"Freya? I've heard of you, aren't you a goddess or something?"
Dogora had thought she was an old woman, but when she stood up she looked like she was in her twenties.
It also took him a time to understand she had called herself the Goddess of Fire.
But he did remember that the stolen Divine Artifact belonged to Freya.
He looked doubtful at her.
'That's quite the uncouth reply. But no matter, that is correct. I am one of the Four Great Gods, the Goddess of Fire.'
Freya answered with a smile.
"Huh. I feel like you looked different earlier. Why did you pretend to be a granny earlier?"
Somehow Dogora continued struggling to have proper manners.
'Hm. I simply absorbed the power the Demon Generals gathered in my Divine Artifact. I was simply trying to use less energy earlier. Just watch and see.'
"Ow that's hot! That's too hot!!"
Dogora screamed in pain.
The small campfire in front of them had flared up all of a sudden.
It seemed that the fire was also kept low to economize on energy.
'Heheheh. That's my fire, my Divine Power. I'm offering to form a pact with you, as the Goddess of Fire Freya.'
Dogora finally looked convinced she was telling the truth, so she mentioned the pact again.
"A pact?"
'Yes, that's your only option now, if you wish to help your friends, that is.'
"I see. Let's do it then."
"Huh?! Wait, hold that thought. It's not something you rush a decision on."
The goddess looked slightly worried she might have spoken to someone with a loose screw.
She perused Dogora's memories with her Divine Artifact.
She eventually found the moment when Merus warned him to never form a pact with a God, no matter what.
Dogora had listened carefully to the story of the country that formed a pact with the God of Harvest Mormor.
He also knew of Prostia's Makris, the man who turned into a fish by forming such a pact.
Yet here he was, accepting a pact without even asking for the conditions first.
"I mean, I'll get your power if we form the pact, right? So let's do it!!"
Dogora was rejoiced hearing he could help his friends after all.
'Yes, I'll impart some of my power onto you. But for a price, remember that Dogora.'
"A price?"
'Yes, a price. Still, are people really allowed to walk around looking like this nowadays? I feel like a mask might work better...'
Freya began examining Dogora's potato face from close up, wondering if he really was fit to fulfill her wishes looking like that.
"Do I have something on my face?"
'Oh it's nothing, I won't give you crazy conditions like turning you into a fish. I'm not really in the best spot myself after all.'
Her Divine Artifact had been stolen, her Divine Power drained from her.
She could not afford to make unreasonable demands like Aqua now.
"So, what am I supposed to do now?"
'Dogora, you said you want to become a hero, yes?'
"Yeah. Are you going to make me one then? Wait, how does one become a hero exactly?"
Only now he started wondering that.
He did not feel like the title of hero was something one could simply get from one day to another.
But the more he thought about it, the less he realized he understood.
'No matter, no matter. Simply work as hard as you can to become one, that is all I ask from you.'
"Oh, alright then."
Dogora felt like that was a very simple request.
'I'll grant you my power, as the Goddess of Fire Freya. Let everyone know my power resides in you when you become a hero.'
"Wait what?"
Dogora was struggling to follow everything she said.
He wished she told him exactly what she wanted.
'You wish to become a hero, I desire followers. In a way, our goals are the same.'
Dogora finally understood when she worded it like that.
"So you want me to be known as the hero with Freya's power?"
'Exactly. Once your name is known across the entire world, everyone will also know it was I who gave you that power. I'll grant you strength, and you become my apostle for the rest of your life, gathering followers for me. If you agree to that, I'll give you my power.'
Dogora was still fifteen years old, she was asking him to do something for the rest of his life.
If he accepted the terms, he would need to spend the rest of his life as Freya's apostle, gathering followers for her.
The Goddess of Fire needed more followers.
"I see. I don't mind if you give me power."
Dogora was still determined on accepting the pact.
'No hesitation whatsoever, huh. You really live like an untamable flame. I guess you're the person I've been waiting so long for.'
It was almost like having her Divine Artifact stolen had been a good fortune all along.
"I'm sorry, but could we hurry up a little? My friends are waiting for me."
Dogora's friends were still fighting the Demon Generals.
He wanted to stop wasting time and return with more power than ever before.
'You don't have to worry about that. Time doesn't flow in this place.'
"Is that true? Good, then I'll make it back just in time then."
Saying that, he turned around to the entrance of Kurena Village, where he had passed through earlier.
'Hm? Where are you going?'
"Well, I have to go back to the temple on the floating island, Everyone is fighting there."
'What are you saying? Your soul managed to cross my temple's Gate, yet you wish to leave? Do you realize you're inside my temple?'
"What Gate? Wait, woah?!"
Dogora's surroundings changed in an instant.
The nostalgic Kurena Village scenery seemed to fade away, taken over by a temple which resembled ancient Greek architecture.
He thought he was in Kurena Village all this time, but he was actually inside of Freya's temple in the Divine Realm.
His soul had been taken there after dying impaled by her Divine Artifact.
His surroundings had changed into the interior of a temple built out of stone.
There was a burning flame in the center of the hall.
What once looked like the square of Kurena Village had turned out to be the middle of the temple.
There was nothing else on the floor, just fire.
Maybe that was where the plate-shaped Divine Artifact once belonged, containing the fire.
Then Dogora's body was set ablaze again.
He was scared, seeing the flames engulf his body.
But he quickly calmed down.
He felt no pain whatsoever, and instead a sensation of power was welling up deep inside him.
'Dogora, you exceeded your limits, and you crossed my Gate. Become my apostle, and a great hero.'
Saying that, Freya struck her palm towards him.
Something told him that joining his hand with hers would seal the pact.
"Now go, your friends await you."
There was no hesitation or doubt in Dogora's conviction.
Once his hand touched hers, his body emitted a blinding glow.
"""Dogoraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"""
Allen's party screamed seeing Dogora's body impaled by Flamberge.
He had died with just one attack.
'Hohohoh, don't try stepping out to help him now. Though I think we can all tell there's nothing to help in that piece of coal anyway. Now, please burn together with him, will you? Death Flare!!'
Gushara's magic had become unbearably powerful, and if just one of his countless spells landed, anyone would likely die instantly.
Allen was busy summoning Stone A summons one after another trying to keep everyone protected.
Meanwhile Basque headed to retrieve the Divine Artifact Flamberge.
He had used a Skill to throw the flaming greatsword, leaving him with just one orichalcum greatsword in his other hand.
Leaning down from the Arbiter God he was riding on, Basque took the hilt of Flamberge to lift it from where it remained stuck on the floor.
'Huh? Why won't it come loose- Ow that's hot!!'
Basque attempted to forcefully lift the Divine Artifact, but it would not budge.
It was an odd sensation, like it had somehow fused with the floor.
He also noticed, a bit too late, that the Divine Artifact's hilt was melting hot.
The sudden feeling of heat made him reflexively retract his hand, just as it was starting to catch on fire.
Flamberge was heating up, glowing bright red.
'Huh? Wait, that can't be… S-stop that!!'
Gushara also noticed the change in the Divine Artifact.
There was a thunderous roar as a pillar of fire erupted and reached all the way to the temple's ceiling, while Dogora's charred remains and the Divine Artifact began to float up inside the fire.
Dogora's ashes and burnt off remains began to regain their prior shape, muscle and blood forming again as if time was being rewinded.
His heart was beating again, and his eyes noticed the ceiling of the temple.
Dogora and his usual potato face emerged from the flames, like the immortal phoenix rising from its ashes.
Even his friends were confused watching that unfold.
Dogora was back to normal, all his limbs, hair, everything.
Allen had not used Heaven's Blessing, and Kiel had not used any magic either.
'What happened? What's going on?'
Basque was utterly confused too.
'He formed a pact with the goddess. He somehow contacted Freya amidst all that, and now the Divine Artifact is his!! Basque, take the Divine Artifact back!!'
Gushara was the first one to understand what happened, and he shouted orders.
'What? I have no clue what any of that meant.'
Basque did not understand what Gushara had said.
But he wanted to keep the Divine Artifact as his.
The pillar of fire and the flames around Dogora all consolidated inside him, and he landed on the floor.
He easily pulled out the Divine Artifact that had impaled him earlier.
The large cavity left in his chest from the blade healed at an incredible speed.
"So this is your Divine Artifact. It looks like a sword, but can it become an axe too?"
'Yes, of course. It'll become the weapon that fits you best. Its name will be Kagutsuchi.'
The Divine Artifact answered with Freya's voice.
At the same time, the greatsword morphed into a large battleaxe.
As Dogora brandished it, flames covered the battleaxe Kagutsuchi.
But it did not feel hot to him.
This was his first time holding it, but somehow he felt a strong sense of familiarity with it, like he had used it his entire life.
'Why are you messing up its shape like that? That's my greatsword. Give it back!!'
Basque charged forward, mounted on the Arbiter God.
He wanted to trample Dogora under the hoofs of the enraged Arbiter God.
Not even Merus could stand such a powerful attack from the Higher God.
"True Wicked Blow!!"
In response, Dogora activated the most powerful Skill available to his 4 Star Barbarian King Talent.
For some reason, he instinctively added the prefix True to it.
Imbued with Dogora's mana, the Divine Artifact Kagutsuchi slammed onto the Arbiter God's front legs.
'Breehee?! Hieee!!'
'Ah, woah!!'
The Divine Artifact Kagutsuchi had shattered the Arbiter God's legs.
As the Arbiter God fell down, Basque was flung forward into the air.
Unable to stop its momentum, the Arbiter God crashed onto one of the columns supporting the ceiling, and continued moving to hit one of the walls.
The column collapsed slowly, as if it was something out of a slow motion camera.
There was a loud and heavy sound from large chunks of stone falling and creating clouds of dust, while Dogora silently watched his enemies.
Dogora's fight after becoming the apostle of Freya and inheriting Kagutsu was about to start in earnest.
