The Sun Goddess's Fury
Eden was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't hide his bewilderment. It wasn't quite on the level of being dropped into a medieval fantasy world just for creating a barbarian character, but it was still damn awkward.
“……”
Eden slowly scanned his surroundings. No clueless goddess, no greenhorn paladin, no ex-priest he'd just met today. He was the only one summoned to this surreal space.
He was in a place he'd never seen before in his life. He'd never set foot in a king's palace, but he doubted even that would be more opulent than this. The ceiling soared so high it vanished into the haze, and the vastness rivaled a sports field. Masterpieces spanning eras adorned the walls, mysterious ornaments gleamed, outrageously lavish furnishings everywhere, statues in every conceivable shape. This was a palace. A gaudy, extravagant one at that.
Eden recalled the 'otherworld' the demon had conjured. The form differed, but it felt essentially the same.
Too concrete for an illusion... too fictional for reality.
He scratched his head. So where the hell was this? He had every reason to feel uneasy in this sudden situation, but his demeanor remained as steady as ever. The pounding rhythm of his barbarian heart calmed him. Eden stroked the haft of his axe with his fingertips. Most problems could be solved with brute force anyway.
He narrowed his eyes, waiting for whoever had summoned him to show.
And then.
[……Yawn.]
A yawn echoed. The voice sounded a bit irritable.
[So damn noisy. Ugh...]
The corridor where Eden stood began to move. Like an escalator, the palace itself carried him along.
[Whose voice is that loud? I was finally having a good dream after ages... 'Just wanna see your face'? Who even says that now...]
With each word from the delicate woman's voice, Eden felt like his eardrums might burst.
[Fine, let's see your face... Bug-like demon spawn? Or some foreign contaminant that drifted in? Come to think of it, it's been a while since an Ascending Hero showed up...]
The drowsy voice pressed down on him. Eden's mood soured. He was the one dragged here without any explanation.
He muttered a low curse under his breath. Who's the loudest one here right now? Fuck.
After traversing the long passage, Eden arrived in a room darker than the rest. It felt like a bedroom.
[Now, who could it be~?]
Eden looked up to find the voice's owner. An enormous 'something' loomed before him, too massive to gauge.
...A cushion?
The shape was just like any ordinary pillow he knew. Only the size was absurd.
And sprawled atop that gigantic pillow was a massive human figure. A beautiful woman with golden blonde hair. Her impressive cleavage was striking.
[...An ordinary human?]
Obsidian-black eyes fixed on Eden. Surprise colored her voice. Though closer now, her voice was softer.
[This is hard to understand... Did the world go weird while I slept? That's no good.]
She seemed as clueless about him as he was about her, muttering to herself incessantly, voicing her curiosity.
What the hell is she doing after summoning me?
Eden addressed the woman curtly. “If you're gonna call me, spit out your business first.”
Even to him, it was clear the being before him wielded immense power. But Eden didn't grovel. His habitual barbarian act flowed out naturally.
The woman hesitated, then spoke cautiously. [......You're a very small existence.]
“Yeah, and you're one huge bitch.”
She paused at his retort, stunned. [...You can hear my voice. You understand my words. Even without me adjusting.]
“...?”
Eden tilted his head. Wasn't she muttering for him to hear?
[......]
She gazed down at him, pondering, then lightly blew a puff of breath. Due to her sheer size, Eden felt a gust that nearly lifted him off his feet.
And moments later, a woman of normal size appeared before him. Long golden blonde hair cascaded to her ankles. Her attire was barely there, exposing more pale skin than cloth—strategically covering only the essentials. Her voluptuous figure halted right in front of Eden.
He didn't refuse her consideration. Nice body, right up my alley.
Her true form still sprawled on the giant cushion. It wasn't that she'd actually shrunk; she was projecting a smaller version somehow.
“Then, shall I introduce myself first?”
The woman flashed a seductive smile, placing a hand on Eden's shoulder. Slender fingers stroked his nape.
“I am the second sun to rise, guardian of light, the sky that embraces all. And—.”
“……”
Listening to her self-introduction, Eden felt a familiar déjà vu. It echoed the spiel from that first goddess he'd met.
He half-tuned it out, meeting her gaze. Not at all what he'd imagined.
So that's what 'embraces all' means.
Unaware of his thoughts, she calmly wrapped up her lengthy intro. “—and finally, the one and only sister of Neb. They call me Rundel.”
The woman, Rundel, beamed at Eden. Big sis had black hair and golden eyes; little sis, blonde and black eyes. Eerily similar yet different. Though the gap in their most vital assets was massive.
Eden eyed Rundel's jiggling chest, awaiting her words.
“You, little existence.”
Who's she calling small?
Rundel continued, staring at him. “How about becoming this goddess's great warrior?”
“Great warrior.”
“Yes, a warrior worthy of ascension.”
She hefted her breasts as she spoke. Big enough to feed a family through an entire season if made into rice cakes.
“A chance to claim the goddess's sole favor, infinite glory. All you need do is bear the title of her great warrior.”
Rundel smiled as if she already knew the barbarian's answer, but it faded quickly.
“Pass for now.”
“...Why?”
Don't barbarians think with their dicks? No way he's impotent...
Rundel glanced flustered at Eden's crotch. But contrary to her expectations, his refusal was inevitable. He had no hobby of saying 'no' to the strong out of pride.
He just had scores to settle with this goddess named Rundel.
“Ever dragged something from a completely different world here?”
“...!!”
Rundel flinched at his words. A guilty reaction. Eden nodded. Bingo.
Few could pull him from the game into this medieval hell. Neb had denied it. So the prime suspect was this whoreish Sun Goddess before him.
“You fucking bitch.”
Her face registered shock at the blatant curse. Flustered too. But Eden didn't care.
Long-buried rage surged to the forefront. Not the barbarian's fury, but the civilized man's from modern society.
He flipped her off. She might rule this world as a 'god,' but Eden had no time for such trivia.
……
And the storm descended.
Eden's muscle-packed frame lifted into the air, hurled by the wind. The surrounding palace crumbled in an instant, reduced to rubble and dust. The raging fury swept over him.
Rundel bellowed in wrath. [...How dare you!!]
Eden smirked at the sight. I can manipulate a god's emotions. A pointless joke crossed his mind.
Disorienting force tossed his body every which way. Like a child shaking a bug in its palm.
Eden slammed his axe into a massive flying boulder—perhaps a chunk of the palace ceiling. He clung like a mountaineer.
He glared at the raging goddess. Honestly, she looked more demonic than the night-fighting demon.
“No wonder you look older than your sis.”
[......]
The gale halted. The boulder froze midair; Eden awkwardly scratched his jaw.
That was actually just to myself.
“Heard that? Sorry. Facts are facts.”
[You.]
Eden braced for impact.
[You filthy little pest...!!]
Words failed to describe it. Thunder, lightning, storm, volcano. Explosion.
[How dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you.]
A mere voice, yet it felt that way.
[Invoke my sister's name...?!]
Eden clicked his tongue at her outrage over the weirdest thing. If she cared that much about sis, she'd have stopped the 'evil god' label.
The demon's 'slothful goddess' fit perfectly.
Surprisingly, no direct attack. Too vast a being for petty moves.
Boom...!
The sky cracked open.
She's lost it completely.
But Eden was pissed too. He was the one who should be mad.
He steadied himself on the flying boulder, eyeing the horizon where Rundel rampaged. Her cascading hair shone like the sun. The sight of it dyeing half the world awed him.
Eden reaffirmed she was a 'being too vast for the world to handle.' And her size was still growing.
He gripped his axe haft tight. His pumping barbarian heart surged blood from toes to scalp. Veins writhed over his right arm.
He hurled the axe at the light.
A pathetic trajectory compared to the mighty sun flew straight.
And
Battle Cry
“■■■■──!!”
Didn't matter if unbeatable. He'd nick a fingertip if he could.
With that resolve.
He blinked, and he stood in the church.
“?”
Eden instinctively checked around. His axes still hung at his waist.
“Even so, if the Sun God would just lend her voice in times like this, I'd be truly grateful...”
Beside him, the ex-priest Taim continued his tale. Reality hadn't skipped a second.
Neb, sensing Eden's oddity, approached. “Something happen...? You're sweating like rain all of a sudden.”
Eden pondered his reply. Your sis just summoned me to paradise for a sec.
Then.
Boom....
The ground shook once more. Eden sighed softly, sensing the massive presence.
Didn't send me back on purpose, huh.
“She's coming.”
“...What's coming?”
“Your sister.”
She seemed properly pissed. With that, the church ceiling shattered.
Eden shielded his companions from falling debris, gazing skyward.
“Th-that's...!”
Fran stammered in a trembling voice.
From the cloudy sky descended a gigantic finger. The sun vanished; darkness fell instantly. Screams echoed from the cityfolk.
The ex-priest and paladin knelt, sensing divinity from the finger.
If they knew it planned to squash the whole city, their reaction might differ.
Eden regripped his axe. If he wasn't mistaken, a tiny wound marred the fingertip.
Reason enough not to give up.
As Eden readied for battle.
Neb, who'd watched it all, unleashed a massive roar. Unbelievable from her slender frame.
“...Rundel!!”
The cry reached the fingertip.
[...?]
The sun spotted another goddess—in human flesh—who'd called her true name.
“Get down here right now if you don't wanna get scolded!”
A very angry goddess at that.