Epic of Caterpillar

The voice of a dragon god resonated through space where Kaze and Leonia had been summoned into.

"She is your companion's soul. Her physical body is being healed in the temple of Qondress" said a fatty and yellow dragon, his body was immense, as big as a mountain. He was the Life Attribute Dragon God, Nymbais, the Dragon God of Harvest, and Feasts.

"Ah, I am Nymbais by the way. There isn't any need to be afraid, my children" he added, trying to calm down the nervous beastmen.

"Hello, I am Qondress, the owner of this Divine Realm. Do not worry, Blaire will be healed in a few more days," said a long sea snake-like dragon, its body covered in slim and azure scales. Although his voice was soothing, his appearance was intimidating, his long jaws were filled with sharp fangs.

"And I am Brulzrayn, The Dragon God of Blazing Breath… What happened to David was my own fault. Do not feel conflicted. As the god who was supposed to protect him… I failed the simplest of tasks" said the giant red dragon. His voice was the most serious of all three.

"We cannot accept that a god should bear all the burdens, we are at fault as well…" muttered Kaze.

"Indeed… we were too weak" muttered Leonia.

"There is still hope for saving David. However, it depends on Blaire's decision," said Brulzrayn.

Blaire's soul glanced at the floor, her soul had a similar shape to her but was slightly contaminated by a dark dot, this was a cursed wound made by Zudig's attack.

"They have already explained to me various things… the truth about the world, the gods, and… and the Realm Menaces…" muttered Blaire.

"Although the three of you are not as strong as David, you were blessed by his Epic Skill, and Blaire possess one of her own. It is possible for you three to raise to even greater heights of strength, to confront David and to defeat Zudig" said Nymbais.

"Is it… really possible? Compared to David… we are mere servants… we could never…��� said Kaze.

"Kaze, is it? It is possible. With our help. We shall fully support your cause and retrieve David. He is a valuable champion that shall help save humanity" said Qondress.

"Indeed… Blaire's in specific had a latent power that she has yet to discover, and all of you do so as well. After becoming David's Legendary Party, you two obtained new potential and innate talents. With our help, it will be possible to quickly make such powers flourish" said Brulzrayn.

"Is it… really true? Could we one day defeat that evil god and save David-sama?" asked Leonia, slowly gaining some hope.

"Yes, it is possible. But we need your cooperation," said Nymbais.

"What we will do needs your approval, as I would meddle with your very souls," said Qondress.

"Are you three prepared for this? It is fine to take a few weeks to understand things properly," said Brulzrayn.

Kaze, Leonia, and Blaire looked at each other. Since they were rescued from slavery by David, they always felt that they owned him everything in the world. Now that that due to destiny, he had fallen to the hands of an evil god, they could not simply give up on him. They would not be alive in the first place if it were not for David. They were always more than ready to give up their lives for him.

"There isn't much time to think, isn't it? We must rescue David-sama from Zudig… I won't stop until I accomplish this goal, even if I die trying…" muttered Blaire, her once innocent scarlet eyes were now filled with a heroic glow.

"Blaire…" said Kaze, surprised by Blaire's words, she resembled a heroine out of nowhere.

"Y-You're right…" said Leonia, she saw in Blaire's determination a greater hope that even the words of gods could not fully give to her. Her eyes were once again ignited in willpower.

Since that event, Kaze and Leonia noticed that Blaire's personally had changed slightly, she had become more serious and had matured greatly. Since they remembered her, Blaire was always a girl that was clinging to David, she was always crying and always hoping for the best of everyone.

Such immature behaviors were less common now in her character.

"Blaire's damage is not only in her physical body but her soul as well… she had received a curse from Zudig… but this curse could also be beneficial," said Nymbais.

"Nymbais-sama… what do you mean?" asked Kaze.

"It is simpler than you imagine, Kaze. A curse conjured by a god comes from their divinities themselves. As long as the curse remains within her soul, Blaire will be 'connected' with Zudig, although slightly, she will be able approximately to know his whereabouts," said Qondress.

"But God-sama… isn't it dangerous to make a curse remain in her soul?" asked Leonia.

"It might be… but Blaire has a different soul than a simple mortal. She is an exceptional individual and could grow as strong as a Champion and a Heroine. Through maintaining the curse, which holds a piece of Zudig��s divinity, she may be able to assimilate the powers and utilize them for herself," said Brulzrayn.

"Blaire… is that true?" asked Kaze.

"Yes… This curse is my punishment, for being so weak… I shall hold it in my soul, and grow strong through it… for David-sama. I cannot falter now, Kaze, Leonia…" said Blaire's soul.

Kaze and Leonia could see Blaire's eyes blazing with an undying determination. Although there was also melancholy, there was also a sudden strength that she had never shown to anyone before.

'Could Blaire-sama be fitting to be a Heroine?' thought Kaze.

'If Blaire-sama is trying so hard to become a Heroine. Why wouldn't I do the same?' thought Leonia.

Kaze and Leonia accepted, but with certain conditions.

"David's family…?" asked Qondress.

"Indeed… David's family was very dear to him… Could it be possible to make them stay here? They would be safer than in the outside world. Aside from them, he still has a dozen servants, they could become strong companions" said Kaze.

Blaire nodded.

"Indeed, David-sama would like to secure the safety of his family over everything else," said Blaire.

"God-sama, please!" asked Leonia.

The three dragon gods glanced at each other, telepathically talking through glancing at each other eyes.

"I don't think it's a bad idea. They are a small number of mortals. I would be able to easily accommodate them in one of my islands," said Qondress.

"I don't see why not either. Also, David's servants were personally taught by him, they could be valuable warriors as well, that we should nurture. Perhaps one of them was affected by his Epic similarly to Kaze and Leonia," said Nymbais.

"Hm, although I find this unnecessary. We should not involve ourselves anymore with mortals, or the other gods would notice... And David is already a lost cause, our main goal is to convert these three in our new vessels, defeat Zudig and devour him," said Brulzrayn.

"That's true, but it wouldn't hurt us if we put some intent into it, they aren't a big number of people of over a hundred, so there shouldn't be any disturbances within the mortals of the border continent… if we do this, Kaze, Leonia, and Blaire will do as we say more willingly," said Qondress.

"Yes, brother, think about it carefully," said Nymbais.

Brulzrayn groaned.

"Hmm… Okay, but let's do it fast before the other gods aren't aware of what had happened in my dungeon," he said.

The three dragon gods suddenly stopped glancing at each other and decided to speak.

"Very well, we shall do so as you three desire. But by doing this, we hope that we can obtain your utmost cooperation," said Brulzrayn.

Kaze, Blaire, and Leonia's eyes were filled with life once again, saving David's family and putting them in such a peaceful place such as Qondress Divine Realm was more than they could ever ask for.

"We will!" said Blaire.

"Brulzrayn-sama, Qondress-sama, Nymbais-sama, I am at your care," said Kaze.

"If master's family is getting rescued, then there isn't anything more I can ask for, God-sama," said Leonia.

The gods glanced at each other again, telepathically communicating.

"They are easier to convince than I had expected…" muttered Brulzrayn.

"See? Mortals hold in very dearly to their mundane relationships," said Qondress.

"Hm, they are immature beyond belief. But it is to be understanding for such young creatures… to see this same conduct on our sister, it was quite disappointing…" muttered Nymbais.

"Still thinking on Othairth, Nymbais? She had already escaped from our Pantheon, she is no longer our sister but a Lone Goddess, don't waste time on her," said Brulzrayn.

"I… suppose so," muttered Nymbais.

Othairth, the Dragon Goddess of Poisonous Eyes, used to be the fourth Dragon God within the Dragon God Pantheon that was allied with the Pantheon of the Supreme God of Star Oceans, but a few weeks ago she had decided to leave her stubborn brothers to secure the safety of her children.

She had grown prideful as a dragon and hated to take orders from human gods, especially those who nurtured human races that usually hunted down her own children. She felt like she was just helping her enemies kill her children by serving them, and decided for once and for all to leave this behind and escape.

Her whereabouts were unknown, but some suspected that she had moved with gods with similar mindsets as herself, that inhabited the Poisonous Forest to the south of the border continent left side. Where her children lived alongside other races such as Poison Elves and Lamias.

The three Gods were swift to act, they used their powers to move Blaire's soul, Kaze, and Leonia towards a different area, an empty temple.

"What is… this place?" asked Kaze.

"This is the temple of soul nourishment. You three shall go through trials that will damage your souls and at the same time regenerate them back, your souls are too weak, this was one of the reasons why Zudig was able to easily paralyze you with its glare," explained Qondress.

"This trial is filled with pain, this is why we asked you before if you were truly ready to go through this," muttered Nymbais.

"You won't leave this place until your souls reach the bare minimum of Rank 6," said Brulzrayn.

"Souls… the ranks of our souls… I suppose it does matter" muttered Kaze.

"I never thought that the soul was so important to our growth in strength," said Leonia.

"I am… ready, no matter how long it takes, no matter how much pain I must suffer… For David-sama, I will do everything," said Blaire.

"There is no need to rush things, beforehand, we shall spend some days explaining you the basics of 'Soul Nourishment' and 'Psyche Nourishment', these are the two basics to learn 'Aura', a powerful force capable of making even mortals break their limits," said Brulzrayn.

"Aura… I have heard of it only in myths. Only Legendary Heroes were capable of mastering it," said Kaze.

"You three have the talent and potential of Legendary Heroes, so it should be possible," said Qondress.

"After the soul training is finished, you will enter through physical training, where you will learn how to use your Aura to nourish your physique," said Nymbais.

"And afterward, you shall level up through exploring our dungeons, and obtain skills that even mortals had never discovered," said Brulzrayn.

As Blaire, Kaze, and Leonia listened to the god's words, one of Qondress's children and the strongest Sea Snake Dragonoid retrieved David's family from the village where they were staying.

"It seems that it was a swift retrieval, David's family is already in the Divine Realm, now there shouldn't be anything for you to worry about," said Qondress.

"Well, that's a relief…" muttered Kaze.

"Indeed, I feel like a heavyweight has been lifted off my shoulders," said Leonia.

"Thank you very much, Qondress-sama," said Blaire.

"Ah, no problem. Now, let us not waste any more time. We shall start the classes, listen carefully to everything we say, and explain," said Qondress. The other two dragon gods sitting to his left and right side.

Unknowingly to the rest of the Gods, the Dragon God Pantheon began to nourish their next vessels, while plotting and scheming the end of Zudig once and for all.

But would Zudig not be prepared by that time?

David's body had ended its mutation after devouring Zudig's original physical body, long and dark wings grew from his back, as his draconic features became more beastly. His eyes shined in an eerie dark and crimson light. Even his hair had grown discolored, becoming reddish-gray.

"This new body keeps evolving… It is no longer a human, isn't it? It also means that I can develop it even further through evolution." Said Zudig, filled with happiness as he had never felt before, he moved through his new dungeon and began to slay any beast that came his way, while devouring them.

Meanwhile, he used his split soul inside of his Divine Realm to contact with other Lone Gods, some of his most trusted accomplices… He began to sell important information about the Dragon Gods through the Interdimensional Merchant Shop.

Some of such info was even brought by those gods close to Kireina…