I Enslaved The Goddess Who Summoned Me

“My father.”

The words came out bitter, hollow.

“Boreas. He was killed by a Beast of Iblis.” Her voice trembled ever so slightly before she forced it into steadiness. “And now… now he has become one of them. A Corrupted God.”

I had never seen such a sorrowful expression on Khione’s face—yet beneath that sorrow burned a raw, seething hatred.

Her father had been slain by Iblis. That alone was enough to fuel her vengeance. But it wasn’t just about that, was it? No, she wasn’t merely after retribution. She wanted to wipe out every last Corrupted God. She wanted them erased from existence.

Then, suddenly, a realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. My eyes widened.

“Azariah’s father—the Corrupted God who tainted her bloodline…” My voice was slow, hesitant, as the pieces clicked together. “It was your father, wasn’t it?”

Khione’s jaw tightened.

“He is not my father anymore,” she spat, her voice laced with venom. “But yes… that thing… that abomination is wearing his body. Using it, defiling it—twisting it into something monstrous.” Her hands trembled at her sides. “He slaughtered my entire family with his own hands… and since then, I have been alone.”

I reached out and grasped her hand firmly.

“You aren’t alone, Khione,” I told her, my voice steady and resolute. “I’m here. Nivea is here. You have a family now.”

For a moment, she simply stared at me, her icy blue eyes searching my face as if trying to discern whether my words were empty or real. Then, without a word, she squeezed my hand tighter—silent, but unmistakable in the way she tried to reassure herself with my presence.

Khione was never one to express herself easily. So instead of speaking, she simply nodded.

“You want to kill him,” I continued. “And that’s understandable. But for now, the Demon King is no more.” I exhaled slowly. “Still… I’ll confirm it for myself.”

Azariah.

I had avoided questioning her about her father all this time. I never pressed her for the truth, never forced her to relive those memories. But now? If it meant helping Khione, I would ask. And I knew Azariah wouldn’t hold back anymore—she would tell me.

Khione gave a small nod, a hint of appreciation flickering in her gaze.

Then, after a deep breath, she turned her eyes forward, gathering her thoughts before speaking again.

“After my family was slaughtered, I swore I would hunt them all down. Every last Corrupted God. I searched for years, but they hid well. I could never find them—until the Demon King appeared.” Her fingers curled into fists, her voice thick with frustration. “He was once a good man. A noble ruler. And then he changed. He was consumed—tainted by a powerful Corrupted God. By him.” She clenched her jaw. “I went to Olympus. I pleaded with the Gods to help me. I warned them. Begged the other Pantheons to listen—to understand the threat we faced. But they ignored me.”

I already knew where this was going.

“So you used forbidden magic,” I said, finishing her thought.

Khione nodded.

“The summoning of Heroes,” she confirmed.

And just like that, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

She hadn’t done it out of some grand design. She hadn’t done it for glory or power.

She had done it because no one else would act. Because she was alone.

Because it was her only choice.

“The first time I invoked that forbidden power was seventy years ago. Back then, I did so in secrecy, ensuring the Gods remained unaware of my actions. I moved in the shadows, manipulating events beyond their watchful eyes. To achieve my goal, I turned to the Empire of Light, an entity I had already come to understand intimately. Their people, their rulers, their beliefs—all of it was laid bare before me, making them the perfect instruments for my design. With careful planning, I wielded the forbidden magic and, for the first time in history, summoned the Heroes from another world.”

She paused, her gaze distant, as though she were seeing those events unfold once more.

“And those Heroes,” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “How did they compare to us?”

A faint, almost melancholic smile touched her lips. “They were… different,” she admitted. “Far less accepting of their fate than you and your companions. For a full month, they refused to take up arms, resisting their role in the battle against darkness. They struggled against their new reality, unable to grasp why they had been chosen or what was expected of them. But then came the day that changed everything.”

She inhaled slowly, her voice taking on a sharper edge as she continued. “The Demons attacked the palace. I had foreseen it, of course. I knew the exact moment the assault would begin, the devastation it would bring. And yet, I did nothing. I allowed it to happen. I stood back and watched as the chaos unfolded. Because only through the fire of battle would they understand the truth of this world.”

Her fingers curled slightly, as if grasping at memories long past.

“When they saw the carnage, when they faced death with their own eyes, something shifted within them. It was no longer a mere story they had been told. It was reality. It was survival. That day, they understood—if they wished to live, they had to fight. And so, begrudgingly at first, they began to train. Slowly but surely, they adapted. The process of bestowing Skills was still in its infancy back then—crude, unstable, far from refined. They struggled to master their abilities, fumbling in the dark with powers they barely understood. But they had no choice. This world would not wait for them to catch up. They learned through hardship, through blood and battle. And in time, they became the Heroes they were meant to be.”

She let out a soft chuckle, though there was no humor in it.

“The people of the Empire of Light witnessed their rise, and soon, the other kingdoms followed suit. They all came to grasp the significance of the summoned Heroes—the immense potential they held. It was a turning point, one that would shape history forever.”

Her gaze darkened. “At first, the Gods remained silent. Many among them disapproved of the forbidden magic, but instead of condemning me outright, they merely watched. I believe they were entertained—intrigued by the spectacle of the Heroes and the battles they waged. Even in those days, despite the monstrous power the Demon King displayed, the Gods failed to take the threat seriously. Perhaps they were right not to. Perhaps, had they truly wished, they could have erased the Demon King with but a thought. And yet, I understood something they did not.”

She exhaled, her expression unreadable. “A threat left unchecked will only grow. And if allowed to fester for too long, it will spiral beyond anyone’s control. That was why I acted—why I did what had to be done before it was too late.”

“What about the Heroes?” I asked, watching Khione carefully.

She exhaled softly before answering. “They took it far more seriously than the Gods ever did, obviously,” she said, her voice carrying a note of quiet sorrow. “Unlike the Gods, they were the ones in immediate danger. They were the ones forced to fight for their survival. And because of that, they stood together.”

Her gaze drifted into the distance, lost in memories. “They were much closer than your class or even the second group of summoned Heroes. They trusted each other completely, forming an unbreakable bond. They relied on one another in ways you and your peers never have. But…” her voice faltered for a moment, growing quieter, “even that wasn’t enough.”

I studied her expression carefully. The way her eyes darkened, the way her lips pressed together—she was mourning. “You were close to them, weren’t you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Khione nodded slowly, her expression tightening.

“It wasn’t easy at first,” she admitted. “They struggled to understand why they had been summoned, why they were being asked to risk their lives in a world they barely knew. And I understood their frustration. Their fear. But I needed them. I knew they had the potential to change everything, to tip the scales in our favor.

“Eventually, after much hesitation, they accepted their fate. And when they did, our relationship changed. We grew closer. I helped them become stronger, guided them in understanding their Skills, taught them the rules of this world. I did everything in my power to prepare them, giving them all the knowledge and support I could offer.”

She let out a soft, humorless chuckle. “It may sound foolish now, but… I considered them my friends. True friends. We shared a deep bond, and I watched them grow into formidable warriors. Stronger than I had ever imagined. I truly believed—” she swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper, “—that nothing could stop them. That they would succeed where so many others had failed. That they could kill him. The Demon King.”

Then, suddenly, her entire demeanor shifted. Her hands clenched into fists, her body tense with barely restrained emotion.

“But it wasn’t enough.”

She forced herself to breathe, but the weight of her grief was unmistakable.

“When the day of the battle finally arrived, it lasted for three days. Three days of relentless bloodshed, of exhaustion, of desperation. And everything… everything went wrong.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but she pressed on. “By the laws of the Gods, I was forbidden to interfere. I was powerless to step in, to save them, to turn the tide. And perhaps—” she bit her lip, her frustration bleeding through “—perhaps I was gullible. Perhaps, deep down, I still believed they would triumph. That their strength, their unity, would be enough.”

She looked down, her fingers curling tighter. “But it wasn’t. When I finally made my decision to intervene, it was already too late.”

Her next words came out in a whisper, but they carried the weight of devastation. “They were gone. Every last one of them. Destroyed by the Demon King’s dark magic.”

The pain in her voice was undeniable.

“That Demon King… he was stronger than even me. I was ready to fight him myself—to avenge them—but before I could, Aphrodite pulled me away.”

She fell silent after that, lost in the ghosts of the past.