CHAPTER FOUR: I Have Doomed Us All

Earlier…

Diane's divine valley.

The Celestial Plane.

Ethania.

…

Light winds caressed a sacred land, playing a tranquil, calming note as they blew over the peaceful valley. Crimson clouds drifted lazily in the gentle breeze―carefree and unrestrained―as golden shafts of starlight peeked out from behind them, illuminating the realm in a divine glow.

In the gentle light, one could see the incredible sight of towering hills rising all around. Several miles of primal forest stretched out across the valley's bottom as a crystalline river gently slithered through its bosom. At the crest of the hills surrounding the valley, thick fog swirled and billowed. There, two figures stood, divine auras radiating from their celestial forms.

The first was a gloomy human beauty with silvery eyes and a head of midnight-black hair. She wore an inky black shawl over a similarly coloured dress with a collar of raven feathers hiding her delicate clavicle from view.

The second woman appeared to be of an exotic non-human variety with her seemingly elvish ears and a crown of deer antlers growing out from her forehead. Her hair was a cascading pristine white waterfall with gold undertones that fell to her hips. Underneath a short black cape, a snow-white nightgown hung from her shoulders down to just above her knees.

"I have done as you instructed me, sister," a third figure said as she manifested out of thin air. The newcomer―despite wearing a homely white dress more befitting of a commoner's daughter―radiated a divine aura almost as potent as the first two before her. Her overly expressive eyes and supple cheeks adorned with dimples only served to reinforce the delicate image that her petite form presented.

Despite this, though, the non-human goddess standing furthest from her watched the newcomer with a measured amount of caution and distrust. Her phoenix-like eyes glared warily as divine energy coiled threateningly in her core.

"Calm down, Diane," the raven-haired woman said as she turned her regal gaze towards the distrustful goddess. The one referred to as Diane simply scoffed in response.

"Calm down?" Diane asked derisively. "You barge into my home without permission and you expect me to calm down? I never thought 'Queen goddess' Vera to be one as unreasonable as she is heartless."

"Watch your mouth, slut," the petite goddess growled as she glared at Diane.

"Artemia," Vera called mildly.

"...Sorry, sister."

As the petite goddess slinked behind her shadow, Vera turned her attention back to Diane. "I am sorry for dropping in unannounced," she apologised, "but I need your assistance, Diane. It is urgent."

Diane raised a surprised brow at Vera's words. "And what does the venerable 'Queen goddess' need my humble self for?"

Vera directly ignored the provocation as she replied. "A Prophecy has surfaced."

Diane frowned. Confused, she turned her gaze to Artemia. The petite goddess's' face was marred by a gloomy frown. She appeared very upset.

"You received another revelation?" Diane asked, turning back to Vera.

"Yes," Vera nodded grimly as she raised her right hand. "Here."

A faint mist rose up from Vera's open palm, forming strange words that floated in thin air.

"Upon the eleventh hour," Vera recited, reading the jumbled runes floating before her, "an ancient evil at last awakens from his eternal slumber.

The first infernal grows stronger.

His demon armies shall march; in their wake, great chaos and slaughter.

An unfettered soul shall arise.

Ethania's last hope. The harbinger of chaos, perversion, and demise."

A solemn silence descended.

"...You jest, Vera," Diane said at last. Her aura flickered nervously.

"Do you truly believe anyone―even I, the venerable 'Queen goddess'―would dare pervert the essence of a prophecy bestowed by Ethania herself?" Vera replied with a raised brow.

Diane paled visibly. "The first infernal? Konrad himself sealed firmly Diablo in the underworld. How is it possible he would awaken now?"

"Konrad," Vera sighed gloomily. "It seemed he played us."

"...What do you mean?"

"He didn't fully seal Diablo," Vera replied. "Immediately after receiving the prophecy, I visited the underworld to discover the seal was weakening. There was a gap in the sealing array that would allow one to syphon divine essence from whatever was contained inside. I want to assume Konrad must have had some plans of wanting to extract Diablo's divinity for himself."

"He wanted to steal another's divinity?" Diane replied, appearing mildly shocked for a moment before shaking her head fondly. "I shouldn't be surprised though. It is Konrad after all. But still, the guts of that man."

Vera sighed as she saw a faint blush surface on Diane's face.

"Focus, Diane," Vera chided.

The goddess concerned just scoffed in response. "So what if you idiots were cheated by him? So what if the gap is weakening the seal? What does that have to do with me? Shouldn't you just fix it? You are the goddess of Magic after all, right?"

Vera sighed again. "It is not as simple as you make it seem. If it were a seal of magical nature, I am sure I could mend it myself. But it is not. The seal is a curse. An affliction. The best I can do is slow it down, but I might never be able to find a solution before Diablo fully awakens from the curse Konrad placed upon him."

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with me…" Diane replied, crossing her arms over her supple bosom.

"...I plan on summoning an Otherworlder," Vera said.

"..."

Diane froze in shock. Her startled gaze shot towards Artemia, who had not spoken since. The petite goddess' gaze remained gloomy, but not a hint of shock was present on her face.

"B-but Tyrone forbade the summoning of Otherworlders."

"I know," Vera replied. "That is why he mustn't hear of this."

"But why―"

"The prophecy mentions an unfettered soul," Vera replied, cutting Diane off. "The only unfettered souls I know of are Otherworlders."

"...Like Konrad," Diane added, scornfully, "whom you lot betrayed.'

Silence.

"...I still don't see how this concerns me." Diane continued coldly, backing off from the duo before shooting off into the valley below.

"I need the fragment of Konrad's divinity in your possession!" Vera shouted towards Diane. "I plan on latching the Otherworlder's fate to what remains of him. What we need now is a successor to his powers. Only with it could we possibly stand a chance at repairing the seal before Diablo awakens."

The fleeing Diane froze before rigidly turning around to face Vera.

"...How can you be sure Konrad left a legacy behind?" she asked hesitantly.

"It is Konrad we are talking about," Vera scoffed. "That bastard probably has more than one legacy hidden behind."

"...How am I sure you are not just trying to find a way of wiping clean what remains of him?" Diane asked again, suspicious.

"Do you think I intend on wasting valuable time on an endeavour that is most definitely likely to prove pointless?" Vera asked in return.

"..."

"...C-can you truly recreate Konrad's powers?" Diane asked shakily. The goddess appeared hesitant.

Vera frowned at the reaction before muttering somewhat confusedly. "It is possible."

"Then I am in!" Diane replied enthusiastically as she reappeared before Vera and Artemia. The other goddesses shared a confused glance.

"O…k?" Vera said as she took a step forward. "But we don't have much time. Tyrone won't be distracted for long and he is already suspicious of me―"

"Just get on with it then. You talk too much."

Vera frowned for a split second before immediately ignoring the eccentric woman. She reached out both of her hands, murmuring esoteric words as her divine power began revolving. Magical arrays sprang into existence, twirling in mid-air.

A screen appeared before Vera's eyes.

[You have used divine power]

[Divinity check… Check passed]

[You have casted a divine level summoning spell]

[Intelligence check… Check passed | Perception check… Check passed]

[Summon induced]

[You have simultaneously torn the fabrics of Space, Time and Matter]

[You have gained the title - Transcendent Summoner]

[You have suffered a backlash from the use of Forbidden Magic]

[You have been inflicted by the Curse of Chaos | Your Health will drop by 50%]

[You have partially resisted status]

[Your Health will drop by 20% | Status effect induced]

Vera gasped slightly as she felt her blood flow in reverse due to the effects of the backlash. She almost spat out blood, but managed to suppress the urge. The air grew turbulent. A great cyclone formed around the three goddesses as Vera's immense mana reserves were drained by the spell.

Without receiving a prompt from Vera, Diane and Artemia shared a glance before also raising their hands to channel their powers into the summoning array.

Multiple prompts surfaced in Vera's vision.

[An external source requests to infuse your spell | Do you permit- Y/N]

[An external source requests to infuse your spell | Do you permit- Y/N]

[You have agreed to spell infusion | You have received divine power from the Goddess of the Hearth and Sustenance - Artemia]

[You have agreed to spell infusion | You have received divine power from the Goddess of the Love and Nature - Diane]

[Your spell's power has grown by 90% per cent | Your spell efficiency has dropped by 1%]

[Your spell's power has grown by 70% per cent | Your spell efficiency has dropped by 2%]

[Summoning initiated…]

[...]

[Summon success]

[You have summoned Clyde Kim Seong-ho | Your summon is an Otherworlder]

[Your control over your summon has dropped to 50%]

A small orb of light began to materialise within the magical array. Underneath the weighty gazes of the three goddesses, the newly emerging soul pulsed and flickered erratically as if attempting to escape its binds. As the soul struggled within the array, Vera opened another spatial rift from which she pulled out a young, handsome-looking man dressed in armour. The unfortunate fellow's eyes darted around in fear, but his body was completely still, as if frozen.

[Do you want to bind your summon to the vessel- Y/N]

Realising Vera's intentions, Diane scoffed derisively. "You should know unfettered souls can't be forcibly bound to a host? Right, 'Queen goddess'?"

"There is no harm in trying," Vera replied without looking away from the bound soul in the array.

[You have attempted to bind your summon to a host]

[...]

[You have failed to bind your summon to a host | Your control over your summon has dropped to 20%]

Vera frowned as she watched the soul thrash against the restraint of the summoning array. She sighed before turning her attention to Diane. "The Fragment?"

Diane stared at Vera for a moment before replying as she opened another spatial rift to pull out what appeared to be a drop of blood.

"If by some chance I find out you just lied to me―"

"Save your breath, Diane. I have no interest in antagonising you for such minor gains."

Vera watched as Diane threw the drop of blood into the array. Then her pupils shrunk abruptly in shock.

[A fragment of divine essence has been infused into your summon | Your summon's fate has been tied to the God of Nemesis, Affliction and Perversion - Konrad (Deceased)(Dispersed)]

[A fragment of divine essence has been infused into your summon | Your summon's fate has been tied to the Goddess of Love and Nature - Diane]

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Vera screamed in outrage.

"Sorry, 'Queen goddess'," Diane replied, unrepentant, "but after how the lot of you unhesitantly backstabbed Konrad despite the fact that he saved your pitiful arses, I can't seem to find it in me to trust you."

Vera and Artemia gritted their teeth hatefully as they stared at the other goddess. Vera's mind spun as she thought of numerous ways of resolving the pitfall that had suddenly appeared before her. Then she sighed.

[You have infused your summon with a fragment of divine essence | Your summon's fate has been tied to the Goddess of Magic, Wisdom and Divination - Vera]

"You too, Artemia," Vera said as she glared at Diane. The petite goddess simply nodded before raising an index finger and allowing a drop of blood to coalesce on the digit. Artemia glared at Diane one last time before tossing the drop into the array.

[A fragment of divine essence has been infused into your summon | Your summon's fate has been tied to the Goddess of the Hearth and Sustenance - Artemia]

[Your summon is evolving…]

[...]

[Your summon has evolved]

[Your control over your summon has dropped to 0% | Your summon has escaped]

Vera sighed again as she watched the summoning array explode before the summoned soul darted away. Artemia attempted to pursue, but Vera held her back as she shook her head. Even gods would struggle to chase down a soul bent on fleeing.

"Oh, did I ruin your plans, 'Queen Goddess'," Diane cooed mockingly. Vera ignored her as she turned to leave. For some reason, the queen goddess's gaze had turned hollow.

"You don't know what you have done, Diane," Vera muttered. Her voice shook with a hint of fearful intent.

"Huh?" Diane was confused by Vera's sudden change in demeanour. Even Artemia looked startled. But just as she was about to probe into the meaning of Vera's words, another presence descended into the realm.

"You finally discovered it?" Vera asked the newcomer without even glancing at him. Tyrone stared at her for a moment before speaking. His pristine white hair and robes billowed as he floated in the sky.

"Why didn't you tell me about Diablo's weakening seal earlier?" he asked. His voice was dangerously low.

"I figured you would discover it on your own," Vera replied as she rose past him. "I was working on finding a solution."

"Was?" the god asked, puzzled before looking around. "What happened here?"

"...I summoned an Otherworlder."

Diane and Artemia stared at Vera in shock. Tyrone's face froze for a split second before his divine power suddenly flared out. A second later, scars suddenly manifested in the fabric of space. All over Ethania great rends appeared in the lands, skies and seas.

[You have suffered 2579 effective damage | You have resisted]

Vera raised a hand to her neck to touch warm blood. "It has been a while since I last saw my own blood, Tyrone," she said as she lifelessly gazed at her bloody fingers.

"Where is it?" Tyrone growled, ignoring her.

"He escaped. To the mortal plane."

Vera sighed again as she watched the enraged god disappear.

"...Why, sister? Why did you tell him?" Artemia asked as she gently approached Vera.

"I will be returning to the underworld to continue reinforcing the seal on Diablo's prison," Vera replied, as she dismissed Artemia's question. With another sigh, she opened a teleportation portal and walked through. Then she found herself in a study littered with vials, magical herbs and spell books.

Shakily grabbing onto the nearest piece of furniture, Vera opened her palm and watched with disbelieving eyes as mist gathered to form jumbled words.

"Upon the eleventh hour,

An ancient evil at last awakens from his eternal slumber.

The first infernal grows stronger,

His demon armies shall march, in their wake, great chaos and slaughter.

An unfettered soul shall arise.

Ethania's last hope. The harbinger of chaos, perversion and demise…"

But the prophecy didn't end there. Vera continued, reading a portion of the prophecy that should never have existed.

"...His name, Usurper. Bane of all.

Perisher of gods, demons and men. By his hands, the pantheon shall fall.

And through destruction, the old world is born anew."

Vera fell to her knees. There was no hint of regality in her gaze.

Only fear and regret remained. She muttered…

"I have doomed us all."