The Return Of The Exiled Villain

THRRUUUM!

A heavy force burst out the moment the last chain shattered.

”Argh—!”

Both Cassandra and Gray staggered as if a giant hand had slammed down on their shoulders, pressing them toward the ground.

Their knees even bent under the sudden weight.

”Grr...”

Gray clenched his jaw, then quickly reached out, pulling Cassandra against him, hugging her softly.

”...Em-Emryn?” Her voice trembled in surprise.

But the instant he touched her, the crushing pressure suddenly vanished.

Gray’s grip loosened.

”...Mhm.”

Cassandra’s cheeks turned faintly red as she looked at him:

”Why... why did you hug me?”

”I felt like it,” he answered bluntly, reaching out to tap her nose again.

Cassandra puffed her cheeks and stuck out her tongue at him, though her lips rose into a small smile.

Gray’s eyes returned to the sigil.

’...Just as I thought. Divika has always favored couples. I thought my mother was joking when she told me that... guess not,’ he added inwardly.

”...The sigil disappeared,” Gray muttered under his breath.

”What?!” Cassandra spun around, staring at the empty spot where it had been.

Her brows furrowed.

”Then what now?” She looked back at him expectantly.

Gray scanned the room silently, but as soon as his gaze stopped on Divika’s statue....

The corner of his lips curved upward.

He drew the rapier from his waist, and without hesitation, he leapt forward and swung at one of the weapons carved into the statue’s hands.

CLANG!

The sound cracked through the chamber.

His rapier bounced back violently, the force tearing it from his grip and sending it spinning across the floor.

Gray steadied himself, retrieving it with a sharp motion.

”...So you really were here,” he murmured, stepping back, his gaze never leaving the stone figure.

He raised his rapier in salute.

”Goddess Divika.”

The moment her name left his lips, the statue trembled.

Crack...

The stone fell away piece by piece, cracking and sliding to the ground until what stood before them was no longer a statue at all.

A woman emerged, and a strong pressure filled the air.

She was tall, almost a head taller than Cassandra, with a strong and well-shaped body.

Her skin was smooth with a faint bronze tone, like someone who had lived under the sun and on the battlefield.

Her chest was full and firm, her waist slim but not fragile, and her hips wide, built with the body of a warrior woman rather than a delicate maiden.

Her arms and legs showed lean muscle, tight and well-shaped, proving she was someone who had carried weapons all her life.

Her breasts were large, pushing clearly against the black armor that covered only part of her upper body, leaving her midriff bare.

The armor was shaped to fit her, sharp at the edges yet showing her curves openly.

Her hair was long and crimson red, falling down to her waist in heavy waves.

Her eyes were bright gold, glowing faintly, and when they opened, they felt sharp and heavy, like they were looking straight through Gray’s soul.

Her face was striking, with sharp cheekbones, long lashes, and lips that held no smile, only a natural firmness.

Across her back floated faint shadows of weapons: a spear, a sword, a bow, and other weapons flickering in and out of sight like they were part of her body.

She stood tall and proud, her presence filling the whole temple as if she belonged to it, as if everything here was built only for her.

”You’re not bad... mortal,” Divika said, her tone almost casual, as though she was commenting on something small. Then her golden eyes slid toward Cassandra, scanning her from head to toe.

”...And you.”

Her gaze sharpened. For a moment, a glowing sigil flickered across her eyes before fading.

”Although you carry my bloodline... it’s less than one percent pure.” Divika tilted her head slightly.

”And on top of that, you’re the Vessel of the God of Victory, aren’t you?”

Cassandray’s froze, her eyes widening before snapping towards Gray who... didn’t seem surprise.

”Y-you knew?” she stammered, her voice shaky.

Gray nodded as there wasn’t any need to lie.

”Yeah. I knew you were a Vessel... but not of which god.”

”How?” She stepped closer, searching his eyes for any sign of emotion.

But his black, hollow gaze gave her nothing.

Meanwhile, Divika’s voice cut through again, thoughtful but still casual.

”Less than one percent of my strength remains, huh...” She spoke almost to herself, but her words echoed clearly through the temple.

”...Those bastards. When I regain my power, I’ll kill them.” The way she said it was calm, almost careless, as if she was making plans for the day rather than speaking of slaughter.

Gray’s brow twitched faintly.

’...She doesn’t sound angry at all. Is she just emotionless?’ He exhaled quietly.

’Either way... the real question is what happens now that she’s awake.’

Divika turned her golden eyes back on them.

”Well, since the two of you unsealed me, I’ll grant you a wish.” Her tone was still casual, like it was nothing important.

”What do you want?”

Cassandra’s eyes lit up, her lips curving into a smug smile.

”I want your blessing.”

Divika didn’t look surprised as she simply lifted her hand and uttered:

”Granted.”

Fwoosh!

Golden light burst from her palm and wrapped around Cassandra in an instant. A cocoon of pure radiance formed, swallowing her whole.

Gray raised an eyebrow.

The act had been done so casually, with no ritual, no drama—just a simple flick of Divika’s hand.

But if the Goddess really felt nothing, maybe this was normal for her.

Then her golden eyes turned towards him.

”What about you?” she asked simply. ”What do you need from me?”

Gray’s lips pressed into a thin line.

’...Mhm. What should I ask for?’

Most people probably would ask for her blessing, since the blessing of a Goddess is more valuable than anything else, but for Gray, her blessing was pretty much useless.

’...Wait a second, now that I noticed... how can this body have two different cultivations...?’ he frowned slighly.

’...Don’t tell me...’

His eyes widened in surprise, and immediately, he already knew what he wanted from Divika.

”I want the eyes of a god.”

The words left his mouth without hesitation, and for the first time, Divika looked genuinely shocked. Her lips parted slightly, her golden eyes widening.

But just as quickly, her face smoothed back to calm composure.

’So... not emotionless after all,’ Gray thought inwardly.

But strangely, Divika didn’t reply immediately, and rubbed her chin slowly, her face turning quite thoughtful.

’...Did I ask for too much?’ he frowned at her actions.

The silence dragged on for minutes, heavy and uncomfortable, until at last she spoke.

”...That’s only possible if you...” Her golden eyes narrowed faintly, a shine glinting in them. ”...become my Vessel.”

”Then, no.”

Gray refused without a second thought.

His answer made her pause again, surprised, almost baffled. She had likely never expected a mortal to reject such a great offer so quickly.

’Then... what can I ask for?’ This time Gray was the one who had a thoughtful expression.

After a moment, he lifted his eyes back to hers.

”Give me a footwork technique. How about that?”

After all, that was the only thing that he needed in this ’profile’ besides actual cultivation resources.

Divika raised an eyebrow.

”A footwork technique?” She studied him for a second, then gave a faint nod.

A golden book shimmered into existence in her hand, and she tossed it lightly toward him.

Gray caught it without trouble.

[Nine Illusionary Dream Steps]

”It’s a God-level technique,” Divika explained calmly. ”Even mastering the first layer will be nearly impossible... but if you do, your speed and reaction time will rise at least fivefold. And the higher layers...” She left the rest unsaid.

Gray gave a short nod and tucked the book into his jacket.

Seeing this, Divika let out the faintest sigh.

”You’ll lose it like that.”

She stepped forward. In a flash, her body blurred, leaving only an afterimage behind before she reappeared right in front of him.

”Here’s a little extra gift,” she said, pressing two fingers against his forehead.

A sharp light burned in his vision.

[You have received the active skill: ”Dimensional Storage.”]

The words echoed inside his mind.

Gray blinked, then gave another small nod. He immediately activated the new skill, and the golden book vanished into the storage with a faint ripple.

”You don’t have a class yet?”

Before Gray could turn around, Divika’s voice rang out, stopping him mid-step.

”No... not needed yet,” Gray replied casually, shrugging.

’I’m not sure when the other soul will switch with me... better to be careful about what I do.’

’...Also I need to warn Cass about my other soul, after all, he wants to kill her and with Jasmine... that should be possible.’

”Ah... you’re interesting,” she said with a light smile, and before he could react, she vanished entirely.

”We’ll meet again...”

Her voice echoed faintly through the temple, leaving Gray frozen for a moment.

”...Weird.”

At the same time...

Creaaak...

The golden cocoon around Cassandra slowly peeled open, revealing her figure. Her gray hair now had several scarlet strands glowing softly in the light.

”...Mhm.”

She stretched, rolling her shoulders, then stepped out and finally saw Gray waiting for her.

”Emryn~! What did you ask for?” she asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

”...A skill.”

”Really? Which one?”

”A storage skill.”

He waved his hand, and a small shimmering portal appeared beside him.

”...Lame,” she said teasingly, but proudly, ”With her blessing, I got two passive skills and an active one!”

Gray nodded faintly, his lips curling up slighly.

”Nice.”

He reached out and patted her head gently.

”Mhmm!” she said, pouting slightly before tilting her head and smiling brightly.

Then her expression shifted, her brows knitting together as she looked at him.

”What’s up with you?”

Gray glanced down at her, his gaze softening for a moment.

”Every time we meet... if I don’t squeeze your nose or call you Cass, you need to act as cold as ever towards me,” he said suddenly.

”Uh?” Cassandra tilted her head in curiosity, like a lizard studying something unfamiliar.

”Why?”

”...Because...”

His voice trailed off.

”I might lose my memory again.”