Ten days later
The last tournament's celebrative events were already over, and from today onward, the next five days were filled with 1v1 tournament matches. With the winner fighting the other match's winner until only one remained.
Since there were several matches going on at a time, a minimum of 100 matches, the event took five whole days due to the number of participants being at an all-time high.
The stages or arenas were 500 metres long, 50 of which floated in mid-air while the rest were on the ground, with 100 metres between the ground and the platforms that floated in mid-air.
[Time limit for the selection process: 00Y: 00M: 05D: 21H: 36M: 07S]
***
At 3AM morning.
In a 20-foot-long semi-furnished room, on a king-sized bed with its blankets, bedsheets, and pillows wrinkled beyond belief, as if something extremely naughty had taken place on it, two long-black-haired figures lay on it with peaceful looks on their faces, covering their entire bodies except for their heads under the blanket.
CREAK
"Mm...." Isha hummed in sleep and furrowed her brows at a pleasurable shiver that cruised through her body when she turned to the other side.
CRE-CREAK
She then slightly opened her right eye when a warm breath trickled on her face and hugged the handsome, full-bearded man gently under the blanket when she noticed him sleeping with a peaceful expression on his face.
Then, her brows trembled when she felt the big scars on his back that were now clearly visible, and then she remembered the sight of how many scars she saw when he removed his t-shirt while being on top of her. She felt like crying when she remembered all the scars on his body, but soon her mind drifted to all the steamy things they did soon after, and her face drowned in a beautiful yet violent blush.
CREAK
'.... but how did things come to that?' Isha grumbled inwardly, but she snuggled close while in his arms.
CREAK
She didn't remember anything after they kissed again after she accepted his very precious proposal until she was on this very bed! They then made love for ten days straight; if not for her godly physic, she didn't know what would have happened! Of course, he was very gentle with her, giving her time to recover her strength from time to time, but even so! The poor, perfectly fine king-sized bed was creaking with the slightest of moments.
She then raised her head to look at his face, noticing the peaceful expression on his face, "Hmph!" She cutely snorted.
'.... We did it until just a few hours ago! How dare you sleep peacefully while leaving me haggard like this?' Isha thought with a blush,
With the cutest pout, she leaned forward and bit his neck, leaving a hickey that faded away by the next instance, but of course, it certainly did wake up the peacefully sleeping man.
".... You want to do it again?" Eshwar asked in a husky, erotic whisper with his eyes closed, causing Isha to blush violently.
"....." She wanted to deny, but she couldn't bring herself to. Eshwar just slightly chuckled and kissed her forehead before leaning down and hugging her tightly, with his breath trickling into her bosom.
She gently wrapped her arms around his head and played with his long, black hair, which seemed darker than hers.
"You won't cut it short?" Isha asked in a whisper.
"You want me to?" Eshwar's muffled, husky whisper sounded as his beard tickled her, prompting a soft giggle.
"Mhm. I don't want a competition over it since I know you like long hair. What if you like yours more than mine?" Isha explained her reasoning with a pout.
"You can do what you want later then. Maybe I should get a proper shave too." Eshwar mumbled, and Isha nodded her head to his words.
"It does look good on you, making you look more manly, but it also attracts too much of the opposite sex, so no bread." She said, and Eshwar nodded in response.
"Ah! Maybe I will let you keep your beard, when we are in "my" home from our previous life, or that home, you showed in your consciousness." Isha muttered while playing with his ever-untangling raven hair.
"Nobody would be able to see me like that, since we would literally be isolated from society?" Eshwar asked in an understanding tone, to which he received a joyful hum as a reply.
"Just shave off my bread for now; we'll see what we'll do when the time comes." Eshwar mumbled and took a deep breath of her scent, just like she had been doing from the moment she woke up.
"When's the "one time" you talked about?" Isha asked the question that abruptly popped up in her mind.
"After I get up." Eshwar answered and snuggled in, listening to her soothing heartbeat that began to speed up, reacting to his body heat that was gradually getting hotter.
"E-Eshwar, I-I am s-still tired!" Isha stuttered, but Eshwar ignored her and continued to hug her as if she were his body pillow. She then felt his hands wander on the back of her waist, slowly making their way down.
"Mhnm." Isha let out a soft, muffled moan.
".... Th-tha-that! H-how di-did you slip past my s-senses, back then?" Isha asked, and
"Anh~" Isha let out a soft moan, wiggling, trying to escape Eshwar's clutches.
"Because...." Eshwar raised his head, looking at her right in the eyes.
"I got stronger..." Eshwar answered, but Isha still continued to look down at him with a red face since she knew there was more to it.
"... stronger than the "me" from the past." Eshwar replied, causing Isha's body to stiffen, and only a few soft moans filled the room for a few minutes as her mind finally registered his words with great difficulty.
"R, mhnm~ really?" Isha finally managed to get out a word from her mouth, gently pushing away Eshwar's hungry arms.
"Mhm." Eshwar didn't mind her trying to escape his teasing and let her go since he knew that she was still very tired.
"H-how? Eunomia said there were limits on every living being." Isha quickly managed to compose herself and narrowed her brows at him in confusion.
"Mhm, she was right, but due to, Vassago, the third demon prince's interference, the worldly limitations that were placed on me to protect my existence broke; yes, it also means that my existence would completely disappear if I died even once from now on." Eshwar explained, which made Isha feel slightly scared but relieved when she remembered Eshwar's words from earlier, that he was stronger than the past him, meaning he could defeat a few of the minor gods without even lifting a finger, but not all gods were that weak, and a few of "the fallen" were among the latter, making her drown in anxiety.
"Don't worry too much; I am not that reckless, am I?" Eshwar massaged her narrowed brows and tried to reassure her, but the deadpan look on her face said otherwise.
"You are." Isha replied without a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Guh."
"You're reckless as hell."
"Uckh."
"And you dare ask me if you are not that reckless?"
"Geh."
(AN: conversation reference from ch 10: assistant professor (3))
"And you told me how you survived against that goddamn mannequin, and you dare think you're not reckless?" Isha yelled with tears threatening to fall off.
"....."
"...."
"..... I'm sorry." Eshwar apologized, scooted up and kissed her.
"Mhmnf~ Mhmpha!" Eshwar broke the kiss, letting her let out the hiccup that seemed to be stuck in her throat.
"... Don't do, hic.... anything reckless again." She mumbled as Eshwar kissed her eyes and forehead with a hum.
".... Do you remember the similar conversation...." Eshwar asked, trying to change the topic, but Isha cut him short.
"I do. I thought you were dumb at that time, not that it has changed even now." She spoke while giving him a stern look, but her own words caused her to smile.
"I can still grow stronger, with the help of the system." Eshwar replied, and though surprised by his words, Isha nodded her head in understanding.
"Get a lot stronger. The Fallen continued to stay as transcended beings before because none could defeat them; no, none even dared to even think about trying to defeat them." Isha explained and continued.
"There are ranks even among gods. You may be strong, but you are still nothing but a child in front of the real gods. No matter what anybody with a bit of strength claims to be, it won't ever amount to anything in front of a god."
"Even though I was a minor god in our past, it didn't matter if you had an abundant amount of divinity or strength; it won't matter to anything."
"You are able to destroy planets now, just like you could in the past. Now, tell me, what can you do against those that are able to destroy universes with a single thought?" Isha asked and waited for Eshwar to understand what it meant to stand against a god, and she waited for him to understand the seriousness of the situation that would linger upon them soon enough.
"I.... don't think, I..... would be able to do.... anything." Eshwar pondered for minutes before answering with his brows furrowed.
"Exactly. That's the reason Eunomia warned you about your existence being under a serious threat. Look at me." Isha commanded, and Eshwar complied.
"Do absolutely everything you can before you even think of fighting against the fallen, I...." Isha bit her lower lip until it bled.
"I definitely cannot handle losing you again." She answered with tears streaming out of her eyes and kissed him without giving him a chance to assure her, because she knew that his assurance would mean nothing if he stood in front of a god. She had ascended to godhood in their previous lives, and even now, who would know how strong these gods were if not her? Who could literally feel the gazes of the gods gazing down at their respective recipients even now?
Many of the elf warriors were already chosen by the gods and goddesses, who were preparing them to get ready for the fight or what could be a one-sided massacre even now.
"I definitely cannot lose you again." Isha said in a determined tone again, and she rolled on top of him, kissing him again.