Lizz is not here, neither is Cleo. The S rank knight has been summoned and sent on a new mission. They probably did this to separate her from you, so that she won’t be able to interfere. So right now, you are on your own. 

From many stories that you’ve heard since your reincarnation here, the demons have always been the bad guys. They are the ones who bring terror, destruction and death everywhere they go. But now… you don’t know if this is true anymore. Sometimes, people can be even more terrified than demons. Your old world was like that, and this world turns out to be exactly the same. The ugly nature of human remains. Rotten to the core, their thirst for power knows no bounds. Their judgements are all clouded by greed, and when driven by greed, they deceive, betray, and scheme against their own people.

Heroes gave their lives but are easily forgotten. Evil is lurking in the shadows. Looking at the people who gathered here at the temple to pray to Aquilonyan, you wonder… are they aware? 

Are they free of sins? 

Is this town even worth being protected?

But… honestly, it doesn't matter.

The thing that matters to you should be catgirls, and catgirls only. Right now, you have a catgirl to save. So, bowing down, hands in front of your chest, you say your prayer, directing your thoughts and feelings to her. If there is one person who can help you, then she is the only one. You need more power, to protect yourself, and to free Nightingale of her shackles.

It doesn’t take very long for your prayer to reach her. Shortly, your consciousness is once again transported to that snowy mountain summit, where the northern lights shine. 

---

“So you are really watching, nya,” you say to the catgirl who just appeared in front of your eyes. She is the Goddess of the Northern Lands. With her authority over the ice element, she watches over every catgirl. The Goddess's voice is so gentle and soothing, it’s like music to your ears. You were in a bad mood and a little bit panicking as well. But just hearing her voice, your mind calms down almost instantly.

Aquilonyan is still as beautiful as thousand stars. No, even prettier now that she wears such a godly dress. It’s a blue and golden dress, elegantly wrapped around her perfect body. Her wings are spreading wide, glowing, blinding you with her majestic divine aura. Her hair is like the silky version of gold, and her eyes reflect the color of the starry sky, mesmerizing everyone who looks at it. This reminds you of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty in Greek mythology. Such beauty is unrivaled by everything else in your world. And if Aphrodite has a twin sister but catgirl, then that sister must be Aquilonyan.

“Yes,” Aquilonyan nods. “After all, I did promise to come to you if you somehow find yourself in trouble.” 

In your previous meeting with the Goddess, she said that if you ever want to find her, just come to her temple and pray.  

“Then, are you aware of what is going on right now, nya?” you ask.

“I do.” Aquilonyan replies. “However, there’s nothing I can do, since it’s against the Law for a Goddess to directly interfere with the mortal world.”

“Yes, I know, nya,” 

The Goddess already mentioned this the last time you met her. But, you still have another question. Directly interfere… what does this phrase really mean? You know that she is the one who reincarnated you and blessed you with the DeathWhizkersz’s abilities. That somehow didn’t go against the laws. Then…

“Is it possible for me to get more power nya?” you get straight to the point. “Perhaps, a second awakening? Nya?”

But, unfortunately, the Goddess shakes her head. “If what you want from me is more power, then I’m afraid I cannot give you anymore, even if I'm really wanting you to get stronger too. We are only allowed to give blessings when the individuals are born. After that, altering someone’s power is strictly prohibited. Even so, in your case, I just simply transferred Felicia’s knowledge to you, I didn’t really give you any new power.”

And that means it’s not possible to get stronger now. You are a little bit disappointed by this answer, but not really surprised. The only reason why you have your current abilities is simply because you are already strong in the first place. Like Cleo said when she first met you, the amount of mana dwelling within your body was absurdly huge already, to the point that even S rank like her felt intimidated. You just needed knowledge on how to use skills, and Aquilonyan let you borrow the other Felicia’s knowledge.

Yes, you are strong. 

But… that’s still nowhere near Nightingale’s level of strength. 

“Haiz…” you sigh. “I’m screwed nya… I can’t even land a hit on Cleo, then how can I possibly fight against Nightingale nya?”

You are sure that Cleo can beat to pulp in just seconds had she used her greatsword. Yet, Nightingale is more powerful than Cleo. Even Cleo admitted that. Then… you versus Nightingale, isn’t this an unfair match up?

But “Not really.” the Goddess responses. “Power is not everything, you know? You see, you are the chosen one, the hero. I reincarnated you here for a reason, remember?”

Hearing that, you think about the past conversation with Aquilonyan.

A… reason?

Ah… you asked her that question before.

Why choose you? Instead of billions of other people in your world?

Her answer was ridiculous but made sense at the same time.

Because your love for catgirls is one of a kind.

Yes, only you are brave and dumb enough to save a catgirl from an incoming truck. And not to mention, you even risked your life to save Lizz from the Corruptors before! 

Your real power… is love. Love can make you do crazy things. The love for catgirls gives you strength that no one else has! If one catgirl is in trouble, you will rush to help her, never giving up on her.

And according to Aquilonyan, that alone makes you the best candidate to be a legendary hero.   

“Besides,” the Goddess continues. “Your logic is flawed. Hmmmm, how should I say this… Ah, you know rock paper scissors right? Rock beats scissors. Paper beats rock. Then… are you saying that scissors will lose to paper?”

“Huh? Of course scissors will beat paper nya!” you then think about this for a bit. “Are you saying… I’m scissors and Nightingale is paper nya?”

“That’s right,” Aquilonyan nods. “But she is a really tough paper. It can be very challenging.”

“Ah, I understand nya…” you reply, feeling a bit more optimistic.

Obviously, Nightingale is strong. But, that doesn’t negate the fact that you are indeed a scissors, and she is just paper when she stands against you. After all, you have some great advantages against her that Cleo doesn’t have. You know that if you use them wisely, you can close the power gap! 

Isn’t that exactly what Cleo has been teaching you this whole time during the three weeks long training? 

Basically, use your wits!

Or… your cheat skill. 

The thing is, you have another secret weapon that you have yet to use. Even Cleo doesn’t know about it. There is a cheat skill that manifested itself as a result of your unrivaled love for catgirls!

It is a very, VERY strong cheat skill. The condition for it to activate is quite… unusual though. The only one who you were able to use it on was Lizz.

“Ah… Goddess,” you suddenly have a crazy idea. “You know, even so, I still feel that my chance against Nightingale is too small nya… Do you think… using THAT skill will help nya?”

“Of course!” Aquilonyan says. “If your feeling for that girl is strong enough, then maybe that skill of yours can work on her too. But, if that is your strategy, then you might die before you can execute it.” 

It is because you will have to get very close and immobilize your opponent first before using the skill. Therefore, the Goddess thinks that it is impossible to carry out such plan. 

However…

“Goddess, I’m not talking about Nightingale nya. I’m talking about another catgirl nya.”

“Huh?” Aquilonyan tilts her head, confused. “Then, who are you going to use it on?” she asks.

“On it,” you point your finger at a particular constellation in the sky, “Look here, Goddess, and you will know nya,”

Just as planned, the Goddess turns her head to look in the direction that your hand is pointing to. Ah, despite being the divine entity, holding great power and knowledge, Aquilonyan is such a pure and innocent girl at heart. She does exactly what you tell her to, unaware of your wicked scheme.

Of course, she recognizes that constellation instantly. Viewing the sky on top of this mountain summit, that constellation shines the brightest. 

“Isn’t this…”

Auraelis Aquilonia. Yes, the Divine Lights of the North sky.

But it’s just a distraction.

Using the element of surprise, you easily grab the Aquilonyan’s arm and pull her close to you. Then, in just fragments of a second, you now have a catgirl Goddess pinned down onto the snowy ground!

Aquilonyan stares at you in disbelief. However, you can see that her face is slightly red. Your reflections are inside her eyes, as clear as looking down at a water surface. Being this close to her, you are sure that your heart stopped beating for a few seconds. The Goddess is just too stunning.

But… that is all you can do. Seems like in her presence, evil thoughts simply cannot exist. You love catgirls, yes. But sometimes, there are the ones that you just cannot lewd. 

It’s against your moral code. Therefore, you let her go. 

“I’m… I’m sorry nya… “ you sit up and apologize. 

Ah… what have you done? She is a Goddess, you know? Even if the reason is to activate your skill… you can’t just defy her like that!

But then… “It’s okay.” You suddenly hear the Goddess’s reply. “I… I think it’s a good idea…”

Aquilonyan then holds your hand, and slowly pulls you back to her. 

You are now in the same position as seconds ago, with both faces inches away from each other. The Goddess blushes. You can feel your cheeks getting really hot too!

“This is just for the skill. Don’t… don’t have any wrong ideas, okay?”

“Nya…” you nod, holding your breath. Your heart is running absolutely wild right now.

Then, with both parties’ consent, Aquilonyan closes her eyes. 

You lean down.

The cheat skill activates instantly when your lips touch hers.    

---

Time loses all meaning when you kiss the Goddess, so you don’t know how long it has been. But when you open your eyes, it’s already midnight. Other people have already gone home. Yet, only you remain here. 

Then, shortly after, the sound of the temple gate opening makes your ears stand up straight.  

You turn around, full on alert mode.

Ah, she’s here, Nightingale Viviana DeathWhizkersz. Seems like the visions that you saw this morning were all true. She simply cannot be restrained inside that mere prison. 

Thanks to all that happened, at least you knew beforehand and are now ready for this. The power up that you received from Aquilonyan is quite nice. But… is it enough to fight Nightingale?

Well, it’s time to find out.

---