After making that outrageous statement, Sera just smiled and stepped away from Agnes and Damien with no further explanation. Everyone sighed in disappointment, since they all would've loved to hear more about killing an Abomination.

Not a single person doubted the legitimacy of her words. Even the people who never personally met Sera yet, heard of her famous reputation. Also, the Italian Peninsula was living proof of her power.

The Angel walked a few steps and found herself facing some familiar faces.

A young girl and a tall man wearing dark robes with the Angelic Order's seven-pointed star sewn on her back. Behind them stood a giant woman with golden hair and eyes, wearing a tank top and formfitting pants.

The trio stopped before Sera and knelt before her. She just rolled her eyes, and before anyone could've said a word, Sera's voice echoed.

"Could you stop embarrassing me with the kneeling? We're friends, so let's act like those, shall we?"

Lilith glanced in confusion, her swirling purple eyes widening as Sera reached down and grabbed her garb. The next moment she felt her Goddess's tender arms pulling her into a tight hug.

The Dreamweaver, someone who forced a Stellar to kill herself countless times, teared up from Sera's hug. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing as her arms moved around Sera's neck.

In the past two years, the worry she felt about Sera had been driving her insane. Her body went limp from the relief she felt, yet her arms stayed strongly attached to her Goddess's neck.

After a few seconds, Adam needed to pry his fiancée away. It was like taking a baby away from its mother, which's how Lilith felt about Sera. She was her only parental figure, whom she worshipped with all her heart.

As Adam reached forward, Sera caught a glimpse of the same rings on both his and Lilith's fingers. They resembled a golden seven-pointed star with a small green gemstone at its center.

Sera raised an eyebrow as she pointed at the ring… "Did you get engaged?"

Lilith and Adam glanced at each other, then down at their rings and finally back at Sera… "Yes, about a year ago on my eighteenth birthday, Lilith proposed to me!"

The Angel grinned widely and put her arms over the engaged couple. She pulled them close, her body oozing with energy and joy.

"That's amazing! When's the wedding? Can I go? If the venue only accepts a few people, then ignore my request! We can have an afterparty somewhere else!"

Everyone in the lounge room stared at Sera in disbelief. They couldn't decide if she was purposefully ignorant, or actually dumb. Adam and Lilith just stared at their Goddess dumbfounded.

"Uh, yes, you're invited… In fact, the reason we haven't gotten married yet is because… We wanted you to officiate us!"

Sera released her tight hold, and with a hand over her heart, she bowed before the engaged couple… "It would be an honor!"

Lilith and Adam looked overjoyed as they stepped away from their Goddess, letting other people greet her too.

The giantess still knelt, which annoyed Sera. She asked her once to stand up and didn't plan on asking again. With one hand she reached down and grabbed Astrid's ear.

With a yelp of pain, Sera forcefully pulled the giant woman up to a bowing position, since otherwise she couldn't reach her head. Content with the result of her actions, Sera let go and smiled up at Astrid.

"You can worship me all you want, but when I tell you to stand, then stand the fuc—…" Sera's eyes snapped towards Nick and Jo, sitting nearby. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Astrid.

"It's embarrassing enough that my friends worship me in front of the masses. I would rather not deal with this in private. Now let's properly introduce ourselves, since we haven't met yet as far as I know!"

Sera reached out and after some hesitation, Astrid's massive hand absorbed the Angel's. With a light shake of her wrist, Sera grinned and began by introducing herself… "My name is Seraphine. Nice to meet you!"

"M-my name is… Astrid… Nice to meet you, Goddess Seraphine…"

Sera rolled her eyes as she released the massive hand… "Don't call me Goddess. If you insist on honorifics, use Lady as a prefix… Anyway, I heard you're quite powerful on the battlefield. I would love to spar with you. My powerless fighting prowess is pretty rusty!"

Before Astrid could've said anything, another taller woman appeared beside her. She had mid-back length metallic gray hair and the same colored eyes. She was even more muscular than Astrid, but her body wasn't as curvaceous.

However, despite her lacking body proportions, she made up for it with her boisterous, charismatic and easygoing personality.

"Did I hear sparring? I love fighting! We should hold a tournament or something to test our fighting prowess and see who's the best! I'm Yvonne, by the way, nice to meet you!"

Sera reached out with a comfortable smile as she shook the tall woman's large hands.

"So you're the woman who taught my daughter how to fight. Nice to meet you, and thank you for your help! Also…"

Sera took a step closer and whispered in Yvonne's ear, so only she could hear her… "There's no need to test anything. We both know Bea's the best duelist in this room!"

"Hey, didn't they teach you it's unethical to whisper in a gathering? Or maybe living alone like a hermit made you forget how to act around people?"

The Angel glanced at the long, half-snake woman standing near Astrid. Her dark green, viper-like eyes stared at Sera, and hundreds of smaller eyes stared at her too, as the snakes in Kim's hair hissed. She crossed her arms, bringing attention to the strange, specially made dress she wore.

"Oh, I see your outside skin finally reflects your personality. Slippery, gross, and closely resembling a snake!"

Both Sera and Kim narrowed their eyes. The tension rose inside the room, and everyone prepared to stop the upcoming fight between the women… However, the anticipated fight never arrived, as both women burst into laughter…

Sera stepped forward and pulled the slithering woman into a tight hug. They were never too close, even after Kim changed sides, yet of everybody inside the room, only she was special… She was the only person who was once Sera's enemy!

After their hug, Sera spotted another familiar figure by Kim's side. A tall, lanky goblin with androgynous features, dark green eyes, blackish-green hair and an awkward expression.

She didn't know much about Sam, but since her daughter adored him, Sera was friendly too. A bit reluctantly, she gave him a hug, because he looked in need of one.

The goblin blushed heavily as the Angel's perfect face came close to his. He quickly scurried away afterward, Kim following close behind.

The introductions and greetings continued. This was Sera's first time meeting with General Bryce and Yannick. Both men bowed before her respectfully, but they showed no fanatic devotion.

Sera then began greeting her old friends. Most of them held angry expressions and berated Sera for running away without a word. However, in their eyes she saw the relief and joy.

The long line of people decreased as they reached the end. At last, Sera spotted her oldest friend.

A beautiful woman of average height, with whitish-blond hair, stepped forward. Her emotionless, one blue and one green eye, stared at Sera. Deep within her gaze, the embers of hope ignited, yet her face stayed expressionless and dignified.

She opened her mouth, but before any word could've left her mouth, she felt her body lift off the ground. Arms wrapped around her chest and shoulders, as the sound of sobs filled the air.

"I'm sorry, Mel… I'm so sorry…" Said Sera as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Melinda's eyes widened and filled with tears as a sad smile split her face… "You remember?" She asked, letting the embers of hope burn bright as a bonfire.

Sera pushed herself away so she could look into Melinda's eyes. She leaned in close, placing her forehead on her friend's.

"Of course I remember, Mel… How could I forget my oldest friend… I'm sorry it took me so long to remember though…"

Tears ran down both their faces as their bodies shook with sobs. However, the tears weren't sad. They felt overwhelmed with happiness and full of hope for a better future together.

Each time she heard her nickname, which Sera used to call her in the past, she couldn't help but grin with joy.

She reached forward with her right hand and brushed Sera's face gently, wiping away a few rivers of tears… "If you truly remember me and our past, then what do we say to each other when we cry?"

Sera also raised her right hand and touched Melinda's face with the same tenderness… "You should only cry upon someone's grave. Until you have time to do better in life and spend time with friends, crying is a waste of bodily fluids."

They both chuckled at the sentence, yet their tears hadn't stopped flowing. Their arms reached around, and for a few minutes they continued hugging and sobbing.

The people gathered around watched their interaction with bright smiles. However, there was one person who wasn't a fan of the elongated hug of the best friends.

Joan stood a few steps away awkwardly. She knew Melinda didn't feel anything intimate towards Sera, and she hoped the Angel only had platonic feelings too. However, she couldn't help the jealousy growing in her heart.

As the old friends ended their hug, Joan walked up and grabbed Melinda's hand. Her partner glanced at Joan with a wide grin, not aware of the tanned woman's jealousy.

"Oh, Sera! I haven't formally introduced you to my partner yet! I know you've met her before, but now we're a couple!"

Joan's body froze, and all the jealousy left her body, leaving only a fuzzy feeling in her heart. Neither Melinda nor she ever referred to each other as a couple in public before… This was a giant step in their relationship, which Melinda made without a second thought!

Sera grinned at Joan and gave her a hug as well. Electricity danced in her eyes as her heart pumped fast. However, she continued standing frozen in place, and only after Melinda began pulling her did she manage to move her legs.

After greeting Joan and Melinda, only two people remained waiting to be addressed.

Two gigantic women walked forward hand-in-hand. The shorter one, standing about 2,2 meters tall, was someone Sera had already met before.

Elizabeth walked like a graceful lion. Her lithe body moved with the long golden dress she wore. Long blonde hair fell down her back as her dark golden eyes stared at the woman by her side lovingly.

The taller woman, standing around 2,4 meters tall, was unfamiliar to Sera, yet she easily guessed her identity.

Valerie was the exact opposite of her wife. Her muscular yet voluptuous body stretched her tank top to its utmost limits, same with her pants. She kept her knee-length dark silver hair in a neat braid, while her dark blue eyes stared at Sera with curiosity.

Both women had perfect facial features, but nothing else could be expected from a Stellar and an Ethereal.

They stopped before Sera. Valerie stared down at the Angel with a wide grin, and soon her booming laughter shook the entire ship…

"I loved your explosion! I can't believe you split the Italian Peninsula, only as a Transcended!"

Sera didn't expect the interaction with an all-powerful Ethereal to go so smoothly, but she became even more shocked by what Valerie did next.

She reached forward, her massive hand grasping Sera's own. The smile on her face widened until the grin seemed to connect her ears.

"I can see you'll be a worthy mother-in-law to my son!"