Gacha Kingdom Building

---This Chapter is written in Catherine's POV---

In this long life of mine, I've seen monsters that defied all common sense.

Creatures whose abilities far surpassed mine.

As far as I know, I've outlived all of them.

Demons who, like me, enjoyed an immortal body while possessing power and knowledge that easily put me to shame.

Heroes with unimaginable potential who fell before they even learned their role in the world.

And all of those in between...

Thus, I've come to understand that the secret to a long life wasn't necessarily an immortal body, nor was it the power to split heaven and earth.

No, to survive among monsters, the only option was to run and hide.

Cowardly, avoiding the storms until they had passed…

Even though I wasn't much of a schemer, and my potential was fairly low, I managed to live this long and acquire this much power simply by being patient.

I have all the time in the world, even if I'm forced to take a few steps back, so be it.

It's not something to be proud of.

Yet, I feel no shame.

For I conquered half of the world, and became a goddess thanks to it.

I have no regret.

But I do feel anger.

Anger towards the world that forces me to run.

And anger towards myself, for being who I am.

Thus, this punishment...

I shall do my best to avoid it, whatever the cost may be.

Lapis: "Oh... Didn't know you could be so bold, Cathy~"

Ugh...

Why did I involve myself with her again?

I knew she was nothing but trouble...

Well, I guess I didn't have much of a choice.

When a predator of her caliber has her eyes on you, there's no meaning in running or hiding.

Pitted against such predators, prey had only one path... Make themselves small, uninteresting, and pray to be forgotten.

Yet, that damned, near-useless planet I was given somehow managed to surprise the two of us time and time again.

The weapons they used, the way their armies and people organized, fought, and fled...

Everything about them was unusual.

I was determined to sell them off to the highest bidder, to trade that world for whatever scraps I could get, to move on and forget them as soon as I had the chance.

But through their unconventional methods, they won this little underground game of ours, and worse yet, grabbed Lapis' attention in the process.

It doesn't help that I got a little interested myself, but since then, I've been unable to avoid her.

It's a shame, really.

A goddess with her power would make for such a valuable shield against the others.

But I know her.

Or at least, her type.

She's a sadistic beast whose fangs lie hidden as she enjoys the ultimate meal: A completely overwhelmed victim, in mind, body, and soul.

That she's so keen on approaching me means only that I'm her target.

And now, I've lost the only viable strategy I had for her.

Catherine: "I'm not sure what this means..."

Julie: "The Lens of Divination never lies. This man is from your world."

Catherine: "I'm not debating that."

There was a giant mirror in the room where we used to reunite to share updates and provoke each other about our little game.

Reflecting on its surface was the image of a young man.

His image would often disappear, only for scenes of his deeds to be revealed.

In some scenes, he fought against Heroes and Saints.

In others, he took on some of the strongest that the world in question had to offer.

Julie: "This world didn't have any demons thanks to this woman. However, not only did he bring one with him, but he also took her away. And she was one of the strongest ones in that world."

The rules of our game stated that we were only allowed to attack the worlds involved in the game.

This was meant to prevent someone like Lapis and Felix, who had multiple worlds of much higher tiers, from cheating.

Of course, everyone cheated anyway, but not this blatantly.

Catherine: "How do you know he didn't come from a Dungeon?"

Julie: "He never entered one. Besides, look..."

The Lens of Divination is one of the most important items for a god.

Not only do they track the movements of every being blessed in a given world, but they also allow us to take a closer look at any target.

They are also connected to a network composed of every existing world blessed by a god, and thus, no matter where the man went, the Lens should indicate his position.

Yet, until the very last scene, when he stood in the ruins of a demolished house on Earth, the Lens always marked his position as "Unknown" after he disappeared.

The same was true for the Saint, the Hero, and all others who disappeared after making contact with him.

Catherine: "...Well, I still deny any involvement. It's pretty obvious this man has a teleporting ability."

Felix: "Funny, isn't it? Didn't the Traveling Merchant give you trouble not long ago, Catherine?"

Catherine: "Their abilities indeed look similar, but... What are you implying? He's obviously not at the level of a member of the Caravan."

Lapis: "Take a look at this, Cathy."

No...

I couldn't believe my eyes.

When the focus on the screen changed, instead of the man we had seen before, a demon appeared.

One that should have died so, so long ago...

Lapis: "She is tremendously weaker than before, but the woman on the screen is an unforgettable existence. She's-"

Elizabeth.

The Demon Queen.

I was familiar.

It was a monster I'd never forget, for as long as I lived.

No one brought me closer to death more times than her.

The only time I saw peace was after her death, and now, she's come back to haunt me...

Lapis: "Lizzie... Oh, how have I longed for the day I could twist that defiant face of hers...."

I almost wished her good luck with that, but Elizabeth was a monster far easier to deal with than this one.

As long as one doesn't get in her way, they will be safe.

If I had to choose, I'd take her side.

At least, if she didn't seem so much weaker than before.

Felix: "The world I gave my sister didn't have any demons, yet, this man brought this Devil who used to have ties with the Caravan. After she and the Dragon destroyed a nation, there's more Demonic Power than Divinity being produced."

Julie: "That's not all. He also took the queen of a nation, alongside any other candidate for the throne, leaving it in utter chaos! I'll admit he also took that pesky dragon, but still! This was a direct attack!"

Oh, she was furious.

I hadn't thought she was capable of it.

Nonetheless, I could now see the framing they were going for.

The Traveling Merchant had appeared in my world.

This man had a similar ability and summoned someone with ties to the Caravan, while also traveling from Julie's world to mine.

I had the incentive to attack Julie's world while our game was ongoing to diminish her power and prevent her from bringing powerful soldiers to the war.

It certainly made me a suspect.

Especially since I was a vampire, and thus, was already a target for-

Lapis: "That being said! I don't think Cathy had anything to do with this at all."

Catherine: "Eh? How come?"

Was it a trap?

I know her antics are fake, but she seemed oddly genuine this time.

Julie: "It's too much of a coincidence!"

Felix: "You are being unfair, Lapis."

Lapis: "Hm? Don't be hasty. Even if she didn't do it on purpose, she bears some responsibility, so I'll punish her..."

Shit...

Depending on what she wants, I might prefer a fair trial.

Lapis: "I won't have her return your continent, Julie. Gracefully accept your loss."

Julie: "Hrn... What then?"

Catherine: "Hm? Oh, no. I'd be fine returning it if that's-"

If I can spread my name in that continent, it might produce as much Divinity as the rest of Earth, if it's not soiled by the humans that live there beforehand.

However, losing it would mean simply returning to square one, and that's a price I'm used to paying.

Lapis: "I said no. I got a better idea."

Unfortunately, I didn't have a say in my own trial.

Lapis: "Cathy will owe you a hundred years of projected Divinity generation from that man's world. And I'll pay it for her."

Thus far, it was surprisingly kind.

Although I would still rather return the continent to Julie's world.

And of course, I wasn't expecting her to pay my debts without asking for something in return.

Thankfully, she laid out the price I'd pay, which was actually a relief since owing anything to her might've been worse.

Lapis: "How many people have you lost to that man?"

Julie: "About eighty thousand."

Lapis: "Alright. Felix, Catherine, and I will play in a small tournament. I'll arrange a fourth God too, to make things more interesting. We'll each select eighty thousand people, and the eight surviving ones out of them will compete as a team representing their world against the others. Of course, you must choose that man to participate, Cathy."

Catherine: "Yes..."

Huh?

That would mean I get out unscathed?

If I choose correctly, fifty thousand will barely be a dent in the Divinity produced on Earth.

Lapis: "Let's see... How about the winner also gets ownership of the three other teams? That way, if your brother wins, Julie, you can have a bunch of new strong people to fill your world. You can also punish that man yourself."

It was surprisingly fair.

Not only would the inevitable losses make up for those Julie lost, but if things went her way, it would also replenish the strong pawns she lost.

Of course, Lapis' true intent was pretty obvious.

Her eyes were brimming with the excitement of not only having Elizabeth to do with as she pleased, but potentially, a handful of other interesting toys, like the man who appeared in the mirror.

Even if she tried to make things fair on the surface, it didn't seem like she was going to hold back this time, which meant I had little hope of winning.

Especially since I already lost quite a few tournaments like this before.

People from Earth never used those weapons in this type of setting.

Still, while I was interested in that man, sacrificing him to keep on living, even if for just another day, was a deal I'd take without thinking twice.

Hell, I'd rather throw away troublesome things like him and that world than keep them and see myself the target of someone like Lapis or the other ancient gods lying around in this domain.

A shame though...

If he has truly subdued Elizabeth, he might make for a strong piece.

Perhaps the strongest.

On the off chance that Earth wins again...

Aha.

Well, it's worth keeping an eye on him, at the very least.

Such a poor soul.

I almost feel bad, as we seem to share the same degree of bad luck, gathering such unwanted attention.

Julie: "That's fine, but... What about the team that wins? What do they get?"

Lapis: "Good thinking. If they survive the first round, they won't have any incentive to keep going, huh?"

Aside from losing their home and being owned by a God, but somehow I feel like that won't be disclosed until the time comes.

Catherine: "In that case... I have a suggestion."

To a vampire, hierarchy is one of the most important concepts.

Thus, there's an old tradition our kind often partakes in.

I'm confident it will satisfy Lapis and any contestant as well.