Chapter 460: Death experience

The astral projections of my Commandos kept flying around helplessly and frantically. One actually tried to ram the Goddess of Hornets, but bounced off as if hitting a wall.

The Goddess of Hornets herself paid her any mind. She was focused only on me, and there was enough fury in her eyes that my protests died on my lips.

‘I won’t even have time for my life to flash before my eyes…’

Despite this, with a last-ditch effort, I tried to focus on my body and teleport there. My attempts changed nothing—I stayed where I was and could see perfectly how the Goddess of Hornets sneered once more and clenched her claws around me.

A terrible pain pierced my mind, but it was mercifully short. I heard ringing in my ears—was this my system shouting some warnings? I couldn’t tell.

Everything went white, then black.

It stayed black for some time, but I couldn’t tell whether it was short or long. Then the buzzing in my ears gradually returned.

A second later I realized it was the buzzing of panicking hornets mixed with the rumbling of the collapsing cave.

Almost no time at all passed, and when I could see things again, I found I was in almost the same position as before!

My astral projection was in the hornets’ cave, the projections of my scouts were flying in the distance, and the Goddess of Hornets was in front of me.

But she wasn’t holding me anymore. Instead, she was held down by the Goddess of Bees and the God of Humanity!

Both of them had their preferred forms of an Earth bee and a handsome man, but scaled to the size of a murder hornet. The Goddess of Bees was touching the Goddess of Hornets’ left shoulder, while the God of Humanity put his hand on her right one.

Those were seemingly light touches, but the Goddess of Hornets was visibly struggling against them as if each had a weight of eight tons.

With incredible relief, I realized I was saved.

Even if a direct fight between gods began now, since each god had the same power on their own, two gods would always win against one.

My patron gods must’ve noticed the Goddess of Hornets’ approach and rushed in to help—just like Dalmanrach the last time!

“You were always one of the stupidest of us, Goddess of Hornets. If you were any smarter, you’d have accepted defeat after the first time and got the hell out of our way,” the Goddess of Bees gloated, moving her mandibles in the most smug way possible. “But you tried again. And again. You just never learn…”

“My ally here is absolutely right for once. Even the repatriation you paid to us for showing your ugly face to our mortal champion the last time didn’t teach you a thing! You shouldn’t have threatened what’s mine. The hall of judgment awaits you, and this time you won’t leave with a simple repatriation!” the God of Humanity said, looking insufferably self-righteous.

“Bastaaaaards! I have other worlds yet! I will win over you there. Just you waaaait!” the Goddess of Hornets wailed, but it was to no avail.

The gods who came to my defense vanished together with her, and I finally realized that all this time nothing had been holding me down.

I immediately teleported to my body.

I was lying in the same guest sleeping cell as before, on a soft mattress made from spiders’ fuzz and covered by a thin but comfortable blanket. However, the state of it was a cause for alarm.

There was blood coming from my nose and the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t check my health points until I re-entered my body, so that was what I prepared to do—but before I could, I was startled for a second time this day.

And after being attacked out of the blue by a goddess, this almost gave me a heart attack! Or would have, if I were in a body with a heart.

This time, to my relief, this was just the Goddess of Bees, who made herself my size.

If she were the size of a hornet, she’d have a hard time fitting in this room. Also, the smaller she was, the less disturbing she looked—but I hoped she didn’t catch this in my mind.

“You wish. In this form, all your surface thoughts are so audible that I don’t even have to break past the layers of protection put by the other gods over your head, my useful little mortal,” the Goddess of Bees said. “Who knew that you would be so annoying that you would annoy the Goddess of Murder Hornets out of the last shreds of sense?”

Well, this wasn’t part of my plan! What was the point of trying to conquer the world if any butthurt god could just cheat and kill me instantly?

Of course, I could be brought back from the dead like this time, but it still wasn’t—

“Oh, you didn’t die this time, mortal. It’d be much more tiresome to gather your memories from your brain if your conscience went away. Of course, the person I’d resurrect wouldn’t be *you* either way. But with all your memories and personality, it’d be just the same to me…”

I could swear I saw the Goddess of Hornets grin with her mandibles as this existentially dreadful realization sank in.

Was I already a copy of the original Richard Miller?..

The Goddess of Hornets let me marinate in these thoughts for a few seconds before adding,

“No, I preserved your consciousness after the death of your body back then. You’ve proved that it wasn’t effort spent for nothing, at least… unlike the other times. Oh, well. You deserve a reward for today’s performance, for sure. I will share with you something from whatever we get from the Goddess of Hornets after today. And before that…”

She waved her foot at me, then disappeared. An instant later I heard the system’s voice.

Congratulations!..