Chapter 739: *Her personal guard*
A myriad of emotions passed through Zak's beautiful eyes, and it was all Esmee needed to be sure that in this life too, Zak would be hers forever.
They had fallen in love in his first life, during a time when the Ancient Gods were enslaving all creatures without distinction. Humans, shapeshifters, legendary creatures, and even demons were not spared; they were their playthings.
Esmee had always protected her world as best she could against the other Ancient Gods, but she was just a laughingstock among them because she didn't want to enslave the humans living in her world.
Her world was a peaceful one where the other Gods were forbidden to go. Because she could provide them with love potions and other aphrodisiacs, they left her alone most of the time.
The humans in her world had an easy life compared to those in other worlds, but she still trained elite soldiers, either fighters or mages, to be ready for battle if one day the other Ancient Gods wished to take over her territories.
Zak was one of her best fighters. He was promoted to be her personal guard when he was only 25. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and he was truly alluring when he fought. She grew fond of him, but at first, he rejected her attempts to seduce him.
However, it wasn't that Zak didn't find her attractive; on the contrary, he was madly in love with her, but he didn't feel worthy of her attention and rejected her at first.
To him, she was a goddess, and she shouldn't even spare him a glance. How could she have an adventure with a mere human? It was unbelievable to Zak.
During the time they spent together, they talked often. Esmee didn't care that Zak was human; if he could reach level 200, he would become immortal and could stay with her forever.
However, it was rare for humans to be able to level up to level 200 at that time. In Esmee's world, there weren't many magical beasts, and they weren't that powerful. The only way for them to level up was to train together and enhance their fighting skills.
On the contrary, in the other worlds, the humans couldn't level up to a high level because they were killed before they could even manage to reach level 100.
As time passed, even though Zak became powerful, he was still far from reaching level 200. It was at this moment that Esmee met Elias for the first time.
Elias had been fighting another Ancient God in a world close to her with some other Warrior Spirits, and it was then that she felt his unmeasurable pain for the first time. She had never imagined that someone could be this heartbroken. The pain she felt then was suffocating, and she couldn't ignore that soul's distress.
She offered refuge to the Warrior Spirits in her world, allowing them to rest and heal their broken hearts, as most of them had become Warrior Spirits because they had lost all their loved ones.
Zak befriended them and the other elite soldiers too, and after hearing their stories and learning what the other Ancient Gods were doing in other worlds, they grew indignant and wanted to fight alongside them.
Esmee initially refused; she was afraid for her elite soldiers and feared they would meet their end fighting against the Ancient Gods. But as the war intensified, it was only a matter of time before her peaceful world became a target for the other Gods.
Zak also persuaded her, saying that fighting would allow him to finally level up and that he might even reach level 200 so they could live together for the rest of their lives.
Her love for Zak had moved the Warrior Spirits, and it was the first time they had visited a world where humans were treated well and were happy. As their relationships deepened, the Warrior Spirits began to train her elite soldiers, and she finally allowed them to go to war. Following Elias's advice, she removed her mark from her elite soldiers so that the other Gods couldn't turn against her and her world.
While they were fighting in other worlds with the Warrior Spirits and other creatures that had rebelled against the Gods, Zak and her elite soldiers leveled up at a fast pace. But before Zak could reach level 200, he was crippled by an attack launched by an Ancient God.
His meridians were damaged, preventing him from leveling up anymore. Moreover, he started aging at a more rapid pace after his injuries.
At that time, the Priests were gone, and Miguel hadn't been resurrected yet, so no one could heal Zak's injuries. When Miguel was resurrected, it was already too late for him to save Zak.
She knew that sooner or later Zak would be reincarnated, but she hadn't expected that the man she had loved so much would become a Priest in this life.
As joy filled her heart, she said to him before kissing him without restraint, "Fate has given us another chance, Zak; let's not waste it. Times have changed; I can love you freely now, and the new Gods chosen by Elias will not interfere. They are completely different from the Ancient Gods."
.........
The day after the Drakonits' world was saved from the apocalypse, Roman and his 1,000 best warriors came to join forces with the Warrior Spirits in Kevin and Axel's world.
Fortunately, Miguel had prepared beforehand and had already built the facilities they needed to accommodate so many warriors.
They had also received plenty of fighters and mages from the Gods that supported them, and Lucas even brought back with him 15 shadows who were personally trained by Kevin.
These men and women were far from reaching level 200, but their skills were top-notch, so they still had a chance to participate in this war if they looted enough purple dungeons to level up.