Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1061: A Price he needs to pay

The High Priest, the Archpriestess, the maids, and the servants stood frozen before the Main Temple, their faces painted with worry and confusion. Tension hung thick in the air like fog, clinging to every breath, every whisper. Even the wind around the temple had gone unnaturally still.

”Whatʼs going on inside?”

”What is that sound?!”

Panic rippled among them like a spreading fire. They could all feel it—something was stirring within.

A heavy, grinding rumble echoed from the heart of the temple, like enormous gears turning against the will of time itself. The sheer force of it made the marble beneath their feet tremble violently.

TTTTRRRRRRRRRR!!!

The vibrations deepened, and the colossal temple doors shuddered in place, sealed tightly shut. The Empireʼs holy heart quaked.

”Archpriestess, what should we do now? Is this... is this a sign?” one of the High Priests asked, his voice tight with a mix of awe and fear.

”Please... we have to open the door! We need to see whatʼs happening in there!”

The High Priestʼs tone grew more desperate. Every second that passed without clarity felt like an eternity. They couldnʼt let harm come to the Goddess.

But the Archpriestess stood unwavering, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Her eyes remained fixed on the closed doors, sharp and unreadable. ”The door is sealed from within,” she said at last, her voice firm and steady. ”We wait.”

Her words silenced them all... No one dared contradict her. Even if they wanted to break down the doors, they knew better.

Violence within the sacred Main Temple was blasphemy, a sin beyond forgiveness. And besides... the Archpriestessʼs silence, her stillness—it was unnatural. Like she already knew something was unfolding behind those walls.

”Archpriestess? Whatʼs going on?” Helenaʼs voice rang out as she ran into view. She looked winded, having rushed all the way from the waterfalls. Even there, far from the temple, the tremors had reached her.

The water had quaked unnaturally.

The Archpriestess did not respond. Her gaze never wavered. She stared at the templeʼs grand structure as though waiting for it to breathe.

Helena followed her line of sight. She frowned, lips parted to ask more—then suddenly, her entire body stiffened.

Both the Archpriestess and Helena felt it at the same time.

Something was about to happen.

”Everyone! Get down!!” the Archpriestess shouted with a commanding voice that cracked like lightning.

Helena didnʼt hesitate. With one swift motion, she raised her hands and summoned a shimmering golden barrier, wrapping it around everyone just in time—

A piercing white light exploded from within the temple.

BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!

The Main Temple burst apart with a godly roar. The force of the blast was immense, cataclysmic. Doors, stones, marble pillars—everything was hurled outward with monstrous power. The debris rained down like divine wrath.

Were it not for Helenaʼs barrier, the High Priests and maids would have been instantly obliterated. The force of the light alone would have vaporised them into dust.

Everyone shielded their eyes, stunned. The world turned white. The blast of light rocketed skyward in a straight beam, as if punching through reality itself.

It pierced the clouds.

It soared into the heavens.

It looked like a divine judgment descending from the sky... or maybe rising from the heart of the world.

The blinding glow lingered for a few moments longer, then slowly began to fade.

And as their vision returned, the people blinked and adjusted their gazes.

Floating down from the light... was someone.

They saw... A god!

Nah, itʼs just Aether!

He hovered above the cracked earth, hair swaying, clothes scorched and clinging to his figure. He looked beyond annoyed.

In fact, he looked downright pissed.

ʼFuck that bitch,ʼ Aether cursed in his head, letting out a tired groan. His skin was still warm from the explosion. His limbs ached. That globe had nearly blown him up.

ʼWas she seriously trying to kill me?! What the hell was that for?!ʼ he thought, descending slowly, smoke curling off his clothes.

But as his soft toes neared the stone platform—his feet barely touching the surface—the crowd below saw something entirely different.

To them, he was not a man.

He was a vision.

His flowing white robes, almost burned, barely singed, clung tightly to his well-defined body, outlining every muscle like a sculptorʼs dream. His long white hair danced in the wind like strands of divine silver silk. His sharp eyes glowed faintly, filled with fire and shadow.

Everything about him screamed power. Majesty. Divinity.

This wasnʼt a man who survived an explosion.

This was a god.

He landed—stone cracking beneath his feet, as if even the ground couldnʼt bear his weight. In truth, the blast had simply weakened the floor beneath him... but no one saw it that way.

”MY GOD!!”

”PLEASE FORGIVE US!!”

”YOU HAVE BLESSED US WITH YOUR ARRIVAL!!”

”WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A WOMAN ALL THIS TIME!!”

”PLEASE, YOUR GRACE, FORGIVE OUR IGNORANCE!!”

Aether blinked, stunned.

ʼWhat... the... fuck?ʼ

He raised one hand awkwardly, trying to say something, anything. ”Listen—”

”OH!! I HEARD THE GODʼS VOICE!!” someone shouted... before fainting right there on the spot.

Aether stood there, mouth slightly open, completely bewildered. His voice was deep and commanding—he couldnʼt help it... And now it was apparently ”divine.”

ʼOh great. Just great...ʼ

He shifted uncomfortably, awkwardly glancing toward the Archpriestess and Helena. But even they had their heads bowed in silence. Neither one had moved. And worse...

They didnʼt even recognise him.

Not a word... Not a single reaction.

Aetherʼs throat dried as realisation began to sink in.

They thought he was a god.

ʼOh... fuck. Am I that changed?ʼ Aether wondered, his thoughts heavy as he floated in the air, still trying to process what had just happened. His body felt foreign—too light, too powerful, too divine. He needed to see his reflection.

With a breath, he reached out telepathically, his voice laced with hesitation as it echoed inside Helenaʼs mind:

/Helena, itʼs me... Aether./

Helena visibly flinched, her eyes snapping upward in disbelief. Her lips trembled as she gasped, ”A-Aether?” Her voice cracked in horror.

The Archpriestess, who was deep in thought, calculating what to do next, heard Helenaʼs stunned mutter. She blinked sharply, her instincts flaring, and slowly turned her gaze toward Aether—toward the radiant, divine figure hovering just above the broken remains of the temple floor.

”Alright, everyone... Get out of here,” the Archpriestess declared, her voice suddenly cold and commanding. ”I will deal with this personally.”

Before anyone could utter a word of protest, she waved her hand—and in an instant, an invisible force surged out. The entire crowd was flung away from the sacred grounds, as if a godʼs hand had wiped them off the map.

Helena immediately reinforced the area, raising a golden dome-shaped barrier that sealed the entire Main Temple from the rest of the Empire.

The Archpriestess strode toward Aether without pause, her eyes fixed on him, scanning him like a predator circling prey. ”Aether?”

Aether scratched the back of his head awkwardly and chuckled, ”Haha... yeah, thatʼs me.”

The Archpriestess blinked again, her eyes slowly drifting across his body, taking in every divine inch of him—his sculpted frame, glowing aura, long silver-white hair dancing like silk threads, and his sharp jawline shadowed by soft light. She raised a brow and, with a mischievous smirk, slapped his tight ass.

”You sexy ass...” she whispered with a teasing, seductive glint in her eye. ”What the hell have you done?”

Helenaʼs face went crimson. She turned her head away as if the sun itself had burned her eyes. She couldnʼt believe the Archpriestess had just smacked him so casually, so shamelessly.

Aether laughed weakly, ”I just... named my race. And then all this happened.”

The Archpriestess groaned softly and pressed her forehead against his chest. The longer she looked at him, the more convinced she became.

He didnʼt just look like a god.

He was one.

”Sigh... what am I going to do with you...” she murmured, clearly annoyed yet helplessly captivated.

Just then, something soft peeked out from between the Archpriestessʼs massive boobs—a small, adorable snake.

”Snowflake”

She hissed at first, narrowing her eyes at him. Then her expression lit up with joy, and she leapt directly into his arms.

”Master~ Handsome!!” Snowflake purred affectionately as she curled around his neck, tail wrapping his arm like a living bracelet. She inspected him like a curious cat, rubbing against his new frame, sniffing his shoulders, chest, and neck with delighted squeaks.

The Archpriestess folded her arms beneath her breasts and gave a weak, exasperated sigh. ”Handsome? Tch. Iʼm pretty sure even that word is too pale for what he is now...”

She waved her hand, and the last wisps of divine energy evaporated. Then she looked at him seriously. ”Now. Talk.”

Aether nodded and began explaining everything—well, almost everything. He carefully left out the part about his encounter with the Mother Goddess. Not because he wanted to hide it... No. Some things werenʼt meant to be spoken... Not yet.

Helena listened quietly, her eyes watching him the entire time, reading every word, every pause.

”So... it activated, huh...” the Archpriestess muttered, turning toward the centre of the ruined temple.

There, the Ebon Stone had begun to rotate.

Helenaʼs face paled. Her voice trembled. ”That means... the collision is about to happen. What do we do? If the merge actually occurs, countless people will die! We have to do something, Archpriestess—”

But before she could spiral into panic, the Archpriestess lifted her hand.

”I already talked with Aether. So donʼt worry.”

Helena blinked, her heart slowing down. ʼOh... right... Heʼs Victor, too,ʼ she recalled. She remembered that conversation—the one where he had confessed everything. He had been honest then...

She glanced over at Aether, who was suddenly staring into the distance. His expression shifted. His pupils narrowed. He flinched.

”Really?” he muttered, his voice stunned—as if someone invisible had whispered something dreadful in his ear.

”I need to leave now,” he said, just about to vanish into thin air.

But before he could, the Archpriestess grabbed his wrist, stopping him. ”What happened?”

Aether took a long breath, his face darkening. ”One of my puppets just reported something... The light that ascended from here? It didnʼt vanish. It fell. Directly onto Zephyra Empire—on the Ebon Stone.”

The Archpriestessʼs face twisted with a deep frown. She didnʼt even hesitate. ”Then Iʼm coming with you.”

She turned to Helena, eyes sharp. ”As the Chosen One... fulfil your duty.” and they disappeared without even a care to hear her.

Helena lifted her hand, half-reaching, but then slowly let it drop.

”…Bastard,” she muttered under her breath as the two disappeared in a flash of divine light.

”Hissss~” Snowflake too blinked as she moved to Helena, consoling her, feeling a sense of camaraderie.

Meanwhile...

Aether and the Archpriestess appeared near the Wood tribe of the Zephyra Empire—before the Ebon Stone.

His puppet stood before them, cloaked in a long, dark hood, kneeling in reverence. ”Master,” it spoke, ”the light descended from the heavens and fell upon the ancient tree. Everything was reduced to ash… except the Ebon Stone.”

Aether nodded grimly, and the puppet vanished.

He and the Archpriestess approached the charred remains of the tree. Ash clung to everything. It smothered the ground in a thick, cold layer.

Aether waved his hand—and a sudden breeze scattered the ashes like dust in the wind, revealing the stone beneath...

The Ebon Stone was still there.... But something else

On its dark surface, blood had been carved—fresh, thick, crimson lines that pulsed faintly with power. Blood... leaking from the stone for the first time.

Aether narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to the Ebon Stone.

He knelt slowly, his fingers trembling as he traced the bleeding letters.

”Essence... No... desire... hmm...” he whispered under his breath, trying to piece it together, fragmented bloody letters.

Then his gaze reached the final line.

The moment his eyes locked onto it, his heart skipped a beat.

His vision swam. Something twisted in his chest. His body jerked slightly as if a violent pulse of divine static shot up through his spine.

And then—his legs gave out.

Aetherʼs entire body tensed before it collapsed like dead weight. He fell backward, his ass slamming into the scorched earth with a muffled thud. His arms shook as he tried to catch himself, but even they trembled too much to hold him steady.

His mouth fell open, eyes widening to their limits. Every inch of him felt cold, sweat forming at the nape of his neck, slowly sliding down his back.

”A-Aether! What happened?! What does it say?!” she called out, holding him tightly.

But Aether didnʼt answer right away.

His lips quivered.

His pupils were dilated, filled with pure dread—The words kept ringing in his mind, louder and louder, overlapping, distorting.

His breath came in shallow gasps, and when he finally spoke, his voice was barely audible. It cracked with fear, low and shaken.

”Wisherʼs... Life.”

The Archpriestess froze.

And for a few long seconds, not even the wind dared to move.