Goddess Kaleidoscope

However, in the last few days, Hume could clearly feel that the sudden fainting spells had disappeared, replaced by a strange palpitation. Because the symptoms were not as severe as before, and came on and went quickly, Hume did not report every episode so as not to worry Ludd too much.

In essence, Hume and the imposter are both thieves, or rather, "differentiated individuals" born from the concept of the thief. They are not incompatible, but there must be a master-servant relationship. That is to say, there is only one true thief, and the other must either disappear or submit.

Therefore, Hume knew very well that without Ludwig's all-out help, he and Fallen Leaf, sealed by divine power, would have been no match for that imposter. This was a life-saving grace, and no amount of repayment would be too much.

So these past few days, she's been incredibly bored, and Hume has been having strange ideas pop into her head from time to time that she finds utterly absurd.

How about... we practice "repaying kindness" beforehand?

"What the hell am I thinking?!"

Hume took a big bite and broke the cucumber in her mouth in two. She felt she should find something to do. She couldn't be like those useless princesses in fairy tales who just sat and waited for princes to come and save them. She had to take action herself!

However, after thinking for a moment, Hume awkwardly realized that he seemed, might, probably... to be a useless good-for-nothing.

In terms of combat power, let alone Shanis, who specializes in attacking men, any random member of the Heroic Spirit Squad would be more capable than her in the present. In terms of logistical support, the three sisters are far superior to her, and even Aina, who always seems a bit silly, is more useful than her.

After much thought, Hume decided to wait for Ludd to return and then ask him directly if there was anything suitable for him to do.

Just as she was feeling utterly bored, a strange palpitation struck her again, and Hume became momentarily dazed. This strange feeling had been coming more and more frequently lately, as if it were "harassing messages" sent by the imposter. Sometimes, Hume could even hear some whispers that were not very clear, like trash talk shouted on the battlefield, specifically designed to annoy people. However, Hume could not use her divine power to retort from afar, which made her very frustrated.

"Damn it! Coming seven or eight times a day, are you crazy?!"

Unable to retaliate, Hume could only raise her middle finger at the air—a "friendly gesture" from another world that she had learned from Ludd. However, at that moment, an even stronger wave of palpitations washed over her again. Less than five minutes had passed since the last one, and Hume felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly. She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her vision blurred, and the previously inaudible whispers suddenly became clear.

"So you were here..."

The voice seemed to be right next to her ear. Hume turned her head with difficulty and vaguely saw a dark figure hugging her from behind, then slowly crawling into her body. Hume, whose body was stiff, was powerless to resist, and her consciousness quickly fell into a state of chaos...

In reality, Hume was lying in bed, his body convulsing, with a faint black aura swirling between his brows before disappearing completely into his body. Hume's body then calmed down, but his slowly opening eyes revealed a sinister aura unlike any he had before.

"Hehe, they really got in."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lud had just returned to the tavern. In the afternoon, he went to the outskirts of the city, where Conna had invited her parents from their hometown. They were currently lying in wait in the mountains not far from the city. The couple had no complaints about helping Lud fight, and were even somewhat eager to try.

As for the Three-Man Tower, surprisingly, Amy didn't call anyone. Hamilton and Debra were both out of town, apparently summoned to the capital and unable to return anytime soon. However, the third chief who remained behind replied, thanking Lud for helping them deal with Leopold, the disgrace of the Three-Man Tower, and even returning his staff; the Three-Man Tower owed him a favor.

Although the two archmages were not summoned, the three dragons that had already arrived were a formidable force that should not be underestimated. Combined with the forces already on their side, Lud now had the confidence to engage the Brotherhood head-on.

"Everything depends on the regular meeting in five days."

He instructed the Heroic Spirit Squad to rest well these few days and conserve their energy to prepare for the final assault five days later. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu De took a shower in the bathroom and then returned to his room to prepare for bed.

He had barely turned off the light and lay down when a figure slipped into his room without making a sound. Lud, who was half asleep, suddenly felt someone hiding in his bed. Startled, he almost instinctively tried to call for help, but before he could even open his mouth, the attacker covered his mouth with theirs. The soft, slightly wet sensation felt vaguely familiar to Lud.

Shh! Don't disturb the others, it's me.

Hume!?

Ludd's response was yet another kiss, slightly clumsy in technique, but this was precisely Ludd's "blind spot."

Moreover, compared to their bickering, Ludd's attention was now completely drawn to the physical contact between other parts of their bodies. Although the blanket completely obscured their view, it was clear from the touch that Hume was wearing far less clothing than Ludd, who was only wearing underwear!

Even though he had lived two lives, Ludwig had been a virgin for a total of fifty years. He had never experienced anything like this before. In addition, although he and Hume often teased each other and told dirty jokes like good brothers, they were not entirely without those feelings in their hearts.

Therefore, when Hume showed his initiative, Ludd, who was in a passive position, suddenly found that he didn't seem to be resisting at all.

The only problem was that he had a vague feeling that something was off about this overly proactive Hume.

End of this chapter

Based on Lude's understanding of Hume over the years, this dark-skinned mature woman does indeed seem to have a very unrestrained and free-spirited personality. She even once took his first kiss as a thank you gift for helping him rescue Fallen Leaf.

But in reality, this woman was far from being promiscuous. She would usually just talk nonsense or occasionally show off her "springtime." This was the first time she had ever stripped naked and crawled into bed like this.

Therefore, even though his body obediently reacted, Ludwig's mind remained clear. Having been an undercover agent for eight years in his previous life, vigilance had become an instinct, and his policeman's intuition told him that something was amiss with this Hume.

So Ludwig racked his brains, thinking of a solution, while also taking advantage of the rare opportunity to have some fun.

It's uncertain whether it's fake or not, but at least it feels quite realistic to the touch!

"Hey! What's wrong with you today? Why are you being so proactive!"

"Am I not usually proactive?"

With the help of a sliver of moonlight filtering in from the window, Ludwig could see the "Hume" pinning him down in the darkness. Their eyes met, and the dark-skinned, mature woman revealed a seductive smile that was completely different from her usual demeanor. Combined with the leading questions he had just asked, Ludwig became even more convinced that the woman before him was not the real Hume.

The awkward thing is that he's now face to face with this imposter, skin to skin, and given the current ambiguous atmosphere, they might even get closer to "negative distance." If they were to actually fight, Lud would be at a disadvantage from the start.

Fortunately, Ludd had a flash of inspiration. Since this imposter of dubious origin had misunderstood his relationship with Hume and was seducing him by throwing herself at him, he would just play along. So he grabbed her waist, flipped her over, and pinned her down.

Lude could clearly feel that the imposter's body stiffened for a moment, a sign that he subconsciously wanted to fight back, but he managed to hold back and even made a coquettish sound, which almost made Lude burst out laughing.

Having successfully gained a favorable position, Lude reached out and seized two of his opponent's most prominent "weak points," deliberately revealing a lewd grin.

But just as he was about to cast a divine spell to subdue the guy, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Shanis walked in carrying a lantern.

"Master, the second brother (Krotto) sent me to ask you whether we should add more rockets to this batch..."

Shanis entered the room yawning and immediately saw an unbelievable scene: Ludwig, who was naked, and Hume, who was also naked, were on the same bed in an extremely indecent position, with Ludwig on top of her. Ludwig's expression at that moment was so perfect that it was undeniable.

After a brief, stunned silence of less than two seconds, Shanis silently retreated to the door and closed it behind her. However, the light from the lantern revealed the slightly ajar door, indicating that Shanis hadn't left but was instead eavesdropping—a move certainly not one she would make.

The sudden intrusion of Shanis instantly changed the atmosphere in the room from ambiguous to awkward. Ludwig and the imposter Hume looked at each other, both at a loss for what to do.

Fortunately, Lud was quicker to react. Shanis's intrusion was a good thing for him. His most powerful goddess was right at the door, ready to rush in and provide support at any time. This was the perfect opportunity for him to make his move.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lude leaped off the bed, instantly casting three layers of shields on himself in mid-air. Then, he swung a chain of light at the back of his hand, heading straight for the imposter on the bed.

However, the opponent was not slow either. Although he was using Hume's body and could not use divine power due to the curse of the god of war, his basic physical qualities were still there. Therefore, even though he was half a beat slower than Rudd because of his dazed state, he still dodged Rudd's attack with ghostly movements.

Shanis, who was squatting outside and eavesdropping through the crack in the door, heard a lot of clanging and banging noises inside, and her face showed a very surprised expression.

"As expected of Master and Sister Hume, they really know how to play wildly!"

"Shanis, come quick and help!"

"Um!!!"

When Shanis was suddenly startled to hear Lud shouting at her from inside the room, she was almost stunned. But before she could even think about how she could "help", the door was suddenly kicked open from the inside, and Lud, who was almost naked, flew out through the door, leaving Shanis completely dumbfounded.

"W-What's going on?"

"What else could it be? Those inside are fake..."

Lude, who had been kicked away, sprang to his feet with a somersault. Although he looked quite disheveled, he was fortunately protected by the holy light and didn't even break a skin.

Shanis, whose reaction time was too slow, finally realized what was happening and turned to look at Hume in the room. Hume was about to jump out of the window to escape, but Ludwig had already set up a barrier in the entire room, so the imposter who tried to escape was blocked by a transparent barrier.

Seeing that the operation had failed and the room was now shrouded in a barrier, the imposter Hume glared fiercely at Ludwig, who was blocking the doorway.

She realized she had underestimated the guy. She thought there must be some special relationship between him and Hume, who was so down on his luck. She planned to seduce him and take him with her, but he easily saw through her plan and turned the tables on her.

The body she is currently using is cursed by the God of War, rendering her unable to use any divine power, thus putting her in a very unfavorable situation.

At that moment, Shanes rushed into the room, and the nun's habit formed from her secret armor transformed into a tight-fitting battle suit at her will. The imposter immediately recognized it as Vernon's equipment, which, due to its unknown creator and ability to absorb even divine power, was also known as the "Blasphemy Armor."

This secret armor wasn't just any ordinary artifact; it was a treasure she coveted and had always wanted to get it from Vernon, but she had never succeeded. Now that it had fallen into someone else's hands, she was extremely envious.

The imposter could tell that the black-haired nun in front of her was no ordinary person, and in her current state, she definitely couldn't defeat her. Meanwhile, outside, Ludwig was shouting for help, and she could already hear footsteps approaching. Her current situation was extremely unfavorable.

But just when she thought she had no choice but to abandon this divine body and escape using the "Golden Transcendental Shell," a strange spatial distortion suddenly appeared between her and Shanis, and then a figure broke through the void and appeared directly in the room.

Shanis, who was about to step forward to catch the thief, froze on the spot. The black-robed man in front of her was emanating an aura that made her uncomfortable, a kind of instinctive fear. As for Lud, who was at the door, his heart sank to the bottom the moment he saw the way the other party made his entrance.

Spatial teleportation (requires a beacon) is an ability that only mid-level gods of the fourth tier or higher can master. And the leap from the third to the fourth tier is a qualitative one! Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that the black-robed god before them is stronger than all the goddesses on Rude's side combined!

End of this chapter

Without a doubt, the black-robed man who suddenly appeared was definitely a god, and at least a mid-level god who had broken through to the fourth rank or above.

The hierarchy of gods is divided into three ranks. The first three ranks are considered lower-ranking gods. If we simply compare combat power, the first rank is actually quite weak. The second rank, depending on the god's position, is between the top-tier and the best mortal experts. The third rank is stronger than the best mortal experts, but it does not form a truly overwhelming advantage.

Therefore, until they break through to the fourth level, lower-level gods will certainly possess many special abilities that mortals cannot learn, but in terms of strength, they have not yet completely widened the gap with mortals. Only after passing the fourth level will there be a qualitative change, and only then can they become gods recognized by other gods.

However, breaking through to the fourth rank is no easy feat. Among the dozens of gods of varying ranks, less than a third are likely to be at the middle or higher level, and only the three founding families are capable of breaking through to the seventh rank and becoming high-ranking.

Incidentally, the Earth Mother Goddess once had the potential to become the fourth high god in this world, perhaps just one step away from achieving it. However, the dwarf kingdom, which was the core of her followers, collapsed in the war of the gods, and that was the end of her story.

Although Lude knew that they would eventually have to fight against mid-level gods of the fourth rank or above, he did not expect that day to come so soon and so suddenly.

"Shanise, come back!"

"master?"

"He is a mid-level deity; you are no match for Him."

Although she was very unwilling, Shanis still took two steps back and deliberately shielded Lud behind her, carefully guarding the black-robed man in front of her.

At this moment, the three sisters and the Heroic Spirit Squad arrived. The youngest sister, Lachesis, smashed her hammer against the wall of the room and rushed in rather recklessly, like a French operator. But the man in black simply raised his hand and flicked her forehead from a distance, sending Lachesis flying again.

The blonde loli goddess flew like a ball, smashing past two Heroic Spirits, before her upper body crashed through the inner wall of the adjacent room. The black-robed man then made a clenching gesture, and the ordinary wooden wall instantly transformed into a metallic steel plate, firmly trapping Lachesis and revealing her panties covered in nut and bolt patterns.

This image inevitably evokes the image of "kabejiri" (a Japanese term for a woman's buttocks).

These two seemingly casual movements revealed a powerful divine strength that Lud and the others found difficult to withstand. Given the three sisters' divine status, ordinary metals were like clay in their hands, molded into whatever shape they desired. But this ability had suddenly failed them, clearly the work of the black-robed deity.

However, what Lud was slightly concerned about was that this black-robed god of unknown origin clearly had the strength to crush them, but he didn't seem to have any intention of fighting them. He was simply running out to cover for the imposter. Otherwise, Lachesis wouldn't be stuck in the wall like this.

At this moment, the black-robed god summoned another portal to teleportation and, in a hoarse voice that was neither male nor female, commanded the imposter without turning his head.

"Let's go."

"But senior, these guys..."

"go!"

It was clear that the imposter was terrified of the black-robed god, so even though he was unwilling, he could only obediently do as the other party said. Before leaving, he glared fiercely at Lude, looking like he was holding a grudge.

Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Lude secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his mood grew heavier. The appearance of a mid-level god had completely reversed the original balance of power, and now they were at a disadvantage.

So Lude called out to the black-robed god just before he turned to cross the portal.

"May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Take a guess."

With that seemingly joking remark, the black-robed goddess vanished through the portal. As soon as she left, Lachesis, who had been firmly trapped by the metal wall, broke free. She swung her hammer, ready to fight the Black Cannon God, only to be astonished to find that he was already gone.

"Huh!? Where did that guy go?"