Volume 3: Chapter 1- Goddess's Nightmare

"FREE ME FROM THIS PRISON YOU FIEND!" The blue diamond screamed helplessly as Ren put it inside his pocket.

Earlier he noticed a very interesting property of the diamond with a goddess within it. He happened to accidentally drop the diamond into a dirty pond, then by some strange miracle, the water became completely clear. Ren then tried to confirm what he saw by putting the diamond into various dirty surfaces to test its effectiveness. In each case, the diamond purified and cleaned anything it touched.

"Well, I have found myself an ultimate cleaning sponge, haven't I?" Ren mischievously smiled.

First he used the diamond in the kitchen, to wash away all the grime from the kitchen tools and dishes that he used while trying to cook. He was sure the dishes were not supposed to be coal black, granted he did burn the food served on them. He scrubbed the dishes with the diamond all the while the entity inside the diamond screamed for mercy.

Surprisingly there were many things that needed cleaning up. Ren used the diamond in a bath, as a personal cleaning scrubber, floor cleaner, and even water purifier.

"WAAAAAAAA…." Now it seemed like the diamond was reduced to crying.

"Master! It is great to see you" The lizard demons approached Ren.

"Oh! Hello everybody, what are you up to?" Ren asked.

"It is the time of the month when we shed our skins, we are now peeling the old skin off ourselves and were going to present it to you afterwards."

"Wow, sounds rough."

"We do use sharpened smooth rocks in order to cleanly cut the old scales off, but it usually results in a mess."

"Try to use this." Ren gave the lizard demon the diamond.

"This is…" The lizard demon frowned. Apparently he heard the voice when he touched the diamond.

"That is my personal cleaning utensil, try using it, never mind the screaming." Ren said with a smile.

A goddess could only wail helplessly as her body turned into a diamond now was being used as a hard back scrubber for hideous lizard demons. Reduced from a being that sat at the top of everything, inferior to none, to a cleaning tool for a demon. One cannot imagine the sheer dread she felt in her situation.

She used to be someone important, someone humans worshipped and prayed to and sacrificed themselves for. She was Serena, the deity of humanity, the one who fought for humans and inspired thousands to take up arms against demons. But now, now she was just a tool for a demon to use.

After one lizard demon was done scrubbing the old skin off, the other lizard demons started to use the diamond. Apparently the word spread fast about the diamond that makes shaving scales easier, so now about twenty lizard demons were lined up to scrub themselves with the diamond. Essentially, they were using the diamond like soap.

Ren just smiled and watched. When, there were only five lizard demons left to use the diamond for shaving scales, Sento Draco approached Ren.

"Master Ren, all tasks were completed just as instructed."

"Splendid! You can take a break; afterwards ask Aijasyl or Shaula where the lunch is going to be held."

"Master Ren. May I please ask…" Sento pointed at the diamond being used as shaving tool by lizard demons for their scales. "What is going on here?"

"Oh, they are shaving their scales, it is the part of the contract they have with me, they donate their old scales every month, and we make them into light weight armor, see…" Ren showed underneath his cloak, he was wearing a cloth definitely woven from lizard demon skin. "Their skin cools down when it is hot and is warm during cold times. The skin is not strong enough to withstand magic, but it is good for physical attacks like arrows and swords."

"And you are using the goddess as a shaving tool?"

"Oh, I have used the diamond as a bathing sponge, kitchen tool, dirt scrubber, water pipe cleaner, and now scale shaver. That diamond has surprisingly many uses." Ren said cheerfully.

"Wow, Master Ren. I… I am truly speechless." Sento Draco muttered. Then an urge to laugh out came over him as he chuckled at the absurdity of what he was seeing. The goddess who he feared and hated for so many centuries was now reduced to a cleaning object. In a way this showed his new master's merciless attitude towards the gods and his complete lack of fear towards them.

"Good job, you all!" Ren said after all the lizard demons were done shaving their scales off. Now there were empty scales that looked like dead carcasses, piling up on top of each other.

The lizard demons loaded up the scales on a cart, and they went towards the building where the Tengu clan members specialized in making clothing was located. Ren went along with them, leaving speechless Sento Draco standing there like he saw some kind of a natural phenomenon.

None seemed surprised that Ren used a goddess like a cleaning utensil, no, it seems like they are quiet used to their leader's easy going yet calculative attitude. Yet, Sento couldn't begin to guess what plan Ren could possibly have for using a goddess as a cleaning tool. Yet, he had to admit, it felt good to have her be reduced from a deity to a dirt cleaning tool. 'Life sure works in mysterious ways' Sento thought, realizing that less than a week ago he was still trapped in a form of a rock with no way out. But now he was in the service of a demon he respected and the goddess he despised has been so humiliated and reduced to an object that he almost felt pity for her.

Sento smiled in his heart. "It seems I chose the right leader."