'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

The relentless slap of metal boots against marble slabs echoed like war drums through the heart of the town.

The sound didn’t fade, it built, wave after wave, until the entire street seemed to vibrate under its weight.

Children peeked from behind building corners, clutching at sleeves and stone.

Some even covered their ears, unsure if they were allowed to be excited or scared.

Meanwhile, the townsfolk stood frozen, mouths slightly parted, gazes fixed, and the Awakeners?

They had withdrawn into their own corners, stiff-backed and silent, expressions etched with unease.

“What the hell?” a voice muttered.

Loyd stood at the edge of the main street, his gaze following the never-ending stream of armored soldiers marching toward the territory boundary.

His jaw slackened slightly, caught somewhere between disbelief and instinctive dread.

Even the others in his group, usually more composed, fell into a quiet daze.

Ilya clutched her staff close to her chest, pressing it tight as if to draw warmth from the cold ironwood shaft.

Her lips parted as she spoke, voice hushed. “The rumors were true. The lord of this territory really does have the strength to rival entire factions alone.”

“Yeah,” Bart muttered, nodding once.

The usual mischief and levity on his face had vanished.

What replaced it was a sober stillness. “Troops like this... all of them Awakeners? Even a tier 6 expert would think twice. You’d have to be suicidal to face a siege from this.”

Joyce, usually more flippant than most, let out a low whistle. “I saw some representatives from the Adventurer’s Guild last night. Wonder what they’re thinking now. Bet they’r trying to stay low-key as much possible"

Then it hit.

Zoom.

A sharp, air-tearing sound ripped through the sky, clear and deafening like a blade slicing the heavens.

Heads snapped upward. Voices followed a beat later.

“Hiss!”

“What what is that?! Look at the size!”

“W-wait, those are people?!”

The murmurs burst loose like a ruptured dam, flooding every street corner.

Within moments, word had spread across the entire territory.

High above, figures strode effortlessly across the sky, gliding over the landscape like it belonged to them.

There was no sound from their steps, just a strange pressure, as if the sky itself was bending to their presence.

Mize’s gaze lifted, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She raised a brow. “Oh? Tier 4?”

A group of towering silhouettes glided above the rooftops.

Their bodies were massive, at least five meters tall, encased in serpentine armor that gleamed dully beneath the sun, etched in harsh, curling patterns.

Each step left ripples in space, as though they were walking on something invisible.

Their faces were hidden, hooded by armor plating, and arcs of dark energy pulsed in the gaps between their limbs, flickering like trapped lightning.

“New summons?” Mize murmured, eyes tracing the strange energy coiling around their limbs.

But somehow, she doubted these were the strongest ones in Liam’s collection as of now.

From the looks of it, thousands of these tier 4 summons were scattered across the skies, floating like a net cast across the entire territory.

And yet, the people below only saw fragments.

Pieces of the whole.

“Liam’s going all out this time,” Mize muttered. “But this feels more like a warning shot than an effort to win any battle.”

Her voice softened, almost thoughtful. “But a warning to who?”

No answer came. Just more shouts from the streets below as new forms tore through the sky.

Above the territory, even stranger figures emerged.

Smaller than the tier 4s, but far more dangerous.

There were fewer of them, maybe a hundred in total, but every single one gave off a crushing aura.

Tier 5.

They looked entirely human. No armor, no mutations, no twisted features or hulking limbs.

Just men and women. Their expressions barely changed, but their eyes swept the world below like it was beneath them.

“Thousands of tier 4s… hundreds of tier 5s… then-"

Boom.

The sky itself seemed to jolt.

Darkness bloomed like a flower overhead, dense.

It curled into a cocoon of living shadow, and from its heart, a group of figures stepped out.

They didn’t walk so much as exist, their presence filling the air with crushing gravity.

Tier 6.

A collective shiver ran down the town’s spine.

Even the most hardened Awakeners below could feel it, deep in their bones. Knees buckled.

Sweat beaded on brows.

Ten? Twenty?

Their exact number didn’t matter.

What mattered was what they were: tier 6 beings, the kind of existence that could alter entire landscapes with a flick of the wrist.

They were walking calamities.

And they were casually patrolling above the territory like watchful gods.

Except for the hidden true lords that rarely showed themselves, there was nothing stronger in this region.

Mize watched with her usual calm, though even she couldn’t hide the sharp gleam in her eyes.

“Not bad,” she muttered. “Power and message, all in one stroke. Liam’s putting on quite a show.”

She nodded slightly, mentally tallying what she’d seen. And even she had to admit, she was impressed.

But her gaze drifted again. Slightly to the side. Toward something else.

“Then what about those presences I’ve been sensing…?”

Her divine perception was no joke.

The moment something stirred around Liam, even the tiniest shift in aura couldn’t escape her.

And yet, those hidden ones? They stayed invisible, no matter how much she probed.

“Roughly ten of them,” she murmured, eyes narrowing. “And Liam’s never introduced them to me.”

Her lips curved just slightly. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Maybe they’re his personal guardians.”

Who knows.

To be fair, the whole thing felt like someone had dropped a full-blown national parade out of nowhere.

And honestly?

Mize didn’t mind.

A little showing off now and then was just practical.

Especially when it made certain people think twice before they got any funny ideas.

One by one, the figures shot across the sky, vanishing into the horizon like streaks of light.

Then silence.

Until the aftermath hit.

Some cheered. Some felt a burst of pride. Others sat frozen, fear threading through their bones.

Reactions were mixed, to say the least.

For many Awakeners, something heavy settled on their shoulders, a subtle pressure, forcing them to reconsider just how exceptional they truly were.

For ordinary folk, it was something else entirely.

A new sense of safety. Pride, even.

Knowing that such overwhelming power existed within their territory made them feel like they’d made the right call in coming here.

But not everyone welcomed the display.

For a few individuals, it wasn’t awe they felt, but alarm, layers of threat, uncertainty, and quiet dread unraveling all at once.

That was the case for Sayfein and his followers, who had spent the entire day hiding deep within the territory.

Every single aura that swept overhead made their hearts hammer like they might shatter from the inside.

They cowered in silence, faces pale, praying they wouldn’t be noticed.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the territory, Harapan stood still.

He had just finished reporting the results of the night operation to Mize’s clones, and the sheer military power he’d witnessed left him equally stunned.

High above the church, on the moon-watching podium of the bell tower, he leaned on the cold marble railing.

His fingers rested tightly against the stone as he stared into the distance, his enhanced vision tracing the last flickers of those powerful figures disappearing into the sky.

“Incredible power... incredible,” he muttered under his breath.

Behind him stood five cloaked figures, their faces hidden beneath dark hoods.

And further back, just past them, a small group of young boys and girls lingered in silence.

They couldn’t have been older than twelve, still brushing against the edge of childhood.

Their wide eyes reflected what Harapan had just felt, the same reactions.

A longing.

Harapan suddenly turned his head toward them.

And instantly, the children dropped their gazes, their spines stiffening under his attention.

The five old men stepped to the side, letting Harapan walk forward, his hands folding neatly behind his back.

He took his time scanning the young group, eyes measuring.

Several quiet seconds passed.

Then he gave a small, approving nod.

“Not bad,” he said evenly. “Most of you managed to absorb the gift I granted you.”

"Eventually, your bodies will change, bigger, stronger"

His tone sharpened ever so slightly.

“From now on, you are no longer weak mortals. From this day forward, you carry a new name.”

He paused.

“You are the holy knights of the Mother of Life.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes!” the young voices rang out in unison.

Harapan gave another nod. This one slower, weightier.

But then his gaze shifted, eyes narrowing, voice dropping cold.

“Then let me describe your task.”

He turned slightly, stepping away, his voice low but cutting through the air like a drawn blade.

“Your goal is not merely to slay the Lord’s enemies. No, your task is far grander.”

“You are to seek out and vanquish the true evil that stalks this world. The corrupted ones. The remnants of the cursed skyborn.”

As his words sank in, an image formed in the minds of the children, dark, twisted beings descending from the sky, cloaked in shadow and malice.

Some of them flinched.

Others clenched their fists, trembling but trying to hold themselves steady.

Harapan kept walking, his steps slow, measured. His hands still tucked behind him, his voice rang out, rising deliberately.

“These creatures… they turned their backs on humanity. They traded their souls for power. A shortcut, yes, but one that stole their minds, their hearts, their very being.”

“They don’t see us as their kind. They don’t see your families as people. If given the chance, they will feed on them. On your mother. Your father. Your siblings. They’ll devour them like cattle.”

His words struck hard.

“And without power...”

He stopped, pivoting to face them fully.

“You wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

He let the silence linger, then spoke with clear conviction.

“That’s why I gave you this strength. You are swords now. You will strike down these heresy in the name of the Mother.”

“In the name of the Mother of Life!”

The children raised their voices again, echoing the phrase as their eyes lit up with conviction, or fear trying to pass as conviction.

Harapan gave a faint smile, nodding once more.

That was enough.

For now.

He gave them permission to leave, freedom to come and go from the church, to rest or seek guidance.

Their training had been brief, just long enough to adjust to the gifts their bodies had received.

He’d given them strength.

Now it was time they put it to use.

Cruel? Yes.

But it took a great courage to make a great choice.

The five cloaked elders had already briefed them on what to look for.

And soon, down dark alleys, between crooked buildings, the first batch of holy knights would begin their hunt.

After seeing them off, Harapan remained standing in silence with the elders nearby, the wind brushing through the open tower.

“Send a notice to Sir Elias,” he said to one of the old men, Elder Five.

“Let him know what we’re doing. And make sure the holy knights are given complete autonomy in their actions.”

“Yes.”

And with that, the figure disappeared, leaving only Harapan and the other four elders.

He gave them a quiet look, eyes glinting in the soft light.

“Well?”

A pause.

“How do you think they’ll perform? Any thoughts?”

The question hung in the air.

The elders exchanged glances, hesitating.

Finally, one of them stepped forward, clearing his throat.

“Their power… it’s stronger than what most Awakeners begin with, Master. Even close to tier two. But what they lack... is experience.”

He hesitated again.

“And, more importantly... the mindset. The will to face what’s coming.”

Harapan listened, then nodded slowly. His eyes closed for a moment. When they opened again, his voice was calm.

“This will be their test.”

“To see who’s worthy of the strength I granted them.”

“If they are, they will survive. If not... they will die. But they will die with purpose. In the name of Mother.”

His tone held no softness.

“I was given strength. And I used every drop of it to prove my worth. They must do the same.”

“If they can’t... then they don’t deserve it.”

The words settled like a stone.

Harapan turned his eyes toward the distance, his expression unreadable for a beat.

“What do you think the Lord is up against?” he asked quietly. “A lineup like that… even I felt the weight of it. He’s not just preparing for a fight. He’s sending a message."

“Reporting, Master,” one of the elders stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Our scouts haven’t returned yet, the distance is too great. But the expansion of the Lord’s territory has accelerated. Without warning. Without anyone noticing. It grew, instantly. And we have no idea what lies at the edge.”

“I see...”

Harapan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing.

“Then we’ll need to improve our intelligence operations.”

After a few more words with the elders, he gave a short nod and dismissed them.

And with that, silence returned to the tower.