My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 404 - 2nd Strongest Esper

"Hm? Nee, do you smell it?" Elysia pulled the hem of Gaia’s sleeve.

"!?" Yuuki as the nearest one to her master widened her eyes in surprise. She sniffed around, and checked her own body, including her fluffy fox tails.

"Smell?" Sylvia also sniffed around and grabbed Vanessa’s fluffy tail to check it.

"Hey, I’m not smelly. I already rubbed my body to master." Vanessa hugged her tail, making sure her master’s heavenly fragrance was still there.

The nearby girls immediately checked their body odor, but they were still as fragrant as ever.

"Sweat smell?" Michael sniffed his arm near his armpit. Considering the weather was so hot and sultry without Elder Yuuki’s icy-wind air conditioner, it was natural to sweat. But, his sweat wasn’t smelly!

"The world’s call smelled of salt and reptiles. An apocalypse-level reptile monster just emerged from the sea." Elena looked at the southwest sky.

"Ugh, yes... We’ve thrown more than two dozen calamity monsters into the Helven Realm. Where did these monsters come from?" Rhea extended her hand upward, summoning the sky spirit.

"The Underworld’s realm fragment." Gaia heaved a sigh. The Underworld collapsed due to the incessant invasion of otherworld divine beasts, and the realm fragments that fell into the mortal realm became a scourge that was difficult to handle.

"Are there any otherworld’s divine beasts that survived? We only found five and revived one. We can capture them and teach them some lessons." Elena nudged Gaia’s arm.

"My apologies, but I don’t know for sure." Gaia shook her head with her eyes closed. She had been disconnected, and the situation in another realm was unknown.

"No, none of the invaders survived. The overlords and the Gods of the Underworld killed those invaders but at a heavy price. The impact of their battle was huge, and the realm collapsed. It happened right before my eyes before I died." Darkness raised her wing, reminding everyone of the terror that destroyed the Underworld.

"Err... if so, are the ones who reincarnate and transmigrate to the mortal realm not just those who come from Heaven? That one on that island is probably the fallen from the Underworld?" Lifa tried to guess it.

"It’s most likely true." Darkness nodded confidently.

"Hmm, but that guy deserves to die at Zera’s hands. His way of doing things displeases me as well." Nell snorted sarcastically. She crossed her arms like an angry fairy and landed on her big sister’s shoulder, curious about what the sky spirit said.

"A Godzilla-like demonic sea lizard emerges in the South China Sea. Clashes are inevitable in the maritime region southeast of Hong Kong." Rhea shared the latest information with everyone.

"Go-Godzilla." Elysia looked at Elena with an awkward smile.

"It’s a God-tier sea lizard monster? Should we do something about this?" Nell was a bit surprised.

"No, that’s not it. Godzilla isn’t even real. That’s just the Underworld’s giant sea lizard. I can easily kill a dozen of them in my prime condition." Darkness puffed out her chest proudly.

"But, you will easily become the lizard’s food in your current condition." Fortuna covered her mouth to hide her amused smile.

"Go away, I’m not talking to you." Darkness flapped her wings, flying away from Fortuna.

"???" Makoto and the nearby shrine maiden who overheard the conversation of the distinguished guests began to wonder.

The girls gathered around Elysia, ending the sightseeing session.

"Master, what are your orders?" Xentia was ready to dispatch an aircraft to pick them up at the scene.

"The battle scene is pretty close. Let’s go there by plane and see what they can do without our help first. Issue a bounty quest for this. I want to see what they can do. They might be more capable than we think." Elysia put her hands together.

"Alright." Xentia sent her command to the invisible ES Nirvana orbiting Earth’s outer atmosphere, sending a mid-class space battleship down.

*Poof* *Swoosh!*

The space battleship warped and emerged several tens of meters above the sacred shrine. It was like a huge shadow that suddenly covered the sky, bringing gusts of wind.

Makoto and the shrine maidens looked up with expressions of shock and fear, wondering what was happening.

"Thank you for the tour, ladies. Ten no Megami Sacred Shrine is wonderful, but we should go now. We wish to pay a visit another time with Erina as well." Miko waved her hand to the shocked shrine maidens before a shining spotlight illuminated her entire group from above.

The space battleship nullified the gravity under the spotlight, sending the Elysium Family aboard.

*Swoosh!*

The space battleship went into invisible mode and sped southwest rapidly, leaving the shrine maidens gaping in astonishment, wondering about the honored guests’ identities.

"Makoto-sama, who exactly are they?" One of the shrine maidens gulped her saliva, asking nervously.

"I don’t have any ideas either. Erina-sama only said a group of honorable guests will visit the sacred shrine, entertain them with the utmost respect..." Makoto shook her head as she was as clueless as her fellow shrine maidens. She took a deep breath and informed Erina regarding the situation.

---

As the demonic sea lizard emerged from the depths of the ocean, its deafening roar echoed across the city. A chilling reminder of the destruction that lay in its wake. Its yellow reptilian eyes glowed with malevolent fury as it surveyed the human settlement before it. Its primal instincts drove it forward in search of prey.

Alerted to the imminent threat, the military mobilized its forces with lightning speed, deploying tanks, fighter jets, and artillery units to confront the rampaging monster. Soldiers braced themselves for battle, their hearts pounding with adrenaline as they prepared to face an enemy unlike any they had encountered before.

With precision and coordination, the military launched a barrage of missiles and artillery shells at the calamity monster, hoping to weaken its defenses and drive it back into the sea. Fighter jets streaked through the sky, unleashing torrents of gunfire and bombs in a relentless assault on the towering creature.

Enraged by the onslaught, the demonic sea lizard lashed out with devastating fury amidst the fiery explosion, unleashing torrents of atomic breath that incinerated everything in its path. Buildings crumbled to dust, and vehicles were reduced to twisted wreckage as the cityscape was consumed by fire and destruction.

Despite their best efforts, the military found themselves outmatched by the apocalypse-level monster’s immense strength and resilience. Tanks were crushed beneath its colossal feet, and fighter jets were swatted from the sky like flies as the monster advanced inexorably toward its goal.

Meanwhile, civilians scrambled to evacuate the city. Emergency services worked tirelessly to guide people to safety. Their efforts were hampered by the chaos and destruction unfolding around them.

The southeast part of the city was reduced to a smoldering ruin. Its once-vibrant streets were littered with debris and rubble. The port and the military base were destroyed. Fires raged, casting an eerie glow over the apocalyptic landscape as smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun.

"Now I have arrived here. None shall pass. Perish under my might, or return to where you came from sea lizard." A white-robed man floated down from the sky, casting sharp menace from his gaze.

The 390 ft tall demonic sea lizard looked aside, alarmed by the possible threat’s sudden arrival. However, it then ignored the puny human as it was still savoring its feast of flesh, blood, and metal. It also absorbed the city’s electricity supply through its tail.

"So, you’ve chosen death. Remember my name, sea lizard. Svetomir Godzuik, and I am the one who will slaughter you." Svetomir unsheathed his pure white long sword.

"The approaching storm, first move!" Svetomir leaped like a gale, unleashing a force storm that pushed the giant sea lizard away.

"Second move!" Svetomir stomped his foot into the air and spun in mid-air, creating a tornado vortex covered in massive lightning to send the gigantic monster back into the sea.

Unfortunately, an electromagnetic force field protected the monster, nullified any elemental attack, and transformed it into pure electric energy, absorbed by the glowing scales on its back.

The demonic sea lizard’s monstrous claws gripped the ground tightly, holding its body from the blow of the powerful tornado.

"Electromagnetic force field? No wonder those missiles and bombs didn’t hurt you." Svetomir sighed and sheathed his sword, preparing to use his ultimate attack because his plan to send the giant monster away from the city area failed.

He would kill it here. The World Unity Force and Esper Association would handle the aftermath, including the massive damage he would cause to bring down this gigantic demonic sea lizard.

"Roar!"

The demonic sea lizard’s belly bloated up, responding to the tornado attack with a demonic roar. It waited nothing more and spewed out a massive electromagnetic laser beam, obliterating anything in its path.

"Fifth move, the judgment cut!" Svetomir unsheathed his sword in lightning speed, unleashing the raging storm with massive intensity.

Countless sword slashes slashed the surrounding terrain, tearing through the electromagnetic laser beam and the calamity monster’s force field.

*Rumble!*

The buildings, roads, and everything within a radius of half a kilometer were reduced to rubble.

*Splash!*

Bluish-green blood immediately splattered like a fountain. The demonic sea lizard received countless sword slashes, causing many injuries throughout its body.

"Roar!" The sea lizard roared in agony. It turned around, fleeing back into the sea.

"That’s not enough to kill that monster? Should I go to the sixth move? But..." Svetomir considered things with a frown, but he decided to sheathe his sword and watch the monster flee into the sea.

He had yet to recover from his previous battle. The expanded fifth move already put enough burden on his body, and it would harm him if he had to use the sixth move.

"Svetomir, what are you doing? You could put that fcking Godzilla to its eternal rest. Finish him! What’s holding you back?" The Esper Association higher-up asked in an irritated and angry tone over the intercom.

"Svetomir is here. I can’t do it. The battle in Bulgaria still left a lot of toll on my body. I’ve eliminated its electromagnetic force field. Finish that monster with military advanced defense equipment." Svetomir pressed the button on his headgear while looking at his shaking hand.

"Oh, then you can go back to rest and recover. Leave the rest to us." The Esper Association higher-up toned down his tone.

Svetomir just shrugged his shoulders and landed. Everything in his surroundings was razed to the ground because of his fifth move. Dozens of missiles and bombs were dropped on the fleeing calamity monster while eliminating the nearby smaller demonic monsters.

The massive monster roared in agony in the bombardment. Along with the sound of a powerful explosion that destroyed the Hong Kong harbor area, the apocalypse-level monster finally met its demise under the onslaught of the joint forces.

"Do we need to do something?" Evelyn looked aside, checking Elysia’s expression.

"No need. It’s a bounty quest, and they deserve a trophy. The 2nd strongest esper has already made his move. He was a God. Let those people eradicate that sea lizard and the other demonic monsters." Elysia shook her head, but her gaze remained glued to the bombardment.

She had no desire to secure that Underworld’s sea lizard to her monster army for several reasons.

The level of damage and casualties when they arrived was already quite severe. But, when compared to the previous Vishap incident, the casualties were much lighter. Regardless, humanity actually possessed the power to eradicate the apocalypse demonic monster.

The espers and soldiers tried their best to eradicate the other demonic monsters in the city area around the destroyed port. Those people should fight a little more to grab their victory over the opportunities opened by the 2nd strongest esper.

"I told you. It’s just a sea lizard." Darkness spoke in a mocking tone.

"Can the Underworld’s sea lizard grow that big? They’re usually as big as a house at best. I’m not sure you can deal with dozens of them easily. One of them could even turn you into a roasted bird." Fortuna rolled her eyes.

"That might be due to a mutation or something? But, hey. I’m stronger than you think. For you know. The current me is only about 3% of my prime." Darkness harrumphed.