Divine Chapter 9 Shishou's thighs is here (Patreon)

In the end after binding up that cultist in some transmuted chains I was sitting down with Iris and Alexia with Alpha sitting beside me in one of the church's meeting room's with the princesses sitting across from me on an opposite couch.

"Regardless of anything I want the Royal family of Midgar to not have a hostile outlook upon my church and its flock." I spoke while looking across the table that separated us.

Iris and Alexia shared a look before Alexia spoke and her words kind of stumped me for a moment before I got what she meant. "It's clear that your gods are real. That or your magical control is something completely unheard of in terms of power and the way you control it as no one else is capable of transmuting objects into another let alone create magical constructs that can block and harm more powerful knights." Then Alexia leaned in and continued. "That power or your supposed gods can be seen as a threat to the Nobility as your so-called blessings have made the peasantry more powerful with their blessed forms being capable of matching lesser darknights."

"So, you Royalty want an upper hand as it were?" I spoke while rolling my eyes as sure some peasants getting blessed would make some outliers but once those outliers got a taste of the rich noble life, they almost certainly will abandon their prior squalor and would at most bring some riches to where they previously lived if they didn't move to the capital to begin with. "Very well. You Alexia are welcome to pray towards any of the three gods who have descended and if they bless you then so be it. But I warn you that being rude can seen you cursed." I added on making Alexia nod in understanding while looking at me seriously.

"Sir is this a good idea?" Alpha asked me quietly and in response I patted her on her kneel before I stood up.

"Princess Iris before I say anything about you receiving a blessing, I would suggest you master your own magic as your blood is filled with the power that made the Witch of Calamity into the Demon Diabolos and one of the strongest beings this world has seen." I spoke as I looked to Princess Iris who didn't exactly look happy about me glossing over her.

"I would like to say I don't believe you about this whole Cult of Diabolos nonsense... But I know Randall had no connection to you. And has never even been here as his family's fief is on the complete opposite side of Midgar." Iris said frowning before shaking her head as she continued. "Either way I will be looking into this Cult of Diabolos and other such things back at the Capital." She finished firmly and I shrugged in response as Iris was able to defend herself.

"So anyway, your gods of choice are the God's Herakles, and Baldur or the Goddess Hecate and here is what their domains cover." I spoke as I lead the girls into the chapel and showed them the statues of the gods and generally told them about their domains.

"Huh I would have imagined there were to be gods of healing, architecture, and agriculture or something." Alexia said and I nodded with a wry smile.

"Yes... There are such gods, but they haven't descended down to the mortal plane yet." I made up as I swore to myself to try farming, hunting, or just anything to encourage more gods to manifest.

Alexia after a moment of thought shook her head and I tilted my head as she blushed slightly and stammered. "I don't feel like I really connect with any of them honestly!" She cried out making me blink befuddled as that outcome was literally not at all in my plans. "Like they sound great. But not none of them resonate with me and what I want to accomplish." Alexia explained a bit more seeing my flummoxed expression and after that I sighed with a wry smile.

"Very well... I am sorry I could not lead you into a god's light and path. But if they do not suit you, perhaps on another day. As more gods descend you may find your way." I said regally before looking over to Princess Iris. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss, or would you prefer heading out to deal with the knight that strayed from his honor." I said looking at the still chained up knight.

At my reminder Iris looked back at the knight and then exhaled nodding as she hid her obvious distaste to the man that was writing on the ground trying desperately to escape the chains.

"I Iris Midgar offer you my thanks for your hospitality, but it seems I must make my way back to capital to see if anything can be extracted from this man." She said tiredly and I bowed in a obvious dismissal to her and then with a clatter of her heeled boots Iris turned around with her long crimson hair flowing outwards as she strode out of the church while only snapping her fingers so her men picked up the chained man and brough him out.

For a moment I thought Alexia may ask to stay or something as she clearly hesitated about something and then when she finally spoke, I wanted to sigh at her one-track mind. "Just... If a god or goddess of warriors or swordsmanship in particular descend, could you have a runner from the Kageno holdings sent to the Capital tell me using this signet as proof." Alexia asked handing me a little badge that was engraved with the small letters that meant 'Princess Alexia's state of office.'

"Very well that's no issue at all." I said respectfully taking the symbol of her status as a princess of the nation of Midgar.

Then Alexia also left the room leaving me sighing both in relief at how the meeting went so well, but I was also partly disappointed I couldn't entangle the princesses in my church. But frankly it could very well be the case as who knows if gods more aligned with their desires will come.

"Zeta." I spoke up as I stretched. "The Cult of Diabolos will be on the move in the area, and they will do their best to kill or steal away anyone with Demon Possession after they either free or kill that knight Princess Midgar has captured." I looked to Alpha. "Alpha, you need to help Zeta secure the area and I will be busy trying to see if I can do something important." I said making up my mind to do anything I could to actually get more gods to descend before I settle in for the two years that will lead to canon starting.

"Uhm what should I do?" Beta asked shyly and after a moment of thought I responded.

"Could you teach me how to use a bow?" I asked as she has already been taught by Baldur to make light arrows to fit the divine bow her blessing came with and allowed her to summon.

And frankly there was a lot of gods and goddesses of great power that were related to archery and by extension hunting.

-

The next day while the two blondes went out, I was with Beta, and she began teaching me archery and it was clear that as an elf she of course had followed the stereotype and apparently elves were taught from the moment they could walk on their own how to draw a bow and use it.

"Elven parents literally give children, bows and sharpened arrows?" I asked completely unconvinced of the nonsense she was trying to spout about on she and other elves were such a good archer due to them getting bows basically in their cribs.

It's like she was saying it so nonchalantly like it was common sense for kids to be given sharpened arrows for them nail their parents with arrows when they came into the room.

Beta at my question just rolled her eyes and pushed my arms into a better position to hold and draw the bow before she began to speak. "Jake, elves easily live for centuries, and our lifespans are due to our magical energies within ourselves naturally augmenting our bodies and reinforcing it. Thats why old elves are capable of imbuing their magic into their arrows to shoot opponents from afar. Their magic control has naturally strengthened over the years to reach levels humans just don't reach." Beta said not exactly smug or anything but just as a matter of fact.

"Granted the bows and arrows do play a part in that, as the elven kingdom are capable of re-creating terrible copies of arrow artifacts, so the arrows are capable of holding onto the elves mana." Beta continued and I wondered if that was why the human and beast men nations never conquered the Elf nation with their lesser numbers and fertility issues.

Getting hit by the equivalent of a missile from several miles away in the middle of your feudal army camp will destroy any morale and army cohesion.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts of how the elven nation was basically America with long range patriot missiles I followed Beta's advice and guidance to pull back the bow we bought in the town for Zeta and Beta to go hunting with. Then with a loud zipping and snapping noise the arrow I transmuted shattered as it hit the painted rock target I made and scratching location it hit with the metal tip of the arrow.

"Not bad, but you shook as you released the arrow and that made you miss the center." Beta spoke and then begun to speak about how I could improve but I was frozen as the feeling of new divinity growing within me and I groaned dropping the bow at the feeling of pure darkness and deathless stilling welling up inside of me.

Beyond what I felt from the previous three gods engraving themself within my soul I could feel my soul stretching as it strode to make room for the new god and then as it settled, and I awaited to hear the customary voice speak within my soul to announce their presence. But instead of an introduction I got something else...

"Your form is a disgrace... How have you survived to your age if you cannot even properly draw a bow let alone be worthy of the god's power?" A stern female voice spoke within me before the voice sighed before taking on a more neutral light to its voice. "I saw from within you that you are as green as it comes, and I cannot allow the Apostle of Earths gods to be seen as a disgrace to martial arts and Herakles will only beat you to death. So, rejoice child of Earth, the greatest teacher of Hero's Scáthach will be tutoring you on how to take the lives of men and monster alike!"

Then before I could react I felt Scáthach's weird divinity intermingle with Hecate's and the rest of the gods within me for a moment before my shadow thickened greatly turning into a black pit of shadowy water that ripples in an ominous manner that had Beta quickly jump away from the pool as she could feel the sheer wrongness coming off it.

With a wet splattering noise, a hand clad in a dark purple glove broke through the shadowy pool and slapped onto the top of the pool of shadows and I quickly moved aside as I had no idea what was going on but the pool of shadows followed me but with another noise of water being splashed the hand seemingly pulled the rest of the form completely out of the shadows and I blinked in surprise as a the full figured woman landed atop the pool of shadows and stood upon it like it was no big deal.

"Jake... What did you do!" Beta hissed as she shivered at the aura of power coming from the woman and I swallowed and smiled wryly as I realized I may be testing my Godhand in reality far sooner than I may wish.

"So, this is how you see me?" Scáthach spoke with her voice being a smokey velvet that caressed my ears. And then I watched as the woman stretched her body and seemingly took in her form that was a match for Scáthach from FGO as she continued to speak. "Gods and Goddesses alike are partly formed from humanities perspective of them and so you view me in this form. This is the one I took... Good that you didn't envision me in that ridiculous bunny suit or a swimsuit. Or we would have issues Jake Barris." Scáthach said with a smirk as she experimentally summoned a crimson red spear that screamed death to my senses, and I knew for a fact that it was Gae Bolg.

Then with a flourish the spear broke apart into motes of red light as Scáthach focused on me finally. "You have done well in making a church that fill your soul with the power of faith as that is how your potential will ultimately be realized. But that doesn't mean you cannot make yourself into a warrior ready to strike down gods and monsters alike with your own skills." Scáthach spoke as she folded her arms over her large breasts.

"I agree as Herakles methods are... Yeah." I said before shuddering. "But how have you come out of my soul?" I asked frowning as Beta started to relax seeing the woman wasn't going to kill us despite the power and danger clearly coming off her.

Scáthach smiled at me obviously asking the right questions as she used her foot to etch a rune into the ground, and then a wooden chair sprouted from the ground from the expertly used runic magic that made Beta gasp as such things were still far beyond the lessons Baldur gave her. Because as far as Beta was concerned and knew, all runes would at the end explode and she was only capable right now of aiming its effects and its resulting explosion for when the runes gives out.

"Now Jake. Seeing as Herakles was too busy beating you to death to actually just talk to you and tell you what your goals should be in terms of how to grow your abilities to the fullest extent. It seems to fall upon me to do that." She said as she folded her leg over the other.

I wordlessly transmuted my own plain chair to sit in front of her and then she began to speak with her velvet voice almost making me become distracted if her words weren't so important to my future in this world.

"Alright Jake... I must inform you that whatever preconceived notions you have of this world and its rotating realm structure that brings other realms and even an Earth to this realm is wrong." Scáthach said bluntly and I froze utterly at that news and Scáthach sighed as she looked at me with something amount to pity as she continued.

"I and the other gods won't explain your reincarnation as that is up to your sponsor... But suffice to say after he got screwed over in his native world due to running out of challenges except for the last big bad that could easily kill him. He had to leave his native world far more often and casually in order to fill reach his fullest potential and once he reached his fullest potential and chose you to reincarnate. He stuffed a bunch of gods into your soul, and then he remolded this universe to help your growth by replacing the dead elemental realms and other realms with far more... Interesting realms that will inevitably see this one and attempt to conquer it."

"Uhm what kind of realms are there, and can we just make peace with them if the realm will just move away?" Beta asked awkwardly.

Scáthach actually burst into laughter and her folded arms were undone allowing her large breasts to shake as she heartily laughed at Beta. "Oh, your sweet ignorant dear little elf no..." Scáthach looked to me and smiled as she said something that made have chills. "Jake, Jake, Jake... I normally wouldn't spoil things, but I need you to understand just the first challenge that is coming and no... These realms won't be just visiting. Your sponsor will be making these realms permanently merge into this one so enjoy being the only actual priest with gods behind them as that won't be for long."

"The first realm to merge with this one is to be Nirn." Scáthach whispered as though trying to keep it secret and my blood turned to ice.