Chapter 332: The First Step

When their vision returned to normal, everyone couldn't help but gasp at the sight before them.

None of them were in the AZF dimension's frontline base rooftop anymore. Instead, they were standing... no, floating in the middle of a dark space.

There was nothing but darkness in almost every direction.

All except one.

Right in front of them, a gigantic red sun hung in place.

It was so big, and so bright, that none of them could gaze at it directly, much less take in its full grandeur without craning their necks.

[Challengers. Welcome to the First Step to Ascension.]

Sekhmet's voice echoed, but sounded a little different this time.

It no longer carried the overlap of two voices—Sharika's and hers—but only the commanding, grand tone of a goddess above mortals.

The girls blinked once, twice, then—before they could even tell when—a figure was suddenly standing before all of them. A woman clad in Egyptian attire.

Her head was bound by a lioness headdress, topped with a wide-necked cobra. A beaded collar in red, green, and blue sat over a white kalasiris that covered her upper body, and a blood-red procardium draped from her waist down to her ankles.

The only accessories she wore were golden bracelets wrapped around her wrists and biceps, making her look modest and gaudy at once.

[I, Sekhmet, the Sun Goddess, shall bear witness to your attempt at reaching godhood!]

"T-This is..."

As soon as they saw her figure, all the girls' bodies moved on their own. They knelt on the ground, pressing their foreheads to the floor.

They prostrated before Sekhmet even without meaning to!

Of course, all of them except Fenrir fell to this invisible force.

"Cut the crap, Sekhmet. Just start the trial." She said, arms crossed, as if she weren't part of the test at all, only here as an observer.

And technically, she was.

Fenrir was already a goddess, after all—though her powers were currently sealed. That meant even if she retook the ascension test, it wouldn't change anything.

The only reason she'd come was to watch over the girls, and at the same time, borrow a god's knowledge to help herself.

The last seal on Gleipnir. As long as she found a clue as to how to break it, Fenrir could easily rank back among the top gods and goddesses.

She would have the power to protect Axel, everyone, and even the entire Axevaria Kingdom against all enemy forces.

But that would only come after the girls finished their test.

[Fenrir... You're in my domain right now. Shouldn't you show me a hint of respect, at least?]

Sekhmet sighed, seemingly unsurprised by her attitude. No, she actually looked nostalgic, as if reminiscing on old memories.

"Yeah, yeah. Just start the test. We don't have time."

But Fenrir didn't really care much.

She simply moved to the side, sat cross-legged, and watched.

[This bitch, really...]

Sekhmet sounded exasperated, but also found her words true enough.

It wasn't as if Eve and the rest could stay in her domain forever. The longer they lingered in an upper dimension—one their bodies weren't made to handle—the more their lives would be forfeit.

[Alright, as Fenrir said, you'll all be facing a test. A test to see if you're worthy of taking the first step toward godhood.]

As soon as she began explaining, the invisible force released the girls, letting them rise to their feet. Every eye turned to Sekhmet at once. They watched her hands move sensually, almost like a dance, tracing the shape of her body and face until every gaze settled on her fingertip.

Above it, a small orb appeared.

A ball of flame, burning bright like a miniature of the giant sun behind her.

[And that first step is... finding your essence.]

"Essence...?" Arianne raised a brow. "Goddess Sekhmet, could you please tell us what this essence is...?"

[I can't. That's something for you to find out, not for me to hand you.]

But her answer was decisive.

She didn't entertain Arianne's doubts, but instead tried to steer her thoughts in a certain direction.

[Every god and goddess embodies an essence. Take me, for example—the sun. There's also one who embodies medicine, like Asclepius. Or war, like Ares. There are as many essences as there are stars in the sky.]

"Uhm..."

This time, it was Eve who raised her hand to speak.

Sekhmet turned to her, then nodded, granting her express permission.

"Once we have an essence in mind... what do we do next?" She asked.

[That?]

Sekhmet sighed once more, as if she couldn't believe she was hearing such a foolish question.

[In this upper dimension, as long as you find your essence, a spark should bloom within your soul. That spark is the first step to entering godhood.] She explained.

"A spark... in the soul..."

Although the reply had been standoffish, and honestly a bit condescending, Eve didn't voice even a hint of displeasure. Instead, she found meaning in the words, and let them settle.

Without waiting, she closed her eyes and meditated.

[Oh...?]

Her actions immediately caught the attention of both Sekhmet and Fenrir.

After all, as soon as she closed her eyes, Eve's body began releasing a faint, gentle golden glow. It was so faint it felt almost like a mistake—a trick of the light. But to two god-level beings, such a sight could mean only one thing.

[This girl's quite promising. To think she's already on the verge of grasping her essence the moment she closed her eyes...]

"Well, she's my Master's first queen, after all. This much should be a given!" Fenrir shot back, looking proud, as though it were her own achievement.

Seeing Eve gain insight so quickly, the other girls began in their own ways as well.

Arianne didn't meditate like Eve did. Instead, she moved to the side and started swinging her sword through practice forms, as if simply training.

Ria and Nina moved together, whispering to each other.

Maria, Cherry, and Beatrix followed Eve's lead. They settled comfortably onto the black ground and closed their eyes to meditate.

Of course, discovering one's essence wasn't so easy.

Eve, for one, simply had good insight and a limited but deep understanding of herself, which let her find the answer so quickly. Not everyone was as fortunate.

Deep in her meditation, her thoughts soon drifted, the passage of time feeling vague.

'I am... my King's, Axel's, wife.'

She thought, her mind calm.

'I am his subject. One under his protection.'

'But can I only be the one protected? Can't I be the one to protect him instead?'

'I... want to be his asset. His weapon.'

'I... am... his rifle.'

And just like that, after 24 hours of meditation, Eve's body suddenly exploded with a bright flash of light.