Rise of the Harem King

"Wait… by cycle, you mean," Davi's voice faltered as the realization hit him.

"Yes," Inanna replied calmly. "Humanity, and the entire world, has been nearly wiped out countless times. But somehow… a few dozen humans always manage to survive. And from them, civilization rises again."

Going into more detail about the seal, Inanna explained that the power of destruction had been sealed in eight parts. But from the very beginning, the gods knew that this seal could not last forever.

At first, what they wanted was to recover enough so that, the next time they faced the demon king, they could win.

The plan worked in part, on one hand, the second destruction was a little smaller than the first. On the other hand, they were completely massacred, and only when the demon king naturally weakened from having nothing left to destroy were they able to seal him again.

By the narrowest margin, all eight managed to survive, but there was no guarantee they would survive the next time.

With that in mind, they modified the seal a bit. Instead of sealing only the demon king, the new seal also imprisoned the gods.

The deliberate decision to imprison themselves might seem strange, but it was a form of self-protection. That way, they could remain safe in another dimension.

Even more so because the seal was reconstructed so that it could not be broken all at once. In fact, each of the eight points of the seal would have to be released separately.

"For example, for the next 100 years, my seal will slowly be released. Only then will I be able to leave this place," Inanna explained.

However, within those 100 years, the Demon King would have time to destroy so much that she'd become weakened once more.

That's why, upon her release, it would be Inanna's task to face her sister and seal her again.

"So, if I manage to seal her properly," she said with a bittersweet smile, "I'll be trapped here once more. And after 10,000 years, it will be Odin's turn to repeat the cycle and face the Demon King. Of course, by then, your civilization will have been destroyed and rebuilt, just like hundreds of others before it." Her voice carried genuine sorrow.

Since the other seven seals would still be intact, the Demon King would only have access to one-seventh of her true power.

Additionally, this method allowed the gods to avoid any cooperation among themselves and remain safely hidden away in another dimension.

With that method, the only one at some level of risk is the god that needs to seal the demon king.

"And, to lower our risk, we train humans, so they can weaken my sister, before sealing her."

"So you brought us here just to die in the most useful way possible for you," Amelia spat, her voice trembling with rage.

Davi, on the other hand, had sunk deep into thought.

He wasn't as furious as Amelia, because he could hear it in Inanna's voice, she wasn't happy about any of this.

In fact, despite her playful demeanor while telling the story, her voice and gaze had sounded genuinely tired.

Maybe… living through the same cycle for millennia had worn her down.

Thinking back, she had tried to delay this conversation for as long as she could. But pity wouldn't change anything. Even if Inanna truly felt sorry for them, the reality remained: destruction and the end of the world were closing in.

It was likely that monsters like the one Amelia had fought would only become more common over time.

Could they possibly face them?

No. Not with conventional means. This same cycle had repeated so many times, and no human had ever been able to win the war.

Even if Davi gave it his all, the best he could hope for was to become a noble sacrifice.

He needed more. More power than any civilization before him had ever possessed. He needed something no other human had ever received. He needed…

"I want your power," he declared with conviction.

Inanna couldn't leave that place until the seal was completely undone, but she had already given Davi a fragment of her strength.

In theory, if he had the full power of a goddess, he could stand on equal footing with the Demon King.

No, he'd still be weaker, even then. But at least the battle wouldn't be hopeless.

"But I already gave you my power," she said with a light, teasing tone.

"That's not what I mean," Davi replied, his heart pounding.

"I want everything—all of your divine power. Is that even possible?"

He held his breath. If the answer was no… he didn't know what else he could do. There was no other path. No other source of power.

Inanna's expression turned thoughtful.

"Yes… it's possible," she said slowly.

"But it would significantly weaken the seal. Humans usually hold out well for the first ten years after the seal begins to break. If you prepare carefully, you might even live quite comfortably for the next two decades, you know?"

"And what kind of coward would plan the most comfortable way to wait for their own death?"

Amelia shot back, her voice sharp with contempt.

"I figured you'd say that," Inanna said with a faint smile.

"But there's one more problem. If I give you all of my power… I'll have nothing left. You understand that, right?"

She was stating the obvious.

Gods usually granted a portion of their strength to chosen humans, just enough to let them cause maximum disruption for the Demon King.

But in the end, it was always her responsibility to face him. To seal her sister once more.

If she handed over everything to Davi… how would she confront the Demon King afterward?

How would she complete the seal?

Of course, if Davi managed to defeat her sister, everything would be resolved. The cycle of destruction would end, forever.

But if he failed… she would die. For good.

"Please," Davi said as he bowed deeply, speaking with raw sincerity.

"Bet your life on me."

Inanna let out a soft chuckle, her eyes narrowing with amusement.

"You're a bold one, aren't you, boy?" Then she grinned, a grin with something sharp behind it. "Well… lucky for you, I'm pretty bold myself."

But her tone shifted instantly, calm, serious, and cold.

"Still... I won't gamble my life on someone unworthy. And even if I wanted to, I can't transfer my full power to you just yet."

She snapped her fingers.

A small, transparent sphere materialized in front of them, floating gently in the air.

"If you want my power," she said solemnly, "then you'll have to meet my condition."