A Cliché Multiverse Story

I know I haven't been updating much lately. I was binge reading a couple of novels and manga to find some inspiration for the next world.

Thin sheets of glass surrounded the entire 13th floor of Babel Tower. With the extreme height of the floor, it seemed as if the meeting took place on a temple floating in the sky.

A large, round table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by a ring of chairs. Deities of different faces and stature occupied the chairs. Astraea and Apollo were sitting in the near center, with Loki and Hephaestus sitting opposite to them.

Loki's ever-present grin was especially wide today as she couldn't wait to slap the deities with her achievement.

Hephaestus looked at Loki and shook her head. This Denatus was going to be especially chaotic. She looked over to her friend, who was surrounded by goddesses. They showered her in praise for putting an end to Evilus' reign once and for all without knowing the dangers that lingered deep in the dungeon.

Astraea was a little overwhelmed by the positivity until a god's heavy voice cut through the goddesses' feminine voices.

"Astraea, I heard you got yourself a mortal lover," asked an old god with gray hair. "Should I say congratulations?"

"Dian Cecht," Astraea said the elderly god's name with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm happy as I'm now."

The god of pharmacy sighed. "Youth and their fervent emotions."

"It's not our place to speak, Dian," said a handsome god with long dark blue hair. His eyes of a similar color carried a soft gaze. "Thank you for keeping Orario safe, Astraea. You deserve a chance at happiness with Asahi."

"Thank you, Miach. Your healing potions keep my Familia safe in the dungeon," Astraea gave a smile. "Did you meet Asahi before?"

She was unaware of any relationship between Asahi and Miach.

"He did a quest for me before, where he saved Little Naaza in the Seolo Forest. That girl misses him every day now," Miach sighed, recalling Naaza's face as she gazed out of the shop.

"That happened?"

"It did," Loki chimed in. "Ais and Lefiya accompanied him that day."

"Speaking of Noble Rookie, has anyone seen him? I heard that he looks like a prince from the Far East?" A goddess asked.

"No wonder Astraea got seduced, hehehe," said another goddess with disdain in her voice.

"Shut up," Loki said, grinning ear to ear. "Ya wouldn't want to anger that man, believe me. He'll take away every female in yer Familia."

The goddesses shut their mouths in a moment. Loki's threat, whether truth or lie, wasn't something these goddesses could ignore.

Asahi, leaning on a nearby pillar, watched the fiasco between the deities. He already marked the goddesses to be punished later.

'Klyscha, what if I get a level for killing one god here?'

(You'll become level seventy, my love… sadly, their mortal bodies won't give you much XP unless they unseal their Arcanum.)

'Sad indeed. The gods who know my secret might be present here.'

He couldn't find anyone looking at Astraea with fear or hatred in their eyes. If they loved Ishtar, they'd hold a grudge against Astraea. If Gae Bolg's curse scared them, they'd be scared to death. Well, some gods indeed gazed at Astraea with malicious intent, specifically lust. He singled them out based on their appearances and names.

'They didn't come I guess.'

Not every god in Orario came here. Some didn't attend because they didn't qualify—a level 2 adventurer in their Familia.

'Hephaestus is kind of quiet.'

It was surprising how much a little fairy could impact her stern expression.

Astraea glanced his way from her seat, feeling his presence through their bond.

"Let's start this Denatus!" Loki's voice put an end to every conversation in the room. "I'll take the honor to be the host today. Hello everyone, nice to meet ya!"

A chorus of claps and whistles erupted throughout the room. Loki calmed the deities with a wave of her hand.

"Alrighty, brothers and sisters. First off, y'all got any news?"

The deities spoke up one by one. A god spoke of the recent surge of monsters in the early floors of the dungeon, and another goddess supported this claim.

"We'll leave that matter to the Guild," Loki said and asked them to move on.

"I heard a piece of spanking news, Loki. Some people from the Far East are coming here."

Everyone turned to the playful voice. Asahi's eyes stretched a little. The god in question sat at the corner of the table. He raised the tip of his orange hat and gave a mischievous smile.

"Astraea, this might concern you."

"Hermes!" Loki said, her eyes widened. "When did ya come?"

"I was always here," he said with a sigh. "Nobody noticed the old me."

'No, he wasn't here… or he was using Asfi's magical hat to hide.'

Asahi raised his brow. He had seen through Asfi's trick when she stalked him, but the mishmash of numerous gods' aura made it hard to sense. It could also be that Hermes never looked at him, lowering the chances of coming into the field of his perception.

'He is a cunning one. Did he come to deliver the news?'

Why would they come to Orario? Asahi decided to dig into this later.

Astraea nodded in understanding. "I understand. I will talk to her."

"You shouldn't worry much," Hermes replied with a smirk.

Loki clapped her hands. "Anything else?"

The gods and goddesses began speaking up one by one. Loki made sure to hear all of them. Once the gods settled down, Loki pushed back her chair and lifted a stack of papers from under the table. Her face scrunched into a massive grin.

"Time for the Namin' Ceremony!"

Half the gods immediately became tense, while the rest revealed ugly smiles to the tragic fellow.

"Raise the curtain, and what do we have here?" Loki lifted the first page and flipped it. "The top contender is Astraea's fresh lover, Asahi Marikawa."

Astraea grimaced. A few goddesses bared evil smiles in her direction, not bothering to hide their envy. While those with weaker Familias quietly snicked, awaiting a disastrous alias. None of them had the guts to straight-up ask for the secret behind Asahi's fast level up.

As the tension reached sky high, a voice spoke louder than even Loki.

"It's him. I adore that boy! He is so strong! I'll wage wars if you tarnish his name."

Asahi immediately revealed a disgusted expression at Apollo's fanboy behavior. But Apollo's unveiled threat worked on the deities. None of them wanted to anger him after knowing his ruthless methods.

"Suggestions anyone?" Loki asked, a cat-like grin on her face. "If not, I'll give mine… Lone Knight!"

Astraea's eyes lit up at the suggestion. This name was everything she wanted in his alias. He was the lone pillar who had stopped her Familia from a trip to the Underworld.

'No.'

Asahi poured cold water on her enthusiasm. It was a little cringe to imagine himself as a knight. He would suggest a name to Apollo, but he had no idea what to use. Honestly, he was the last person anyone would go for a name.

"Loki, that's… not right," Hephaestus said, feeling Astraea's grimace. "He uses a spear as far as I know."

Astraea nodded. "A knight uses a sword, so this alias is invalid!"

Loki felt like an invisible arrow pierced her chest. She had talked to Riveria for hours about his alias. The high elf called this name 'marvelous.' Her efforts were all for naught.

She didn't know that Riveria used everything in her to stop laughing during the discussion. The elf knew deities' bad taste in names. It was her little revenge for all the embarrassment Asahi caused her during the expedition.

"Anyone else?" Hephaestus asked in Loki's stead. She knew her names weren't the best. It was best for others to do it and face the consequences.

"Charmer," Hermes suggested, only to get an immediate rejection from Astraea.

"Lux Lanceam."

A soft voice drifted toward the table. All the heads instantly snapped toward the voice's direction.

*Click Click Click Click* High-heeled shoes echoed. A single goddess swished her silver hair as she gracefully descended the stairs.

Asahi narrowed his eyes on Freya. His sensitive nose caught a whiff of her scent from faraway; Ishtar's scent easily paled in comparison.

'Lux Lanceam. Lance of Light in Latin. That name ain't half bad. No one will try to pronounce it.'

It was a thousand times better than the previously suggested names.

"Any objections?" A smiling Freya asked.

Astraea liked the tone of the name. But she confirmed with Asahi before saying anything.

'Take it.'

"None," Astraea said.

"Lock it," Apollo agreed.

"Lock it!!!" The deities said in unison,

"…It's decided then," Loki said in a gloomy voice. "Asahi Marikawa, the boy who broke Ais's record, has received Lux Lanceam."

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