Girl Who Killed a God Remake - Chapter Twelve

A sudden heat boiled in her gut, just above her navel. It burned with an agony so intense her darkness crept in from the side of her vision and threatened to swallow her whole. Molten fire stabbed into her and grabbed a fistful of her intense and twisted. She gasped and doubled over, nearly collapsing right off the bench. Only her sheer force of will kept her upright as everything inside her writhed in utter torment.

Gritting her teeth so hard blood began pooling in her mouth, Grace fought back a scream as she gripped the edge of the bench and rode out the blistering heat eating her alive. Sweat dripped down her face and stung her eyes. Salt mixed with the tang of copper on her lips and blood bubbled throguh her clenched teeth as a hiss escape her throat. Her will was strong, but no one was strong enough to withstand such pain.

Blood and saliva dribbled down her chin as she opened her mouth to scream when she blinked her eyes open and through the sheen of tears caught sight of Levi still playing with his friends. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to stay her cries. If she screamed, Levi and the rest would come rushing over, and she couldn’t explain this, nor could she bear the worry that would fill her little brother’s face.

Of the two, Grace knew which one she could endure.

Turning her head Grace bit down on her shirt sleeve and bicep and howled into her shoulder. She hoped it would be enough to muffle her cries, but at that moment, she didn’t care about anything but screaming away the pain.

After what must’ve been an eternity screaming through clenched teeth, her flesh gave and she bit deep into her arm. Her own fresh blood pooled through the fabric and flowed down her throat, turning her scream into a harsh gargle.

And yet the pain persisted even as she tore a chunk of flesh from her own arm with her teeth. Warmth snaked down her arm and legs as she lost control of herself from the pain. She didn’t have enough left inside her to even be ashamed as she succumbed to the raging inferno inside of her and let the cool embrace of darkness overtake her.

A soft breeze against her feverish skin brought her back a moment later, and as she blinked the sunspots out of her eyes, she took a deep breath and tasted the lingering rust in her mouth.

Turning a spitting up a gob of blood, Grace basked in the absence of pain as she slowly came back to herself. Blood was crusted to her shirt and dried in streaks down her arm, but the pain in her stomach was no longer there.

In fact, even her arm didn’t hurt, and as she gingerly peeled back her torn shirt, she found her skin whole and unblemished. The bite wound was gone. Taking an even deeper breath, Grace tasted new notes in the air as her eyes caught so much more than they had just moments ago. It was a stark difference from her already enhanced senses that she immediately noticed the difference.  

When she pulled up her status, she was shocked by what she found.

[Stat Page]

Name: Grace Akem

Race: Divine Human (Partial Evolution)

Age: 16

Divine Core Tier: Nascent

Essence: 0/5000

Rank: Agent

[Attributes]

Physical: 9→12

Mental: 7→10

Spiritual: 8→10

The first thing Grace noticed was that she’d lost all of her accumulated Essence—or what was left of it after she’d upgraded her skills. It was a loss, but in comparison to what she’d gained from her recklessness, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

She’d gained far more that she’d lost. Far, far more.

It was an acceptable price to pay in her eyes.

Divine human… so I’m not just a godblessed warrior any longer. I’ve already started my ascension to godhood… or something close to it at least.

Even with the divine Essence she’d devoured, when compared to the ocean of power inside Azaroth, it was little more than a drop in the bucket. No matter how pure the divine Essence she’d taken had been, it wasn’t nearly enough for her to become a god.

Which only left one thing she could become.

“A demigod,” she whispered, staring up at the beautiful sky for a long time as the weight of the word settled in her chest.

A rustle of cloth from beside her snapped her out of her thoughts and she glanced over that god she’d just taken a bite out of and wondered briefly if he was about to kill her. Grace didn’t think he would—which was one of the only reasons she’d willingly risked so much to steal a piece of divinity in the first place. He needed her. Maybe not as much as she needed him, but enough that she didn’t think he would willingly throw away a tool as valuable as her simply for sneaking a bite.

However, she was about to find out.

Azaroth composed himself and sat upright on the bench, tilting his head to stare at her with a very conflicted expression on his face. Grace wasn’t an expert on reading people by any means, but even she couldn’t fail to miss the sheer outrage on the god’s face. In the depths of his obsidian gaze, there was also a terrible fury, but also pride and quiet amusement. The slight quick of a smile on his sharp face added to the certainty that he wasn’t going to kill her.

He kept staring at her for another long moment before he blinked and let out a dark chuckle. “I’ve never known any mortal so foolish to attempt what you’ve just done… but, I can’t deny that kind of daring and fire is exactly why I chose you in the first place. It was even more foolish of me to open myself up to a predator and not expect to get bitten.” He finally relaxed back on the bench and winked at her before turning his face once more to the sky. “Though you’ve not made things any easier on yourself, I’m afraid.”

“What do you mean?”

Azaroth shrugged. “Exactly what I said.” He sighed. “By taking in my divinity, you’ve altered the very nature of your being. You are no longer human, but neither are you a god. As you worked out for yourself, you are partially between a human and a demigod. But as of right now, you’re an aberration in natural order. Divine humans have always been the offspring of gods and mortals… but a part of neither world. Eventually, the divinity overpowers their humanity and starts rewriting their body, tearing it apart from the inside out.”

He looked at me and shook his head.

“Most Divine Humans don’t live for more than a few years before they wither and die.”

Grace’s breath hitched in her chest at the god’s warning. In the space of a few heartbeats, she’d gone from being well on her way to becoming a god, to having her life cut down to only a few short years.

A frigid chill clawed at her gut. Fear like she’d never known before dug into her and drug itself along her spine. She fought back a shiver and worked to calm her racing thoughts and emotions. Within a few deep breaths, the familiar clarity of logic and apathy cut through the fear like a blade.

Grace exhaled slowly and gathered her thoughts.

Divine Humans born from the tyrsts of gods and mortals… born. Created. Not carved out like a piece of meat and devoured. Besides, a newborn’s body is too frail and weak to ever be able to withstand such power… but I’m no newborn. I’m of age. And as sad as it is to admit, I’m nearly full grown.

Besides, I doubt many mortals have ever been in my position before. Who’s to say I can’t handle this? Wallowing in fear gets me nowhere. I need a plan of action.

Even if it’s taking another bite out of a god…

Grace met Azaroth’s eyes and refused to blink. “And exactly how many divine humans have ever been created at my age?”

He smirked and arched an eyebrow. “None that I know of. Maybe one of the gods have experimented over the millennia, but if they have, they kept it to themselves.”

“Exactly.” Grace sighed, basking in relief as the fear drained out of her. She crossed her legs and shifted on the bench as a cool breeze whispered through the courtyard. “So we’re in uncharted territory here.”

Azaroth stroked his chin. “Perhaps. And I’ve never heard of any divine human with access to the system. By its very nature, it allows one to adapt and grow beyond their mortal limitations.” Something like wonder sparkled in his black gaze as he looked at her. “It could very well help you withstand the power of divinity you’ve taken from me.”

Grace laughed and winked at him. “You still pissed?”

The god snorted. “Hardly. This is exciting. I can’t wait to see what happens.” He snorted and let out a breath. “And it’s a good reminder that you’re a double-edged sword—a blade that could just as easily be wielded against me if I’m not careful.”

Grace smiled sweetly at him. “Just remember to treat me as a partner and not as a tool. So long as you keep your end of the bargain, I have no qualms working for you. I’ll back you all the way to god emperor as long as you do right by me.”

Azaroth glanced over at Levi playing with his friends. “And what about after I’m emperor?”

She snorted. “Well, I figure you have at least a couple thousand years before I get bored of being a god king. Plenty of time to figure out whether I’ll want your job or not.”

The Sovereign of the Endless Abyss stared at her and blinked before bursting into raucous laughter. “Oh, I picked a good one for sure.” He kept laughing through his words as he continued speaking. “I’m gonna have to keep on my toes around you, that’s for damn sure.”

After he got himself under control, Azaroth went silent for a moment as the two of them sat there on the bench and watched the world go by without them. It took several minutes of Grace staring out as life returned to Lowtown before she spoke up once more.

“Earlier, you said you have work for me. What is it?”

“you need to go to the guards and bring a group to a building. Your heart will lead you there. You will find a few more of their comrades, dead like the first.”

“Did you kill them?” she asked, ignoring the instructions he was giving.

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is what comes next.”

“And what is–”

Dozens of red boxes with text started appearing in her vision, and the weight of them pressed against her mind. For a moment, it was enough for Grace to vomit, but then the sensation faded, and she blinked, suddenly able to take them all in without issue.

Is this because of my divinity?

A moment after she took a deep breath, Azaroth spoke. “I told you things were coming. You’ve stolen a portion of the strength you’ll need, but even I don’t know if it’ll be enough. The only way to know for sure is through overkill. Become so strong that no one can possibly stand against you. That is the power you will need to survive. That is the power I will grant you if you follow my instructions.”

She started reading the messages when a snap jolted her from her thoughts. In a second, all of the screens were gone except one.

[Divine Revelation Received!]

One Quest Pending!

Recompense of the Fallen: Lure a squad of Toran Justiciars into a trap and kill them.

Reward: 1200 Essence

Failure Penalty: Divine Interference Detected! Penalty Overruled!

“Oh, what’s this?” Azaroth said. “Well, isn’t that interesting. It seems your fragment of Divinity is directly interfering with my ability to influence you… isn’t that something?”

Grace scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. “What does that mean? That you no longer have any control over me?”

Azaroth turned to her and smiled—though there was no warmth in it—instead, there was a deep cruelty there. A malicious intent.

“Oh no, Grace. I can still control you quite easily. I just can’t punish you directly. But that doesn’t mean I can’t punish those nearest you.”

Suddenly, the quest changed.

Recompense of the Fallen: Lure a squad of Toran Justiciars into a trap and kill them.

Reward: 1500 Essence (Bonus Applied to uphold the law of Reciprocity)

Failure Penalty: Levi’s Wraithlung Worsens.

“If you fail me, your brother’s nascent disease will spread. At his age, he might survive it with continued treatment, but it will permanently scar his lungs. He’ll lose at least thirty percent of function.”

“You bastard.”

“Don’t mistake who you aligned yourself with Grace. I’m not good or righteous or even just. I’m a very selfish god. But I don’t mind helping those who help me. So long as I get what I want, I’ll reward you well. That was the deal, you’ll remember.” He turned and glanced at her, his eyes glinting like obsidian glass. “And don’t for a second forget your role in all of this.”

“And what would that be?” Grace asked, scoffing.

“Why it’s quite simple my dear.” Azaroth leaned in close and dropped his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “You’re the villain of this story.”