Chapter 163: Eight Blessings & One Fate
I was ready.
Or at least, I told myself I was. My heart pounded in my chest like a war drum. No one—literally no one—had ever received all the blessings of the gods and goddesses. Not a single soul. No records. No stories. No guarantees. The truth was, I had no idea what kind of side effects might come from taking on this much divine power. For all I knew, my body could explode into light—or worse.
But even so... I had to do it.
This was my duty as the Child of Fate, the one chosen by the Goddess of Benevolence. No matter what happened, I would bear this power for her—for the world—for everyone who couldn’t.
The gods and goddesses now surrounded me in a wide circle, forming a ritual array around the ancient magic circle carved into the floor of the Spire of the Forgotten Goddess.
Normally, divine blessings were granted at each god’s respective Spire. But to everyone’s surprise, this forgotten sanctuary—the once-sacred home of the Goddess of Benevolence—was still connected to all divine domains. As long as a deity channeled their power here, the circle would link to their own Spire and activate it remotely.
The first to step forward was Zarion, the God of Thunder.
He walked toward me with the weight of a storm behind him and stood firmly behind my right shoulder. His presence was electrifying—literally. My hair stood on end as I felt sparks dance around me, reacting to the storm magic within him.
"You know," Zarion said, crossing his arms, "you’re supposed to go through my Trial first. It’s... not exactly fun. More like pure, agonizing hell."
I chuckled nervously. "Lucky me?"
"But," he continued, "because you’re the Child of Fate—and because time isn’t on our side—I’m bypassing tradition. You need strength now, not later. The Demon King won’t wait. And that other god... whoever or whatever he is... he might return sooner than we think."