swarmed from beneath his robes, forming intricate magical circuits. A massive isolation barrier sealed off the estate.
"You're nothing but a bug yourself," Rin spat. "And like all bugs, you deserve to be crushed. Attack!"
At her command, two hundred black-clad maids surged forward, moving with speed Zouken had never imagined.
His eyes widened. These were no ordinary mortals.
"Do you think this rabble can defeat me? Let me show you the true power of the Matou!"
But before he could finish, one maid closed the distance. Her iron fist slammed into his abdomen.
The frail body shattered—not flesh, but insects. Zouken's true form spilled across the ground in a writhing swarm.
He was no man anymore, only a soul bound to parasites, clinging to immortality.
Like Orochimaru from another world, his body was nothing but filth.
"Such fresh flesh," the swarm hissed with his voice. "I'll take it for myself!"
The insects swarmed a maid, burrowing into her flesh. Her scream echoed. Her stomach swelled grotesquely.
Rin did not flinch. Her voice was cold as steel.
"Use Eternal Meditation. Purge this garbage."
The maid's eyes cleared. Even as the insects writhed through her, she summoned the sacred technique.
A divine flame burst from her body, white-hot and merciless.
The swarm froze. Then, one by one, the insects died, their bodies incinerated.
A twisted, blackened wraith tore free, its expression contorted in terror.