1 3. You need to give up your godhood
The goddess of War did not speak anything since she was trying to digest what the Jade Emperor had just told her.
She too knew that the rules of heaven that could be bent for no one and defying the laws resulted in heavenly retribution.
She was ready to defy the law and go against heavens, accept the retribution just to descend to mortal realm.
But what the Jade Emperor told her was simply too good.
There was a high chance for her soul perishing under the judgments of heaven but she was willing to take a risk. So, if she could do it a safer way she was more than happy to accept it.
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The jade emperor too did not speak anything all the while looking calmly at the goddess who was still kneeling on the ground.
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No one spoke anything and the silence continued for who knows how long.
The first one to break the silence was the goddess of War.
"Then as long as I repay with something as precious and important as going to mortal world, I can go see him??"
She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes filled with new hope.
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"Yes, As long as there is equivalent exchange, the rules can be tweaked a bit."
The Jade Emperor nodded his head calmly.
"The balance is all that matters."
The goddess of war needed nothing more than this.
" I am ready to give up anything, So please My Emperor let me go to the mortal realm."
With her head touching the floor she bowed down before him by disregarding all of her dignity and pride as a goddess.
She was just too desperate and anxious and her pride meant nothing to her at the moment.
The Jade Emperor had expected this but he was hoping things would not come to this because the sacrifices that had to be made were simply too large and painful.
"Goddess of War, Please raise your head." The Jade Emperor cleared his throat slightly.
"I will be blunt and say this directly." The Jade Emperor hoped she could change her mind after hearing him out.
"In order for you to descend to mortal realm yo will have to give up your Godhood."
He started at her eyes hoing to see even a little sign of fluctuation in them but no.
They were even more determined.
"If its just godhood, I don't mind." The goddess of War spoke firmly.
"Think wisely before you answer Goddess." Raising his eye brow the Jade Emperor walked around the kneeling goddess.
"It will mean losing all of your powers. You will be striped off your divinity. You will become a puny human whose life span is nothing more than a few decades."
"Do you think its worth it??" He halted abruptly on his step and turned around to look at her who was still kneeling but now her head was held up high, her back straight and proud.
"A few years with him, Is that all you want?" He asked sternly, his words sharp enough to cut the still air.
Letting out a soft chuckle, The goddess of War wiped the wetness in the corner of her eyes.
"My powers, my divinity it doesn't even compare to my love for him."
Standing up with the help of her sword, she looked at the jade emperor with a new born fire in her eyes.
" Even if it was for a measly hour or a few seconds, I would still choose to give up everything."
"A few decades is more than what I could ask for." Smiling slightly she answered the Jade Emperor whose expression clearly told he was not happy with her decision.
But for the first time in two hundred years the goddess showed her smile although it was momentary.
"Hahhh..."
Letting out a long and tired sigh, The Jade Emperor walked towards the tree of life.
"Since you are so adamant on chasing after him, I hope you are ready to pay the price for this."
With a swift movement of his hands a golden pot came flying towards his hand that contained the a golden honey like liquid.
"This..." Extending his hand he held out the pot right infront of her.
"This is the elixir of life, the only thing that can provide humanity."
"But it is elixir only for humans." He explained calmly. "For gods and deities like me and you, this same elixir is equivalent to poison."
The goddess of War looked at him, her dark brown eyes moving back and forth to his face and the pot he was holding.
The aura around the Jade Emperor suddnely changed. It got dense and heavy, making even the goddess of War feel like she was under excruciating pressure.
"Goddess Of War, I ask again." There was no more calmness in his voice that spoke to her
There was only absoluteness and commanding power that could make anyone kneel in fear, awe and worship.
It was no wonder he was the emperor of the heaven.
"Are you willing to give up your divinity and cultivation??"
"Yes. I do."
With her palm clenched into a fist she kept them on her chest as she bowed down in respect, her stance and voice proud and determined respectively.
"Then as of today, The Goddess of War will cease to exist."
The pot flew towards The goddess of War who eagerly took and drank down the honey liquid in one single gulp.
As soon as the liquid reached her stomach, a burning sensation filled up her whole body starting from where her dantian was located, which got more painful until she could endure it no more.
Looking at the goddess's painful expression The Jade Emperor revealed the truth as to why the elixir was poison for gods and deities .
"That pain you are feeling...That is because your golden core is being crushed and melted, replacing it with a normal human core."
"Child, this was your decision so make sure you look at it through end."
"Ye-yes...." Gritting her teeth she blocked out her painful groans.
Beads of sweat formed on her face as she fought against the pain with sheet willpower alone.
"You have forsaken the heaven and your followers...The heavens is angry at you....Be prepared to face the wrath of heaven, My child." A sad expression appeared in his apathetic face.
She could not hear the Jade Emperor properly because her senses were numbing and she could feel herself falling into darkness.
With her vision completely darkened, she fell in to a deep slumber. The last thing she heard was,
'May the red thread of fate guide you.'
'You are still soft, old man.' A smile replaced the pain on her face.
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The heavens were filled with a loud thundering sound accompanied by purplish and red lightning.
"What's happening??" The courtiers of the heavenly palace looked at the restless black sky which was clearly blue just a few moments ago.
"This is an ominous sign...." One of them stuttered.
"Either someone ascended to godhood or..." The Dragon Lord was interrupted in middle of his sentence by the Goddess of Fire.
"Or someone descended from the godhood."
The whole hall was filled with gasps and murmur as each god brought out their own hypothesis.
Meanwhile, in the garden of the eternal blossom...
The god of matchmaking and love who was sitting under a cherry tree gazed at the dark sky, an ominous feeling entering his heart.
Yue Lao, The god of matchmaking looked at the red string of destiny that was trying to escape from his hand with a solemn expression.
"Whoever is descending on the mortal realm, I only see troubles and tragedy in your life."
Catching a falling petal from the cherry tree he looked in daze at the falling star from the heavenly imperial palace.
"Seems like heaven truly angry at you."
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[The sea of consciousness of the War Goddess]
It was all black and the goddess of war felt herself sinking into the darkness.
"Goddess...Goddess..." A tiny voice echoed inside her head.
That voice felt familiar.
"Ru-Ru??" She gasped and forced herself to come out of the darkness, struggling to open her tightly shut eyes.
"Ru-Ru, is that you?" She called the voice.
A small fluffy winged creature appeared before her. It was her familiar, the only one she loved more than herself after the god of destruction.
"Goddess!!!" With its tiny paws and hands, the creature hugged her almost choking her neck in excitement.
Before the goddess could say anything, Ru-Ru spoke.
"Goddess I don't have much time left." It spoke showing its paws which were fading.
"W-Why...h-how? What's happening Ru-Ru??" The goddess asked horrified. She tried catching the fading paw but her hands just passed through it.
"I am a being created from your divine power, but since you don't have it anymore...I will cease to exist as well." Showing a cute smile the fluff ball looked at the goddess whose eyes were starting to fill with tears.
"Don't tell me this was the sacrifice the Jade Emperor was telling about.."
"Goddess, calm down...and don't cry" Ru-Ru looked at the guilty face of the goddess of war trying to wipe the tears with its paws.
"I came to say thank you before I go and wish you luck." Ru-Ru had become a transparent hologram at this point.
"I pray you will meet him soo....." The tiny voice faded in the vast space.
"Ru-Ru??!!" She yelled the empty space while she tried to gather the light particles that was disintegrating from the place Ru-Ru had been.
With a sharp pain that seemed to be cutting her body into half, the war goddess lost the last drop of her divine power and completely lost her consciousness.
