The Gods’ Gacha Game: Return of the God-King

Chapter 73: Meeting the Goddess

As we stepped outside the Grand Colosseum, we were immediately met by a small group of divine warriors—spectators who had watched the entire fight from afar.

“There he is!”

“That was unbelievable… Did you really beat that menace, Graham?!”

“What rank and class are you? How did you use that wind spell like that?”

The questions came all at once. The crowd wasn’t hostile, but the energy was overwhelming. Some were awe-struck, others were practically begging for answers, or just trying to touch my shoulder like I was some kind of holy relic.

“Okay, this is getting weird,” Michelle muttered, instinctively stepping back.

“We should go,” I said quietly to the others.

Boris didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Before they start asking for autographs or trying to name their kids after you.”

Well, the latter is very unlikely, but whatever.

Without waiting for another question, we slipped past the crowd, ducked around a corner, and disappeared down a quieter street, leaving the commotion behind.

But of course, not everyone watching was caught up in celebration. Along the way, I noticed a few groups lingering in the distance with calculating gazes. Unlike the cheering crowd, they weren’t here to admire me, but instead, they saw an opportunity. Now that Graham was gone, nothing stood in their way of building factions and carving up Fantasia for themselves.

I had no intention of stopping them, though. To begin with, leading these divine warriors held little appeal. I already had a different plan in mind. A plan that would bring me the plausibility I needed most.

Sure, these divine warriors would be useful when the Battle of Divine Will arrived. But Graham wasn’t the only powerful figure in Fantasia. He may have been the strongest, but there were plenty of hidden dragons waiting for their moment to strike. Trying to control them at my current strength would be a fool’s errand.

No, what I needed was a force I could trust my back to. One that moved when I moved. One that was entirely under my control.

As I was entertaining that thought, we finally reached our inn in District E. Though we had advanced to Gimmel rank and had the resources to relocate to a better place in District D, we decided to spend one last night here. None of us had the energy to scout for new accommodation today, and after everything that happened, familiarity felt comforting.

The innkeeper of the place we were staying at in District E was an elderly man. He blinked in surprise when we walked back in—worn, battered, and triumphant. Unlike the middle-aged lady from our first inn, he was a man of few words. He simply gave us a warm nod and quietly offered to prepare something for our return.

Though it was still mid-afternoon, we settled around a corner table in the dining area, treating ourselves to an early dinner. The food was simple—grilled meat, thick bread, and vegetable stew—but it was warm, filling, and far more satisfying than anything we’d eaten in days. After all, during the scenario, we’d been living off jerky and whatever scraps we could scavenge. Maybe next time, we could bring cooked meals from here into the scenario.

Boris raised his wooden mug filled with ale, grinning from ear to ear. “To surviving the impossible!”

Michelle blinked in surprise at the toast, then quickly raised her own cup to clink against his. “To finishing the scenario and not dying halfway through.”

They both turned to look at me.

I let out a tired breath and offered a small smile as I lifted my cup. “To not getting eaten by an eldritch horror.”

And with that, we drank.

The food wasn’t lavish, but in that moment, it tasted like a banquet. For the first time in what felt like forever, we weren’t running, fighting, or trying to survive. Just eating, talking, and breathing. Even if only for a brief while, peace felt real.

The conversation remained light at first, with Boris grumbling about the lack of proper alcohol, while Michelle recounted her experience advancing her class. I chimed in with an explanation of what happened during my fight with Graham after we split up at the Hall of Classes at their behest.

We truly were just three people sharing a meal after surviving something we probably shouldn’t have.

Then Boris leaned back in his chair, his face growing more serious. “Say, what actually happened with their head honcho? How did he turn into that horrifying thing?” He paused, his expression hardening. “I’ve seen a lot in my life, but never something like that. I haven’t felt fear like that since my military days.”

Boris’s frank words caught me off guard.

So even Boris felt fear? I raised an eyebrow. He’d stared down powerful monsters, brutal enemies, and life-threatening scenarios without flinching. But whatever Graham had become... it had shaken even him.

That reaction was perfectly reasonable.

Even I—someone who had once been a God-King in a past life—had felt a flicker of fear when standing face-to-face with a creature that could’ve killed me without effort. I might have retained some of my former knowledge, fragmented though it was, but at the end of the day, I was still a mortal. Flesh and blood.

“I really thought we were going to die back there…” Michelle said, exhaling softly. “Thankfully, Lady Raphael arrived just in time.”

“Mm. Graham seems to have come into contact with an eldritch being during one of the scenarios and made a contract with it,” I explained, keeping my tone calm. “Whatever his reason was isn’t important. What matters is that we stay cautious in case we ever encounter that being again.”

Both Boris and Michelle nodded in agreement, their expressions turning serious.

To be frank, I was the one who’d triggered the situation to begin with. I had absorbed the faith stored in that being’s statue in order to acquire my legendary class. It was no surprise that it held a grudge. But telling them that wouldn’t help anyone.

Not now.

And besides, I wasn’t sure how I’d even begin to explain the truth—not without revealing who I had been in my past life… and that was a conversation I wasn’t ready to have.

“In any case, this is still beyond us at the moment,” I continued, trying to divert the topic. “We need to get stronger as soon as possible… I’m pretty sure there’s a major battle on the horizon.”

The Battle of Divine Will.

“You’re right.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I caught the look in Boris’s eyes as he clenched his fists. There was clear frustration there—maybe even shame. He hadn’t been able to do anything against the vessel of that eldritch being, and that had clearly left a mark on him. Michelle, meanwhile, was no less determined. Whatever doubts she might have had before were gone now.

Even if we each had our own goals, our own reasons for walking this path, we shared one thing in common. We were all here to survive—and to see our purposes through to the end.

And that was all that mattered.

***

After I took care of all my needs and even cleaned myself up, I returned to my bedroom. As soon as I closed the door, a small white figure shimmered into existence mid-air with a smug face.

I let out a tired sigh. “You truly give me no time to rest, huh, Raphael.”

“Oh, please,” she said, floating in a lazy up-and-down motion near the ceiling. “I gave you time to eat dinner and clean yourself. That’s more than enough.”

I slumped down onto the bed, rubbing my temples. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

She landed softly on the edge of the desk, folding her legs with exaggerated grace. “No. You’re being summoned.”

Naturally, I knew exactly what she meant by that, but I couldn’t help teasing her a little.

“By who?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

Raphael crossed her arms. “Have you forgotten? Who else? Lady Istellia. She wants to meet you—now. So hurry up. I don’t want to be the one making her wait.”

As I suspected, it was finally time to meet Istellia—the Goddess of Imagination, my patron deity, and the divine ruler of this entire realm. She was the one responsible for summoning me back to Divine Will as her divine warrior.

And now that I thought about it, there was something else I’d been wondering.

How had I regained so much of my past life’s memories the moment I arrived here? How had I known, with absolute clarity, that it hadn’t all been just a dream?

That question had been lurking at the back of my mind for a while now. Maybe… she had the answer.

“Now?” I asked, sitting upright and continuing to play along. “Why the rush?”

Raphael frowned as though looking at an idiot. “Well, you just won the duel to the death against the strongest divine warrior in Fantasia, flipped the political hierarchy of Fantasia on its head, and had an indirect encounter with an eldritch being. She’s intrigued. And more importantly—she’s waiting.”

Honestly, I didn’t feel completely ready. But there was no real choice here, was there?

“Enough dilly-dallying. I’ve already told you more than I should,” Raphael huffed, placing her tiny hands on her hips. “If Lady Istellia didn’t value you so highly, I wouldn’t have been this patient. You should have rejoiced to be given this chance since you’re the first divine warrior to meet her.”

“Very well, then. Bring me there.” I snapped my fingers lightly. “What do I need to do?”

Raphael’s expression softened slightly, and she explained, “You don’t need to do anything. Just follow me. And remember, don’t do anything stupid. If you cross the line… I won’t be able to guarantee your safety.”

“Oh, how comforting.”

Her wings glimmered faintly as she raised one hand, conjuring a portal swirling with radiant, star-like energy in front of her.

“Let’s go,” she said, floating through without another word.

I took one last breath, squared my shoulders, and stepped in after her. The moment I did, the world completely changed.

Gone were the walls of my inn, replaced by a vast hall that stretched far beyond anything mortal architecture could conceive. The air was lit up with threads of starlight, and the marble beneath my feet gleamed like it had been carved from condensed moonlight. All around me, the space pulsed with imagination—visible particles moved ever so subtly between states of dream and reality.

This was Istellia’s divine throne room.

At the far end, atop a staircase that seemed to float rather than rest on the ground, sat the goddess herself. She looked nothing like I had imagined.

A young girl—no older than eighteen in appearance—with impossibly long silver hair that cascaded like silk. Her eyes were a brilliant, unnatural crimson, glowing softly with unfathomable power. She wore an elegant black dress, adorned with black lace, white frills, and a large violet ribbon on her waist. At her collar sat a gemstone brooch, pulsing faintly with divine light. In her hands, she held a black lantern that radiated a gentle golden glow—though the energy within it told me this wasn’t just an accessory, but a divine weapon in disguise.

She was beautiful in a way that was both ethereal and unsettling… She resembled a porcelain doll brought to life by sheer divine will. It was just too perfect, causing an urge to kneel before her to appear within me.

But I knew better than to be deceived by appearances. Even a newborn goddess like her had likely existed for hundreds of years. Despite looking slightly younger than Michelle, Istellia’s age, power, and mind were far beyond anything human.

Then her gaze met mine, and I felt something cold and godly brush against my mind.

“Oh… a human who exists beyond the bounds of space and time—Maximillian Anderson,” she said softly, her voice a lullaby woven with thunder. “At last… we meet.”