Netori: Reborn as the Human Aphrodisiac

Of the various groups of deities that ruled the Higher Planes, one stood above the rest, honored both for their transcendent powers and their proximity to the Lord: the five Wrathful Gods.

Ananta, Heruka, Ahriman, Vritra, and Bhaira. Two Gods and three Antigods.

Heruka, the Red God, was known as one of the most ferocious gods in existence, a warrior so obsessed with sensual dances, flame rituals and blood sacrifices that in ancient times, it used to be mistaken for an Antigod.

And while the faith evolved to promote less violent ceremonies and present Heruka as a heroic divine protector, the Red God only accorded its favors to warriors with kill counts in the triple digits at the very least.

A massive red cloud took shape above the venue, blotting out the sky.

'Child of Vritra, you didn't forget the blood sacrifice and performed the ceremony with divine flames, showing me proper respect.

I approve of your austerities. However, you do not worship me, so why should I grant you my boons?

You now have two choices ahead of you--give me your soul and become my servant so you may receive my powers and sacraments, or die for disturbing me in vain.' A deadpan voice echoed in Mithras' mind, and the moment next, he appeared in a burning throne room, standing before a blinding pillar of red flames.

In the middle of that pillar, a shadowy figure hovered, facing Mithras with a pair of oppressive scarlet eyes.

Undisturbed, Mithras' lips curled up, and he sat on the burning ground, joining his hands in a prayer sign.

"The Lord is my savior; praise be his name. In his heart I trust, to his mercy I surrender…" Mithras sang his mantra, and to the Red God's shock, a burst of resplendent light erupted from the youth's form, sweeping through the Red God's divine hall.

Performing Austerities to a deity that you didn't worship was no different from courting death. There was, however, one exception to this rule: the Lord's devotees.

The Lord's devotees didn't have to worship other deities to receive their blessings. But the Lord doesn't accept devotees based on their faith in him, instead using random criteria that change from one person to the other. For that reason, the Lord had the least number of devotees among top-ranking divine beings.

Thankfully for the good Mithras, the Drum of Praise made it fairly clear that he'd received the Lord's favors, the system confirmed that as well, enabling Mithras to act without fear of failure.

The scenery changed once more, and Mithras was back at the wedding venue, with three red flame stones flickering in his right hand.

"He got three wishes!" Watching the flaming stones in Mithras' hand, the Red Priest gasped for breath, his eyes turning green with greed and murderous desires.

One could only perform austerities to the same deity once, with a chance at being rewarded with one to three boons. Mithras got three boons…three boons from the Red God.

Gods were limited in the boons they could grant. But three boons from any top-ranking god was more than enough to become a legend of the Spiritual World! A pity that the Red God was purely a battle god, unable to grant boons not connected to blood and slaughter.

Honoria, Lysander, the Red Priest and surviving guests watched with rapt attention, all wondering what boon Mithras would ask for.

With a smile, Mithras crushed the first stone, causing trails of blood-red flames to coil up his form. Rings of fiery sparks rotated Mithras' heart, and the Red God's unique flame: Pyrogasmic Genesis, appeared in Mithra's heart.

At the same time, Mithras unlocked the Second Divine Secret, prompting Nagini to crawl towards him and wrap around his right arm.

Together, master and pet crushed the second stone, triggering a blast of divine flames that lit Mithras' ceremonial robes on fire, replacing them with a unique set of red priest robes that burned at volcanic temperatures.

The knowledgeable recognized that robe immediately. But before they could digest its implications, a large red stone dropped from the sky, entering Nagini's skull.

"You've been with me through the bitter and sour, so it's only right that you enjoy the sweet," Mithras said while petting Nagini's forehead, and to the audience's shock, the winged python turned into the beam of scarlet light, shooting towards the sky.

The misty shape of a Red Dragon flashed in the clouds, followed by a dragon bracelet that appeared on Mithras' right wrist.

One flaming stone still floated before Mithras, but Mithras didn't crush it, instead walking towards Lysander.

"Why?! You didn't have to involve me to perform these austerities. If anything, I'm just a distraction! So why…am I here exactly?!" Realizing that he'd put his trust in the enemy and made himself vulnerable to violation, Prince Lysander asked in a loud but defensive tone.

Pyrogasmic Genesis and the Sacraments of the Red Gods, with those two boons, Mithras had obtained the strongest war tools that the Red God's closest followers had access to. And he still had one boon left.

There was nothing Lysander could give him that compared to the Red God's boons. So why exactly…was Lysander here?

"I don't understand. Didn't you want to stab me in the chest and cut off my head? I was serious, you know. If you can take it, my head's yours. I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. So how about fulfilling yours and giving me the land and title deeds of Ruba?" Mithras asked in a calm and mischievous tone, tightening his fist around the third stone.

"Stop playing around! What do you want? My father will…" When the king's face flashed through Lysander's mind, the crown prince went livid, stuttering for words.

"O-oh lord, my father! W-what have you made me give my father?"

"Make you? Again, false accusations. You wanted something to help you keep your elders out of this, and I gave you just that: king-class Gorefiend Fragrance," Mithras said with a straightforward tone, sending Lysander reeling with the realization that he'd likely doomed his father to death.

"You…you didn't."

"Of course, I did. But don't worry. The Queen Mother is hella strong. With her help and your family's reliable Blood-Smelting Gene, your old man has about a 30% chance of survival—albeit with one less arm, leg, or eye.

Let's drop that to zero," Mithras said and with one squeeze, crushed the third stone. The image of Gaiseric choking in the royal palace appeared for all to see. And as Lysander's heart broke at the pain he'd caused his father, Vel'Asha successfully drained the poison.

Lysander's lips curled into a radiant smile. But the moment next, a flurry of divine flames embroiled Gaiseric's body, also lighting Vel'Asha on fire.

"Dad! Queen Mother! Noooo!" Lysander snapped and reached for the picture projection. His hands went through the image, making no difference to reality.

"Thanks to the way I've worded my wish, you have about ten seconds before your most beloved elders burn to a crisp. So, what do I want? What is it that you have that made me waste a divine boon to blackmail you into giving it up?

Well crown prince, if you think about it hard enough, it is pretty obvious.

The only good thing about you…is your destiny," Mithras said to the crown prince's face, and unbeknown to the audience, as Mithras faced Lysander, the words Great Blood Emperor flashed above the Crown Prince's head, rippling with mysterious energies.