Chapter 6

A solid dozen hulk looking mutated monstrous men that had arcing demonic black and red lightning... In response to the sight before me I twirled my spear in my hands as I combined the large X's that were spinning around to form a large, spiked ring that spun around behind me.

"Corrupted emissaries of evil, I feel naught but pity for you abominations. As the cult is truly incapable of fixing you." I said vindictively and a couple of the clearer minded abominations that honestly looked like taller more powerful Tanks from Left 4 Dead flinched as they realized their state of being.

"Repent in your next life." I said taking a step forward and I pulled on the blessing of Herakles as my light spear tore through the air as I pitched it at such a speed that the light spear was a blur to my own senses with the spear shooting through the leading Cult of Diabolos member cleanly punching a bowling ball sized hole in its massive chest.

Even as the leader took a knee as his chest rapidly began regenerating the hole I put into it, his allies all roared charging at me with their bone and chitin covered fists raised to smash me into paste.

Seeing the ten plus large monstrous men rushing me I activated my magic circuits surrounding myself in magical lightning as I hurriedly used my foot to scratch out the simple rune for fire that began glowing on the ground and I threw myself backwards as from the Rune knowing from my brief experiments that they were in no way safe or stable.

I was right to jump away as the simple Fire rune I engraved into the ground turned from the light blue of being mana filled to a molten red before erupting as it shot a massive pillar of flames into the air from the whatever seal in the rune breaking and releasing all its heavily condensed flames out of the Sowilo Rune.

For a moment as I saw several of the Cult members rear back screeching at the horrible burns that inhibited their regeneration I wondered if I should try to use the Rune's for Thor's strength, or his lightning. Or possibly even the fate Rune's from Odin but at the thought of doing that I felt Hecate thrashing in her cell letting me know that was stupid while Baldur sent a dire feeling to me that clearly said 'Don't do it if you value your life.'

I then cleared my mind of the gods within my soul's distractions as I jumped a dozen meters into the air as one of the cult members dashed through where I was standing previously and as he passed by I sent a thin string of dense powerful light around the monsters neck and rather than tying around it or something the light string just combined making a sort of lasso and as I landed back on the ground and he kept charging towards the church the line went taunt and with a wet shlicking noise the string using the monsters own body weight decapitated the cult member.

"Focus on me and not your side objective... I am more important." I spoke with a cold smiled as I stomped on the ground sending large spears of light everywhere impaling the other cult members as they couldn't block all the spears.

I frowned seeing as the monster I literally decapitated, actually still moving around with the necks stump writhing violently as it began to horrifically attempt to recreate its head. Which just showed the insane lifeforce that filled these monsters.

I took a deep breath and then placed my hands together as I formed a series of powerful walls around my form as I closed my eyes and pushed my consciousness down to Baldur's soul and I felt my soul fill with power as Baldur himself realized with the insane regeneration these monsters had as they cleanly pulled out the spears I previously threw into them, that I needed to kill them all in one large move.

"Let the light that separated the worlds be the herald to your final rest." I spoke as a ring of light sprang out from my form and completely encapsulated the surrounding area in front of the church. "Rhongomyniad." I whispered and the world seemingly went silent as harsh unforgiving golden light filled the massive ring, I created with myself, and all the monstrous cult members being swallowed within the golden pillar of light that shot into the very clouds.

The Rhongomyniad technique I created on the fly was a bit of a Naruto rip off combined with the actual Rhongomyniad used by Artoria in FGO as the pillar of light was instead of a tightly woven ropes of powerful mana drilling though something was instead a pillar of countless knives that shot straight upwards tearing through all in the radius, but I could only maintain the pillar for five seconds as it completely drained my energy.

As the golden light that could be seen even from the Capital of Midgar cut off and broke apart into motes of light that filled the nearby clouds with divine sparkles I staggered as the golden walls that surrounded me broke apart with the complete lack of energy I had.

"Dammit." I cursed as I realized I fucked up as I knew if there were more enemies, I would be completely screwed with how low on energy I was.

"Jake what's wrong is there more enemies?!" Beta asked as she peeked around the door of the church, and I grimaced as I looked around but didn't see anything.

Rather than unnecessarily worry her I smiled as I took in the surroundings while standing up straight. "No, it's fine now. Is our guest alright?" I asked as I turned around and entered back into the church.

Beta then put her hands on her chest as she exhaled in relief sending me a look of happiness at my victory over the Cult of Diabolus's sacrificial troops before she spoke. "That pillar of light was so beautiful Jake. It literally lit up the night sky and I bet the whole world saw that grand pillar of power!"

My face twitched as I realized with it being already being night, that people looking from a decent floor of a nicer building from the Capital would be able to see the massive pillar of golden light that stretched into the clouds. To say nothing of the people more locally that may have even heard the pillar of lights noise as it tore through the air.

"Welp, I wanted attention." I said with a wry smile before shrugging my shoulders. "And you didn't answer me Beta." I said poking Beta on her nose making her blink in surprise before she blushed.

"Ah! I am sorry Jake, but she seemed to be hiding under the dinner table and I couldn't get her out of there." Beta explained embarrassed at her failure to keep that Demon Possessed girl under control.

"It's fine. I still have power enough to fix her. So let me take care of her." I said patting Beta on the head to make sure she knew I wasn't mad at her or anything.

A minute later I entered the dining room and saw the table was slightly lopsided as the girls mutated upper body was slightly lifting up one of the corners of the table.

"Excuse me young lady. But I have successfully hunted and killed all of the bad people trying to capture you. Can you come out from under my dining room table so I can cure you?" I spoke as friendlily as I could, but I received no response, so I sighed as I looked over to Beta.

"Beta lift that edge of the table so I can help our guest out as she might have gotten stuck." I joked with Beta looking at me like a I was crazy, but I just winked at her.

As Beta lifted up the table, I was right as the girl lashed out at Beta with a misshapen hand but I caught it and firmly pulled her out before flipping her monstrous form onto her back so I could press my hand onto her pulsating flesh covered upper body and also pin her to the ground.

"Behave!" I said firmly and the girl froze before I continued. "Good... Now let me just fix you." I said softly some of my magic filled her form to do the usual of transmuting her corrupted mana within her to normal mana to turn her normal, as well as make her more powerful.

After a couple minutes of pulling out the corrupted mana the girl was engulfed into light as the mutated flesh broke apart into motes of light and I was left with a petite cat girl with my hand pinning her to floor, so I moved away as I spoke to Beta. "Beta, get her some clothes, I am going to watching the front of the church for when Alpha gets here." I said wryly as I realized after the third time, I should have come prepared and got the girl some clothes.

"Wait... What about my family?" The girl whispered tiredly as she tried to sit up but as she spoke, and I took her blonde hair and blue eyes, I realized that she must have been Zeta and that her family if canon was still being followed at all. Was already dead by those Cult members I just killed.

I sadly shook my head as I spoke. "I have heard nothing of any Golden Panther tribe in the area but one of our friends are scouting the area and maybe she will have heard something." I spoke before leaving the room.

-

I sat down in front of the church in my rocking chair just meditating and regathering my power until I heard some noise coming in the distance in my relaxed state, so my eyes snapped open looking around for more Cult members, but I only saw Alpha who was opening the gate to the church and looking at me with a deadpan expression.

"Did you find a lost caravan or something?" I asked as Alpha approached, and she raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Yes, and as soon as I saw tracks leading back here, I ran back here as quickly as could... Then imagine my surprise as the night sky is filled with a pillar of divine golden light." Alpha said wryly.

"Yes, the Cult of Diabolos members were a bit of an issue as I could only destroy them in one big move as their regeneration was ridiculous when each member took a whole bottle of pills." I explained tiredly as I laid my head back against the padded chair as Alpha walked over and began threading her hands through my hair making me look up at her with a questioning gaze.

"Relax this is just your reward." She said jokingly but then her smile slipped off as she spoke. "So, I assume there was another girl cursed with the Demon Possession and those Cult of Diabolos members were trailing her?" Alpha spoke out her thought process and I nodded.

"Got it in one... And I imagine their caravan was all killed?" I asked tiredly and she silently. nodded.

'Well, I got another orphan to feed now... Gods this is an actual orphanage instead of a church.' I thought wryly before I shivered as I realized my isekai adventures were going far off the damned script...

Why was it that when I save the girls and kill the evil cultists. I am practically adopting them into my faith like some kind of priest?

"Anyway, yeah I got the new girl fixed up and I guess if no one has come since I sent up that pillar of light, they will be coming in the morning or tomorrow most likely." I said taking Alpha's offered hand so I could stand up from my rocking chair.

"Hmm, well time to see if Beta has finished dinner and we can start talking to the new girl and let her know the fate of her family and companions." Alpha said as we went into the church.

-

A couple hundred miles away in the center of the Midgar kingdom within the royal palace was two people in royal finery staring out a large window towards the deep forests that separated their kingdom from the other nations of the world. One of the rooms occupants were an older middle-aged man with red hair but his face was slightly sunken in given him a tired look.

The other rooms occupant was a young adult woman with crimson long hair, matching crimson eyes and a toned curvaceous physique that couldn't be hidden in her military style outfit.

"Iris, I am giving you and your Crimson Order of knights the responsibility to investigate this new church and... The source of that golden pillar of light that is supposed to be in the same location of this new church." The King of Midgar ordered softly his daughter Princess Iris.

Iris's kept a bland face as she retorted. "And what am I to do with this new church and that disturbance should I find them?" She questioned but internally she could recite her father's answer by heart.

"Merely observe, if you can make a good first impression that's fine but I would prefer you to merely take their measure in terms of this Pantheon of Gaia that the commoners are whispering about... As for the ray of light, if it is a unearthed Artifact you are to retrieve it. But otherwise, if it's a natural event or has something to do with that church don't create a bad impression." He said dully and Iris closed her eyes as she tersely nodded inwardly cursing her father for being useless and not trying to curtail the interests of all the groups that have been pressing the kingdom.

"Actually..." The king spoke making Iris pause as hope filled her chest in hope that her father was going to send more than just the green spellknights she had recruited from the academy but as her father spoke that hope died but instead a wry hope filled it. "You and your sister haven't spoken for literally years at this point. Take her with you as she more social and will be able to communicate with the locals of the area around the church and hopefully you can patch things up with your sister." Her father finished and then waved her hands at her in a motion that clearly was a dismissal for her.

Iris silently bowed her head to her father's orders before spinning on her heel and walking out of her father's informal meeting room while clutching her sword at her side as she knew she was going to have to probably 'encourage' her sister Alexia to agree to come with her on this mission.

-

"So, I am afraid to tell you that the caravan that you were riding that had other Golden Panther tribe members were killed to the man, by the Cult of Diabolos members that I dealt with here." I said as I sat in front of the cat girl, I had not yet gotten a name out of her yet as she seemed to refuse to speak to Beta as she was seemingly waiting for me or something.

"I see... This is Cult is the reason my family is dead, and I was transformed and cursed as I did, right?" She spoke and then Alpha went onto explain about the Cult of Diabolos and I wondered if I should just make a brochure or something about them.

"I also want a new name then... Can you please give me a new name then?" She asked softly looking up at me with her dark blue eyes and I folded instantly at the sight.

"Thats fine, your name is Zeta, and share the same last name as the rest with your last name being Eve." I said patting her soft blond hair and as my fingers started scratching behind her cat ears she started purring and I fell into a bit of a stupor as her cute actions just made my mind go into the gutter.

"Fluffy ears are dangerous to Jake..." Beta hissed with Alpha frowning at the sight, and I couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of our menagerie of a group at the dinner table.

"Oh, you girls are so precious!" I grinned as Alpha and Beta blinked how I addressed them and seeing as I finished my dinner I stretched and got up. "Anyway, you girls get some rest as tomorrow is going to be interesting, I bet. And Beta I want you to try to make a contract with Baldur tomorrow as he is a fair and just God typically... Plus I think his domains can help you defend yourself from a distance." I spoke and Beta bit her lips in slight fear as Alpha had told her of her contract with Hecate and knew these gods were scary and not to be messed with at all.

So, after talking to the girls for a bit more and telling them goodnight I went to my bedroom while the girls went to their shared bedroom that had a bunch of bunk beds that Alpha asked me to transmute for when she recruited a bunch of people.

-

Honestly, I don't know if it was because I knew the cult members were actual cultists wanting to bring the apocalypse to the world, their monstrous forms, or just being isekaied that had changed me but when my head hit the pillows. I swiftly fell asleep with no horrible nightmares or anything as my tired form all but melted into my mattress.

Even better when the cool winds coming the cracked upon window made me shiver, I had a large pillow with some kind of fluffy appendage coming off of it to snuggle up with, so I was able to sleep peacefully through the entire night.

But as I woke up and saw the blond hair snuggled up into my arms I froze as I thought Alpha had snuck into my bed but as I blinked away my sleep, I saw there was far too much blond hair and in fact it was Zeta's long fluffy golden tail that was curled up around our forms as Zeta was laying atop my chest.

"Zeta." I said softly poking her and with a loud creaking noise I heard my door open with Zeta's eyes snapping open when Alpha walked into the room and froze seeing Zeta was snuggled up inside my arms.

"I swear... She snuck into my bed when I was asleep." I said wryly and Alpha deadpanned as her eyes flicked back and forth between me and Zeta who had buried her face under my covers to avoid Alpha's glare at her in particular.

"Oh, I know Jake. I was the one who escorted her to the bathroom last night... I thought she just needed some privacy and went back to bed myself, but it seems she decided to take advantage of me lowering my guard and focusing on Beta last night that she was able to sneak into here." Alpha spoke coldly as she eyed the now quivering pile atop my chest.

"Alright Alpha, no need to bully the kitty. So Zeta why are you in my bed?" I asked wryly and I saw her large cat ears stiffen and stand up, which pushed the blankets she threw over her head to expose her face.

"You are the strongest. You avenged my father's murder. You are warm. And I was lonely?" She listed off the reasons then tilted her head to the side in confusion and I was reminded about how the beastkin were very different from the humans and elves of this world.

They weren't exactly stupid, but they were much simpler minded and when they desired something they typically would just go for it unless someone stronger reined them in.

But her head tilt and her light purring as I reflexively began scratching behind her cat ears made me look up to Alpha and speak. "Thats its it, Zeta is now the designated snuggle pillow!" I said righteously.

Alpha visibly took a deep breath before shaking her head. "Do what you wish Jake, I will be in town with Zeta to pick up some supplies and see what the towns consensus of last night's antics are." She said pointedly making Zeta groan as she rolled off of me like the disgruntled cat that she was.

"Mergh... Couldn't you leave later Alpha, the trains won't arrive at the outpost for a couple more hours at least." Zeta complained but then yelped as Alpha dragged the cat girl out of my room by pinching one of her fluffy ears.

'And that's how Alpha is going to establish dominance over these girls.' I thought wryly as I myself rolled out of bed with a groan as I got myself ready to try to help Beta make a contract with the god Baldur.

Hopefully the meeting goes well and the blessing she gets will be usable.

-

A few minutes later after I took a quick lukewarm shower out of some water, I transmuted I came out into the church and saw that Beta was already standing in front of the Baldur's statue.

"You ready Beta?" I asked softly as I wrapped an arm over her shoulders to give her a soft side hug as I stood beside her and also looked up at the statue of Baldur.

Beta softly nodded and turned to me with my arm sliding off her shoulder to rise up in front of her along with my other hand. "Alright hold my hands so I could become the connection between the two of you. Just be respectful and you should be fine." I advised as Alpha was kind of rude in how blunt she was to Hecate and instead of getting blessed she instead got cursed with things that could in fact fuck her over in time if her feelings changed for me for example.

As our hands connected and I felt her thin fingers close over the back of my hands I felt my consciousness being pulled within just like when I acted as the intermediary for Alpha to meet Hecate.

Then as my mind sunk into the darkness, I felt something reach out to me and rather than sink into a stupor like last time I reached back to that connection, and I felt the pure 'Strength' coming from the connection and I knew it was Herakles so with a mental shrug I followed the connection until I heard what sounded like fire crackling, so I opened my eyes to the sight in front of me.

As I opened my eyes, I noticed I was in some kind of rather natural temple with the walls being some kind of granite with a great deal of vines and even some tree's breaking out of the walls. But as I took in the natural surroundings, I noticed how the vines were grape or other food bearing vines and same with the tree's that broke through the walls. For they were all also fruit bearing trees.

"The Cornucopia domain." I muttered as I realized all the food stuffs were related to that part of Herakles domains and in response to my mutter I heard a deep reverberating chuckle shake the temple.

At the end of the temple sitting not on the throne at the back of the room, was a mountain of a man. He had darker ashy skin long black hair that hung down his back in spiky tendrils and thrown over his back was a lion's mane and on the front of his kilt was a plaque of the Cerberus that was like a belt buckle or something.

"Welcome to my temple Herald of the Gods... Now we will be speaking about why you are relying on cowardly magic and not the strength of your arms to smash the world and your foes into paste so they cannot regenerate!" Herakles roared shaking the temple and I felt like my body was going to fall apart as his voice waves was like a bomb's shockwave colliding with me.