In a realm known as the Unified Divine Realm, countless deities resided, presiding over and managing numerous worlds below.
However, many of those worlds had come under threat from Demon Kings. In order to save them, the gods had summoned one hero after another to descend and bring salvation.
Some worlds had already fallen completely. Under the Demon King's rule, they were steeped in despair, the cries of suffering echoing across the land.
Humanity in particular had been driven to the brink of extinction—those who remained were either desperately hiding or had already been reduced to the bottom of the food chain, stripped of dignity, living lives worse than beasts—naked, crawling on all fours, shackled with iron chains.
"Hey, did you hear? Lady Ariadoa is back!"
"Huh? She's back already? That means she completed another A-rank world, right?"
"As expected of Lady Ariadoa. She's already saved over 300 worlds. At this rate, she might become a high-ranking goddess soon!"
"She's amazing! Let's go ask her about her latest mission!"
"Wait, don't you think it's a bit rude to bother her right after she's returned?"
These excited and admiring voices came from a group of young goddesses chatting over tea.
Ariadoa, the Goddess of the Seal, was a top-tier goddess in the Unified Divine Realm. She wielded powerful sealing abilities and was seen as a model figure among her juniors.
Gentle and approachable, unlike the haughty attitudes some other goddesses displayed, she was always willing to lend a hand.
Her warm demeanor earned her widespread popularity.
"Ah! Time's up—I have to go! I wonder what difficulty rating I'll get this time?"
"Don't worry. You've only saved three worlds so far. You're still a total newbie. It'll probably be a D-rank world."
"Ugh… I've been assigned to a C-rank world next. What do I do…"
Though some goddesses let out helpless sighs, they still bravely fulfilled their duties, helping heroes save the worlds.
Unlike some other pantheons, the Unified Divine Realm operated differently.
Here, when a hero was summoned, the goddess in charge would often descend to the mortal realm in human form to accompany them.
Though gods typically couldn't die, and if a hero died they would simply return to their original world, there were exceptions.
If a world's salvation failed, and the hero was killed by the Demon King, that Demon King would gain experience—just like a hero slaying monsters. Worse, they could even obtain the blessing of an Evil God, growing stronger still.
What might have once been a D-rank world could easily escalate to a C or even B rank.
And once a world reached S-rank difficulty, it was truly terrifying.
Goddesses and heroes might not be able to escape even if they failed. It was rumored that Demon Kings of this level possessed powers capable of destroying souls, erasing the goddess and hero from existence completely.
Death in such a world would be permanent—for both mortals and gods.
Inside a lavish room…
"Well done once again."
A warm voice echoed through the chamber.
It came from a woman who, by human standards, looked like a kindly middle-aged lady. Her tone was gentle as she addressed the graceful figure before her—a beautiful woman with voluptuous curves, short red hair, and red eyes, who stood respectfully.
"It's simply my duty as a goddess. If you'll excuse me now, Lady Isisda."
This graceful figure was none other than Ariadoa, the Goddess of the Seal.
Having just returned from saving another world, she had come to report to one of the realm's top deities—Ishtar, a benevolent high-ranking goddess who oversaw much of the divine administration.
After reporting in and taking her leave, Ariadoa encountered another goddess along the way—a peer from her generation and one of her closer friends in the Divine Realm, known for her charm-based divine abilities.
"Ariadoa… ugh, my current A-rank world is giving me a headache. It's starting to feel like it's tipping into S-rank territory…"
The friend grumbled her complaints.
That did raise a question: if she was in the middle of managing a world, why was she back in the Divine Realm?
This was actually normal under special circumstances.
Time flowed very differently between the Divine Realm and the mortal worlds—it was often a ratio of over 100 to 1. That meant 100 days in the Divine Realm could equate to just a single day on the world below.
This gave struggling goddesses time to regroup, strategize, and consult their seniors.
"Stop drinking already, honestly…"
Ariadoa sighed. Her friend was clearly drunk again.
Click—
The door to Ariadoa's room closed as she stepped out to visit other friends, leaving the drunken goddess alone inside.
However, once Ariadoa left, the supposedly drunk goddess instantly opened her eyes. Despite their clear surface, there was a roiling darkness deep within them.
"That bitch. Why is it always her getting praised…"
Twisted words escaped her lips.
She moved skillfully, summoning a system terminal within Ariadoa's room.
This was a powerful interface that connected the Divine Realm to the mortal world—Earth.
Normally, only upper-level goddesses had the authority to access this system.
Though she technically wasn't ranked high enough, she had managed to gain illicit access thanks to the help of a higher god… one who had been imprisoned.
That god had granted her decrypted access, enabling her to perform an unauthorized reincarnation transfer involving Earth.
She logged in.
In that instant, the spatial layer began to connect to Earth's preparatory reincarnation realm—the interface for sending individuals from Earth to another world.
"Damn it… damn it!!!"
Three failed attempts.
Three times she had tried and failed to kill her target.
And on the fourth, she was sure the alarms would trigger.
"Damn it all!"
If she failed again, there would be no next time. The high-ranking god who had been helping her wouldn't give her another chance.
Just as she was about to shut everything down in frustration, she accidentally scrolled down—and saw something.
A devilish grin twisted across her face.