Chapter 475: Cooperation (8)

Perseus POV

"Isfrid is already in the process of replacement, Maple has confirmed her retirement after the war...a lot of us will." Lilith continued, "The world doesn't even need us anywhere. Mortals have grown, they've evolved. They don't need the guiding hand of gods and goddesses meddling in their affairs. They've learned to govern themselves, to create their own destinies.

"Look around. Science explains what was once mystical. Technology accomplishes feats that were once deemed divine. Mortals have taken the reins of their own fate, crafting their own stories without needing us to intervene or manipulate them.

"Mortals have shown resilience, innovation, and adaptability beyond what we could have imagined. They've outgrown the need for our influence. It's time for us to step aside, and retire gracefully into the annals of history.

"Let the mortals pave their own path, create their own myths, and forge their own legends. The world doesn't need us anymore, and maybe it's for the better. They deserve the chance to govern themselves, to explore their potential without the specter of gods and goddesses looming over them."

She definitely rehearsed this.

"Our time has come and gone. It's time to fade away, to let the mortal realm thrive on its own. They are ready. The world doesn't need us anymore, and perhaps it's time we accepted that truth and embraced our own retirement."

"Wait, no! You're pregnant?!"

Ruka must be holding Leilah back right now because they're both close by.

"Duh, I suggested it a couple of nights ago. You're the one who said that you'll take responsibility, so I turned my powers off."

"Wait, don't be hurt, I'm actually looking forward to this, but we just did it a couple of nights ago, how does it-"

"I'm a goddess. I know when and where."

"Alright then. We'll talk more about this later."

"Good." she nodded, "Bye y'all, just sign the contract already, all of you wanted this contract to happen, you'll have mine and Maple's blessings."

"Who's Maple?" a couple of humans whispered and gossiped between themselves.

"You bastard!" Jerah shouted all of a sudden and charged at me, but I dodged him completely, "You got my daughter pregnant?!"

"Oh no, I would have never done such a thing."

"Are you accusing my daughter of cheating?"

"No, if she did, I would know, I can sense any lies and dishonesty, I'm a trickster, I know it when I see it since I'm quite shrewd myself." I then turned to the rest, "I see it in your eyes and the fact that the heroes and demon lord himself are here...sign the contract already, and I'll take all of you on."

I summoned a surge of power, letting it swirl around me like an electric current. The energy crackled in the air, a potent display of my strength meant to assert my dominance in the room. The heroes and the demon lord, though formidable in their own right, tensed at the sudden surge of power. 

The air seemed to vibrate with the raw energy I'd unleashed, an unspoken challenge hanging in the charged atmosphere. It was a silent assertion, a reminder that amidst their internal conflicts, I remained the wild card, an unpredictable force they couldn't control.

The room fell into stunned silence, the weight of my display settling in like a heavy cloak. But in this game of power, sometimes a bold show of strength was the best way to command attention and reassert my position in a room filled with formidable adversaries.

"Well, y'all, sign the contract, cuz I got a kid coming my way, and I'll make sure that this world will no longer have a war by the end of it. After all, I am the strongest, I achieved the 11th star."

"Bullshit!" Lachlan retorted and grabbed my collar

"Wanna fight here and find out?"

I can see the hesitance in his eyes, I'm the first celestial, a being that transcends the regular mortal boundaries, I can sense it, for the first time in forever, I can take a demon lord in a one-on-one fight, and I'm sure to come out winning.

He can sense it as well, and that made me somewhat ecstatic.

"I never go back on a lie, Lachlan. I told you that I'm going to marry your goddess, and the path is heading right toward it, wanna defeat me? Team up with everyone here, only then, will you be able to take me down."

"You are not worthy of the mantle of the next chief, a chief won't sacrifice his people for his pride, you should be groveling for us to kill you and spare the rest."

"Sparing my people? After more than 400 chapters, it's too late for that, I'll be sure to come out on top...after all, I'm a celestial...the first of my kind, and I can't legacy be known as a loser."

"Perseus." God called, "Why must you be difficult?"

"Difficult?! You let that Cain idiot run rampant, I was tortured for years and had my family erased from the face of the planet, what I'm doing is what needs to be done, so good luck y'all, cuz it's either me or y'all, and I'll be sure to rewrite history with my own hands."

*****

So...apparently Leilah's pregnant too...she got pissed when I asked why she wasn't mad...fuck, I'm starting to forget what happened during the night a few days back. I'm going to have to tell my parents too.

But I can't prioritize that now, I can, Lilith is a goddess, she isn't allowed to give birth to demigods, so she will have to eventually become mortal and since the process is painful, I rather have this war end early, I don't want the painful process to affect my child.

My plans were already in ruins once I saw their faces, I had no hope of separating them, so I could cause infighting at best...but I was supposed to clean everyone up, not being the one cleaned up...the fake roses...and all their other secret projects...

I'm gonna need Tanner's help.