!
Alistair's scalp tingled. A primal sense of impending death screamed in his brain. He instinctively threw himself into a combat roll toward the right.
"Who are you?!"
Alistair pivoted to face the door. A tall, cold-looking woman stood there, holding the familiar ritual dagger in a striking pose.
He didn't wait for an answer. The danger she radiated was off the charts. He didn't summon [The World]; instead, he tapped into the Dragon Talisman. He channeled the mana into a sphere of azure flame and hurled it at her.
"Fast reflexes. Good combat instincts," the woman said. With a flick of her wrist, she sliced the azure fireball in half with the dagger.
BOOM!
The halved fireball exploded, drenching her in azure flames. Within seconds, her body was incinerated. The dagger fell, thudding into the floorboards in silence.
A body made entirely of mana? Alistair's eyes widened.
Suddenly, the woman reappeared next to the dagger. Before Alistair could throw another fireball, she moved like a ghost, appearing in front of him and driving the blade through his abdomen.
The blade pierced clean through, the tip exiting his back.
"Gotcha." Alistair ignored the agony and grabbed her wrist.
BOOM!
Azure flames erupted from Alistair's body, turning him into a human torch and transferring the heat to the woman. Her body burned away again, yet her eyes remained calm, as if this were all part of the lesson.
"Dammit! That hurts!" Alistair pulled the dagger out. Under the Horse Talisman, the wound closed in seconds, leaving only blood on his shirt.
"Impressive. To remain calm under a fatal strike and have the courage to trade wounds for an opening... for someone in a peaceful society, you are outstanding."
The woman reappeared a few feet away, holding the dagger once more. Alistair realized she was leagues beyond him; she was playing with him.
"Which... which senior are you?" Alistair asked politely. He realized she wasn't trying to kill him. If she wanted him dead, she'd have gone for the neck.
"My name is Sonaya. I can smell the scent of my sisters on you. You've met several of us."
Another Half-God. Alistair realized this was the soul inside the dagger.
"I remember very little," Sonaya said, her voice like ice. "Just combat instincts and fragments. But as my strength returns, so will my memories."
"Then you..."
"Don't use honorifics," Sonaya interrupted. "Excluding my slumber, I'm not much older than you. And if you truly are the 'Chosen One,' I will serve you. I will help you rebuild the Empire."
She spoke of the Empire with a fervor that bordered on zealotry.
"Wait, you're just deciding my future for me? Rebuilding an Empire? That sounds like a lot of work. What if I don't want to?" Alistair complained.
"The prophecy will be fulfilled. Your 'King's Destiny' is proof, even if it hasn't fully awakened yet. Others must have told you this."
"They mentioned it, but they didn't seem to care as much as you do," Alistair noted, thinking of Georgia's casual attitude.
"That is because you haven't awakened. With the resources of this world, Transcendence is hard. But you have a powerful teacher. Once you transcend and we return to the Fantasy World, your Destiny will awaken. With our help, rebuilding the Empire is only a matter of time!"
Alistair sighed. His "King's Destiny" was just the [Golden Rule] and [Collector] perks from his gacha system. It wasn't some grand fate.
"Do you want to fuck me?" Sonaya asked suddenly.
Alistair blinked. "Yes."
He looked at her mana-projection. She was tall—nearly six feet—with pale, porcelain skin and long, slender legs. She wasn't curvy like his other girls; she was lithe and athletic. Her face was a perfect "ice beauty" mask. But her most alluring feature was her feet—her toes looked like jade beads, making him want to...
Alistair closed his eyes. He wasn't a foot fetishist, but her feet were objectively masterpieces.
"Help us rebuild the Empire," Sonaya whispered, suddenly appearing behind him. She slid her hands under his arms, stroking his chest while her lips brushed his earlobe. "Not just me... all my sisters will be yours to play with. I'll even help you 'subdue' the stubborn ones. We are Half-Gods, Alistair. Don't you want to taste what a Half-God feels like? Besides... we're all virgins~"