Ashley was stunned.
"I'm the goddess of monsters? In short, I'm the Demon God?"
Instead of the golden glow she always imitated, she was now glowing with a light blue aura. She tried her goddess check it worked perfectly. Nothing was different, except one thing: she was now drawing her divine power from the very monsters she had once come to kill.
"David why did you do this?" she asked, her voice shaken.
David stepped forward, calm and firm.
Goddess, he said, "I am the Demon King. I'm not someone who relies on believers. But more importantly if you die, disappear, or fall into darkness I'll die too."
Ashley's breath caught. The connection between them wasn't just emotional. It was existential.
She looked around. Beatrice might have objected, but the dragon was silent now. Across the vast hall, the demons were still kneeling grotesque creatures, eyes full of expectation.
"They're waiting for your command," David said. "Whatever you say they will follow."
Ashley turned and took a better look. What she saw nearly broke her: twisted faces, rotting skin, monstrous eyes the most painful things to look at. And yet, all of them were filled with hope.
"I" she hesitated. "I will give you names if you believe in me."
The room exploded with celebration. Demons began roaring with joy, hugging, trembling. Some were dreaming of what kind of name they'd receive. Some even imagined they might become beautiful or human again.
And just like that the goddess secured her chance to survive.
She would not disappear. She was now sustained by faith monstrous, unholy faith but faith nonetheless.
Back to Alex.
It had been two full days since Beatrice had started examining him in her chambers. And honestly, he looked drained. Like the examination had been far more intense than anyone expected.
(Well, don't overthink it.)
He had tried to run away mid-examination. But trying to escape from a dragon? That ended just as badly as expected. The result: he was exhausted.
Now that she was finally done with her inspections, Beatrice handed him a special sword vest a divine-grade piece of armor, perfectly fitted for him.
Then she said:
"Your soul it's close to that of a demi-god. Even though your body is made of human flesh. Given time, Alex you could become a god."
Alex stood frozen.
"You've been to several worlds," she continued. "And that has shaped your soul forged it into something stronger than most mortals can imagine. You can absorb divinity and rise."
Then her tone shifted.
"But don't get hyped. You can't become a god overnight."
Alex nodded, shaking off the shock. "I've packed everything. Supplies, gear I loaded everything into the storage ring."
Beatrice smiled. "Good."
Let's go back