The stage was ready, and more than a thousand people had gathered under the bright afternoon sun. Yet, no one seemed bothered by the heat.

From a high vantage point, the massive crowd looked like a dense sea of people, all packed together, waiting in eager anticipation.

All eyes were fixed on the stage, waiting for Scarlett to appear. Many had heard of her beauty, while others had already seen her before and were even more excited.

Some men had even fought with their wives just to be here today. Their wives, on the other hand, were furious, feeling as if they were being cheated on. Meanwhile, many bold men openly admitted that they had a crush on Scarlett.

Without even realizing it, she had become a sensation. Over the past few weeks, newspapers and magazines had published nothing but news and articles about her.

Then, the host stepped forward and spoke into the microphone.

"Please welcome, Lady Scarlett Nova!"

As soon as those words were spoken, a heavy silence fell over the crowd. The murmurs, the chatter—everything stopped. It was as if time itself had slowed down.

And then, she appeared.

A woman in the prime of her youth walked gracefully onto the stage. Her smooth, pale white skin seemed to glow under the golden afternoon light.

She was wearing the same casual outfit from yesterday, something far too simple for such an important event. Normally, it would be considered rude not to wear a grand dress for a speech like this.

But no one cared.

Her body, her perfect curves, the way the outfit hugged her figure—it was far more mesmerizing than any royal gown.

Her striking appearance left people breathless, but their curiosity didn’t stop there.

A deep purple blindfold covered her eyes, hiding what many had longed to see. Stories of her different-colored eyes—one a brilliant blue and the other a striking crimson—had spread like wildfire. Now, the audience was burning with the desire to catch even the smallest glimpse.

As Scarlett reached the center of the stage, she smiled.

A warm, dazzling, heart-melting smile.

It was a sight so beautiful that it sent waves of love surging through the crowd.

Even the women in the audience weren’t spared. Dozens of them developed a sudden crush on her in that very moment.

As for the men?

They were in even worse condition. Almost every single one of them had fallen head over heels for her.

"A-A goddess!" one woman gasped in shock.

"It's like a divine being has descended upon us to bless us, mere mortals!" a priest muttered, clasping his hands together in awe.

But while Scarlett kept smiling, deep inside, she was screaming.

"Arghhh... This was a terrible idea! I should’ve never agreed to give this speech! They're not even blinking!"

Her face remained calm, but her mind was in turmoil.

"Fighting a Demon King might actually be easier than this!"

She let out a small, bitter laugh in her head.

Scarlett cleared her throat and spoke, "Ahem... You might already know who I am, but I should introduce myself again. My name is Scarlett Nova, Ruler of Dreadhaven, the Seventh Kingdom!"

She declared dreadhaven as a Kingdom with full confidence, as if it was already written in history. There were no official documents, no formal recognition—nothing. But the way she stood, the way she spoke, made it feel as if it was already a done deal.

Her voice was both seductive and commanding, a mix of charm and authority that sent a shiver down people's spines.

And just like that, a wave of excitement erupted through the crowd.

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"Yay! That means I can finally travel to Dreadhaven where Lady Scarlett belongs!" someone cheered.

"What a voice! I could listen to it all day!" another person sighed dreamily.

Scarlett blinked as a flood of voices rushed through the air, overlapping each other.

She tried to continue. "Wait, let me spea—"

"Lady Scarlett is the best!"

She sighed and tried again. "I said, let me—"

"Will she let us move to Dreadhaven?"

Her lips twitched.

She clenched her teeth, trying to remain patient. After all, this was a public event, and she wanted to make a good impression.

But enough was enough.

"Can you all shut up for a second?!" she snapped.

Silence.

A heavy gulp spread through the crowd as they froze in place.

One thought crossed their minds.

"Scary!"

Scarlett let out a deep breath, her frustration melting away. "Now then, let me continue. Actually, I haven't prepared any grand speech, but instead, I will tell you all a deep secret of mine."

"A secret?" a man in the front row mumbled.

"A secret?" Inside a tunnel-like area nearby, Vladmir narrowed his eyes. Suspicion crept into his mind.

"This isn’t giving me a good feeling," he thought.

Just then, a few armored guards approached him and knelt beside him.

"My Lord, you are already late. We should depart," the leader of the guards urged.

Vladmir waved a hand dismissively. "Hold on a minute, I wanna see something." His gaze remained fixed on the stage.

Meanwhile, Aoto had quietly slipped out of the tunnel and joined the audience. He had disguised himself to hide his identity. Even though not many people would recognize him, he still had the unmistakable air of royalty.

Aoto simply crossed his arms and smirked, watching Scarlett with interest.

Scarlett let the silence hang in the air for a moment, making sure she had everyone's attention. Then, in a hesitant tone, she dropped the bombshell.

"Actually... I’m a goddess," she said, her voice soft, as if unsure how people would take it.

The crowd went completely still.

Then—

"What?!"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

A wave of chaos spread like wildfire. People turned to each other, whispering, questioning, trying to make sense of what they just heard.

Scarlett continued, her voice carrying an innocent, almost shy tone.

"I was afraid to say it because I thought no one would believe me..." she sighed, placing a hand on her chest as if gathering her courage. "But it’s the truth. I’m the avatar of both the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of Beauty and Combat. I was born to defeat the Demon Kings and bring salvation to humanity!"

The commotion grew even louder.

Some people gasped, eyes wide with shock.

"Is that really true?"

"Could it be possible?!"

But not everyone believed her so easily.

One man in the crowd crossed his arms, frowning. "Lady Scarlett, we love you, but you can’t just play with our faith like this! This is an insult!"

Another shook his head. "Yeah! The gods choose heroes with their blessings! They’ve never had an avatar before!"

In the shadowed tunnel nearby, Vladmir’s guards looked tense. One of them turned to him urgently.

"My lord, shouldn’t we stop her? She’s claiming to be a goddess! This is a serious crime!"

But Vladmir raised a hand, stopping them. His lips curled into a bitter smile.

"There’s no proof that she isn’t a goddess," he said calmly. "And if she’s claiming to be one, then she must have some way to justify herself."

His face was composed, but his mind was in turmoil. His sharp eyes locked onto Scarlett as he tried to use Appraisal on her.

Again.

And again.

But it failed.

"I can’t see her title... I can’t confirm if she’s a goddess or not..."

Vladmir’s fingers twitched as he clenched his fist.

"You planned for this from the beginning, didn’t you, Scarlett Nova?"

Back on stage, Scarlett stood confidently, a small knowing smile on her lips.

And then—

A golden aura erupted from her body, spilling out like cascading light. It wasn’t harsh or blinding; instead, it flowed down gently, like falling snow.

The moment it touched the crowd, warmth spread through their bodies. A peaceful sensation washed over them, soothing all their doubts and fears.

People gasped, looking at their own hands in awe.

"This warmth... What is this?"

A priest standing among them suddenly fell to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief.

"T-this... This is divine aura!" he stammered. His hands trembled as he clutched his robe. "It’s divinity! She’s really a goddess!"

The crowd exploded into an even bigger uproar, voices mixing with gasps of admiration and pure shock.

Some people fell to their knees in worship.

Others looked at Scarlett as if seeing a celestial being descend from the heavens.

Even those who had doubted her moments ago were now left speechless, struggling to find any other explanation.

And of course, Scarlett wasn’t lying.

Scarlett really was a goddess.

But not an avatar of the Goddess of Love.

Not an avatar of the Goddess of Beauty.

She was something far, far more terrifying.

She was the Goddess of Massacre.

But who was going to tell them?

No one, of course.

Now, you might be wondering—if Scarlett's true divine aura was deep red, like blood, then why was everyone seeing it as golden? Why did it feel so warm and comforting to them?

The answer was simple.

Faith.

Scarlett currently had over 180,000 believers. But unlike most gods who gained followers through lust, greed, or blind fear, Scarlett’s believers had pure and deep faith in her. They followed her out of admiration, loyalty, and trust.

And in the world of gods, the color of divine aura didn’t matter. What mattered was the quality of faith.

On the outside, Scarlett looked hesitant, as if she was nervous about what she just said. She fidgeted slightly, her fingers tightening around the hem of her dress.

But inside?

She was laughing.

"What a bunch of fools," she chuckled in her mind. "I knew this would work! No goddess has ever actually shown themselves to humans, so how would they even know what a real goddess looks like? Hahaha!"

Of course, she wasn’t doing this just for fun.

Scarlett had a purpose.

Being a goddess didn’t automatically give her a massive boost in strength. It wasn’t like a power-up in some fairy tale. No, the real power of a goddess came from something else.

Believers.

The more believers a goddess had—and the stronger their faith—the more powerful she became.

Now, think about this:

There were billions of humans living in this world. And almost all of them worshipped the two major goddesses.

What did that mean?

It meant those two goddesses weren’t just powerful.

They were on par with the Demon Kings.

No, even stronger.

Only the most terrifying Demon Kings, like Avion or the Second Demon King, could stand a chance against them.

So why not just steal their believers?

Why not use their faith to increase her own power?

That’s exactly what Scarlett was planning.

She sighed dramatically, her voice soft and filled with emotion. "It’s been thousands of years, but in all that time, only one Demon King has ever been defeated. I can’t just stand by and watch humans suffer any longer..."

The crowd looked at her with admiration. Some people even had tears in their eyes.

"That’s why my main body made a decision," she continued. "I was reborn in this body—half dragon, half human. A legendary body, created to bring peace!"

The people cheered.

Scarlett’s expression suddenly grew sad. Her voice wavered slightly, filled with desperation.

"But this isn’t enough!"

She looked at them, her expression filled with hope.

"I need your faith," she said. "If you believe in me, if you worship me, my power will grow. The statues of the old goddesses should be replaced with mine! But I know that kind of change is hard... so I won’t force anyone. Instead, as you see the miracles I bring, you’ll naturally start to believe in me!"

Her words were working.

People were already convinced.

"Of course," she thought "I don’t have the authority to change the statues right now. But as long as they think of me when they pray... that will be more than enough!"

Scarlett kept her face calm and composed. But inside?

Inside, she was laughing like a maniac.

"Soon, I’ll defeat the Demon Kings. My words will come true. And one by one, every human will become a believer in Scarlettism."

Hahaha!

"The world is full of fools; all you need is someone to make them."