Hello, everyone!
This is release of The Newly Ascended God. I hope you enjoy it. Please tell me if it is good, bad or meh.
Chapter Seven "God of Justice"
"You seem to be happy these days," Said Eina Tulle as she filled out some paperwork. "Why is that? Is it because you found a boyfriend?"
"What, no?!" Lili denied quickly, rather loudly.
"Oh." Eina smiled. "Then why are you so happy these days?"
"I found a very reliable partner that I have been working with lately. He has helped me a lot recently with many of my troubles." Lili replied while trying to hide her growing blush.
Eina stopped doing her paperwork and curiously asked, "Is this the person that you have been able to raise your Stats so quickly and made so much money recently?"
"That's right." Lili beamed and nodded.
"Who is this partner of yours?" Eina asked as she leaned towards Lili. "Tell me."
"It's Shirou Emiya."
"Ha?" Eina blurted out. "What a small world. I never would have thought that two of my regular clients are both on the same team." A devious grin grew. "You really had fallen for him. Shirou is not only handsome, but he is so kind and charismatic."
"I agree with you," Lili nodded, "but I don't think of him as someone that I can fall in love with. At least, not in the manner you are thinking of. The love I have for him is more akin to someone would have for family. An older brother to be exact."
"That is interesting to hear." Eina paused as a certain paperwork caught her attention. "What can you tell me about Shirou Emiya? The guild has become very interested in him. I know that he is very strong, too strong for someone being a Level 1."
Lili nearly exploded into laughter. She doubted that Shirou even with his powers as a Level 1 Adventurer wouldn't find it difficult to fight Level 4 ones with just his immense combat skills and experience.
"What's so funny?" Eina asked in confusion as she saw Lili's expression.
"Nothing." Lili smiled as she covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. "I cannot disclose how powerful Emiya-san is, but since you have helped me so much, I will give you a hint. No adventurer or monster at Level 1 can match him."
"Thank you for that information," Said Eina as she wrote on a paper. "Speaking about strength. I recommend you find another person to join your party. You and Shirou have been diving deeper into the dungeon far beyond what a party of Level 1 adventurers should go. It is a matter of time that someone is seriously injured or killed."
"Pfft!" Lili crackled as she couldn't suppress her laughter anymore. Disregarding the fact that Shirou can fight up to Level 4 adventurers or monsters despite being a Level 1, there is also the overpowered gear we use. What kind of party has the luxury of equipping gear normally used Level 3 at Level 1.
"Lili! Please take the matter seriously. This is a matter of life or death." Eina scolded the laughing girl.
Lili was about to respond when she heard a name that perked her ears. When she turned her attention to listen in, Lili was surprised by what was being discussed.
"Hey, did you hear about the fight that has been ripping apart the Soma Familia HQ?"
" I doubt it is as big as when Heracles wrecked the Loki and Freya Familia HQs."
"Someone of Heracles-caliber acting is something of a once in a century event. It is an outlier. So, who is assaulting the Soma Familia HQ?"
"From what I hear the person isn't too famous and they haven't recognized him yet."
"Wait? A person? Not a group?"
"Nope, just a person from what I heard. The really juicy part isn't the attacker. Well, I mean compared to who is fighting to defend the Soma HQ."
"Stop leaving us hanging. Tell us who is the one defending."
"It's Soma himself!"
"Wait? What?! That makes no sense. Gods are basically like any other mortal down here on Tenkai except for their inability to age. They are so useless that they create Familias to make them money and do all sorts of things."
"Well it seems that isn't true anymore. Apparently, Soma is fighting with the skills expected of a Level 5 Mage."
"Wait, let's backtrack for a moment. Doesn't that mean the gods had always been powerful? We just didn't know about it until now with Soma's actions."
"Let's forget about our preconceived notions about gods for a moment. I think we should look at Hephaestus as a representative for any god that is renowned in some sort of specialty and not lazing around doing nothing. While Hephaestus doesn't have her divine abilities anymore here on Genkai, she still has the skills in blacksmithing. In effect, she is so devoted in her craft that she is being just about every mortal blacksmith in their own game."
The conversation that Lili soon started to hear greatly interested her and she was tempted to… No! She couldn't wait despite how curious she was. Her current and would-be patron gods were fighting. Lili rushed out the door of the guild. There was a fight that she needed to stop!
- O -
The closer Lili got to her familia's HQ the more evident the damage caused by the fighting that she had heard in the guild. She was not amazed that many in the Soma Familia were running outside and not knowing what to do. By its very nature, the Soma Familia was more specialized in the business of production and sales of alcohol with those capable of fighting in the Familia mostly assigned to protecting the facilities, goods and cash from thieves and the odd bandit raids. Those Soma adventurers that had the ability to remain calm in a situation such as their HQ coming under attack were constantly roaming the dungeon, hunting monsters for money to use on their insatiate addiction to soma wine.
Lili was able to pass through the normally well-manned defensive positions, which were used to keep infiltrators and thieves away, with ease in the chaos.
As she passed by, Lili was shocked by the level of damage done to the formerly pristine mansion that was the Soma Familia HQ. Not all of the damage could have been caused by the attacker that she had heard about in the guild. Lili didn't know how much, but some of the damage had to have been caused by her current patron god, Soma.
She found it hard to associate the normally reclusive and dedicated winemaker as a dangerous man, who had the ability to cause some much damage that she was seeing.
The noise of battle got louder as Lili made her way to the source. Her heart paused for a moment as the person she had been hoping not to see appeared before her very eyes.
Shirou, what are you doing? Lili asked herself. When I accepted your invitation into your Familia that means it is my responsibility to confront Soma about my resignation from the Soma Familia. There was no need for you to step in.
Despite the emotions going on in her mind, Lili couldn't stare in amazement at the fight happening before her. She found it hard to believe the power clashing against each other came from two gods that should have their powers restrained by the rules banning the usage of divine powers. Lili had heard rumors about how powerful Level 5 First Class Adventurers were, and the power that Soma and Shirou commanded matched what she had heard about.
Her eyes widened when she realized that if the destruction they could bring forth with mortal powers were this powerful then she could only imagine what these two gods could do if their powers were not restrained. It was not too hard to believe that Orario might cease to exist if two gods were to fight.
The imagination of what Shirou and Soma could do if their power were not restricted greatly hyped Lili. She was expecting to see the fight become fiercer as the two gods showed greater power and skills.
Sadly, reality turned out to be the opposite. Lili almost whined when Shirou and Soma suddenly stopped fighting. She nearly jumped up in shock when Shirou and Soma shouted out her name.
"Lili, I know that you're there. Come on out." Soma called out.
"There is no point hiding. I sensed your presence a long time ago." Shirou added.
What should I do?! Lili thought to herself in alarm. They have to be baiting me! I did my best to hide my presence, and they were busy fighting each other to have noticed me. She nodded to herself vigorously. Yes, that is right. They are just guessing!
"Liliruca Arde, you likely don't know this, but all gods know where children are. The closer a child is, the more accurate where a patron could locate their child." Soma explained as he started to walk towards Lili.
Shirou shouted, "You are still far from being able to fool my senses. I saw you with my eyes from a long distance away, a kilometer away to be accurate. Even if you were able to hide from my eyes, you should have done something about your scent."
Lili's shoulder sagged. Given how confident that Shirou and Soma seemed or the fact that they were walking towards where she was likely meant that she had been spotted.
"You got me!" Lili called out as she got up from behind the wall she had been hiding behind and threw her hands up in defeat. "Why did the two of you keep fighting if you knew I was here? You could have gotten me injured or worse, killed, during the fighting."
"We had it under control. Right, Shirou?" Soma replied as he smiled and glanced at Shirou.
Shirou snorted. "Under control is a great understatement. Beyond the first few minutes of the fight, the entire thing was a charade. A fancy show to attract you here." He explained.
"A fancy show?" Lili repeated incredulously as she scrutinized Shirou and Soma. "Do you know the amount of property damage you caused?!" She shouted as Lili pointed at what had been an entire block of buildings owned by the Soma Familia. "This seems too much just to gain my attention."
"I asked the same thing to Soma," Shirou shrugged. "What was your reasoning, Soma?"
"Destroying an entire block wasn't just for getting your attention, Lili. It was part of an effort to clean up my Familia. I did so for two reasons using the information Shirou brought me on the corruption and crimes of my Familia. Much of my Familia's wealth gained through illegal and unethical means were stored in the destroyed. So, destroying it was a form of punishment. Another reason to fish out and confirm Shirou's information." Soma explained.
"Oh, you wanted to confirm who was really guilty after all, the ones searching through the wreck with desperation will likely be the guilty ones concerned about their illegal wealth." Shirou deduced as he snapped his fingers. "That seems like a very smart move, and no one will suspect that you're after them given that the destroyed block had been collateral damage from a fight."
"How bad is the corruption and criminal activity in the Familia? I know it is bad, but it doesn't seem as bad as the two of you seem to imply." Lili asked curiously as she frowned.
Shirou and Soma glanced at each other before they started to crack up. They tried to suppress their laughter and it only made the situation worse as they clutched their ribs in pain.
A very annoyed Lili glared at the two fools. "Enough with keeping me in the dark!? Tell me." She growled as Lili resisted the urge to hit the two gods.
Shirou was the first to respond and he materialized another copy of the thick book detailing the Soma Familia's illicit and unethical activities collected by the Hermes Familia.
"Let me see what evidence you got," Lili snapped as she snatched the book and started to read. "This…" Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Shirou and Soma. "Has the Soma Familia become part of Evilus?!"
"Of course, not!" Soma vehemently denied and he was about to continue when he noticed Shirou's glare. "What I mean is that I believe my Familia at first didn't know that the people they were cooperating with were part of Evilus. Many in the familia that have been committing criminal acts still don't know they are cooperating with Evilus, save for the higher-ranked members."
"Assuming this information is true," said Lili as she waved the book in her hand. "This means the Soma familia has been rotten to the core. What are you planning to do, Soma-sama? Completely purge out the criminals even for the smallest of crimes, or forgive those who hadn't committed any serious crimes?"
Lili waited trepidly for her soon-to-be former patron god's response. She may have not liked the Soma Familia, but that was the current one. There was once a time before the corruption had taken place where the Soma familia was a welcoming and friendly organization akin to a family. Her affections for the Soma Familia still remained. She hoped that those that had little or unknowing connections with the corruption wouldn't suffer.
"Lili," said Soma in a fatherly tone as he embraced the girl. "I am not like those gods you hear in the stories that when become enraged lose all rationality and react in a manner that defies common sense. Those that have done nothing wrong will not be punished." He glanced at the watching Shirou and continued, "If I was to act unjustly then the God of Justice would have my head."
"God of Justice?" Lili repeated in confusion.
"Yea that is what they call your soon-to-be patron god." Soma chuckled as he looked at Shirou with a smile. "He made quiet the ruckus in Tenkai and while he is a new god, I am sure you will be in very capable hands."
Lili tilted her head as she curiously stared at Shirou. She always found there was more to Shirou the longer she spent time with him. And it always seemed there was more to learn about her new patron god.
"Lili can learn all about what I did in Tenkai later," Shirou replied uncomfortably. "So as Lili asked before, what are your plans? Do you need my help? If you do, I am more than happy to."
"Here is what I need your help with…" Soma began as he listed what Shirou could do.
- O -
Zanis Lustra chuckled as he stared at the map and reports before him. It had taken years of tireless work, but his efforts were finally bearing fruit. If things went smoothly as he planned it was not too long before he had full control over the Soma Familia. He would finally gain the power and influence he had always dreamed of soon.
A drink was in order to celebrate the closing victory of his! Zanis grabbed the best wine he had but made sure that it wasn't one made by Soma. He would be an irredeemable fool if he got addicted to the very wine that had been crucial to his successes.
"Argh!" Zanis sighed in relief as he savored the taste of fine alcohol that was called Sake. "It was expensive and difficult to procure, but the taste was worth it!"
"Zanis-sama!" A panicked voice screamed as the door slammed open.
"Can't you see I am relaxing?! This better be an emergency or I will have skinned alive!" Zanis roared in fury as his peaceful break was interrupted.
"Zanis-sama, we just lost the majority of our assets!"
"We just lost the majority of our assets?" Zanis repeated calmly, but that was only what he appeared like on the surface. His sharp mind started to come up with all sorts of possible scenarios. "Explain everything to me and don't leave out a single detail."
"Soma-sama! He is not some useless god we have been led to believe. For reasons unknown, he got into a fight, but he showed the strength of a Level 5 Adventurer and destroyed the entire block where most of our assets were hidden!"
Zanis frowned in displeasure as the news of the loss of his assets that he had gathered with great difficulty. Yet that wasn't a huge issue to him. The wealth he had lost was just one of many large deposits that Zanis possessed. He possessed a great deal more wealth hidden away in other locations that only he knew. The problem was with Soma's newly revealed combat abilities.
This new side of Soma was the greatest threat to Zanis's ambitious to take over the Soma Familia and turn Soma into a puppet. His decade long plan had hinged on the basis that gods were powerless immortals on Genkai. If Soma possessed the strength of a Level 5 Adventurer, then all his current plans was thrown out the window.
"Does Soma only possess the strength of a Level 5 Adventurer? What about the skills and experience of a true Level 5 Adventurer?" Zanis asked calmly, but he dreaded hearing the news of his worst fears.
"Some of our people who have seen Level 5 Adventurers and above in action say that Soma-sama might be able to match a Level 6 Adventurer!"
"Damn!" Zanis cursed as the porcelain cup filled with sake smashed into pieces in his hand.
He was so infuriated that Zanis didn't even notice the pain of the porcelain fragments cutting into his hand or when in his anger the hand that he smashed into the wall repeatedly fractured under the relentless abuse.
Yet, his anger at his decade long plan being put in jeopardy quickly subsided as the cunning mind that had allowed him to achieve so much of his ambition started to manifest. He quickly took in deep breaths and ignored the pain of his injured hand. It was not the first time he had faced a situation where his plans had been threatened. All he had to do was carefully analyze the situation and figure out how to resolve the issue like he had done countless times in the past.
A veteran Level 5 Adventurer was a formidable foe, but not something that couldn't be taken care of. He hadn't personally done such a feat, but amongst his connections were people that had managed to do such a thing, and not just once. Zanis was sure that if he asked for help then his associates could help out.
There were just several problems that made the situation a nightmare. The first was the cost. His associates wouldn't help him out just out of the kindness of their heart. It was the nature of their purely business relationship. Any assistance would cost him dearly, especially to handle a Level 5 Adventurer.
The largest problem is that he couldn't eliminate his foe. Soma had to be alive for his plans to work. A dead Soma would cause all his plans to collapse as a Familia could only exist if the god was alive and walking on Genkai.
Things got more problematic as keeping someone with the strength, skill and experience of a Level 5 Adventurer as a captive was several times more difficult and expensive than eliminating one.
Yet, Zanis's mind started to think of ways to resolve the issue.
"Argh, also we have another problem!" The subordinate squeaked.
"What else is the problem?" Zanis asked coldly. "It better not be another Level 5 Adventurer!"
The nervous and fidgety subordinate stared back at Zanis as if unable to muster the will to respond.
"You gotta be shitting me!" Zanis cussed in disbelief. He stared furiously at the nervous subordinate and demanded, "Out with it!"
"The other Level 5 Adventurer seems to go by the name Shirou Emiya…" The subordinate replied and the rest of his response didn't register in Zanis mind afterwards.
Fuck! Zanis screamed as he clutched his temples at the sudden bout of lightheadedness and pain he had. Out of all the people, I have to be dealing with the God of Justice! He cursed his misfortunates and wondered what he could do when his eyes lit up. Why am I trying to handle the situation alone?! If the newest God of Justice is involved then Evilus would love to help me out without asking for anything in return!
Was this good, bad or meh? Please tell me what you think. I accept all criticism as long as it is no flaming.