บท 121: Introducing Holy Grounds

"You served in the military, right?" Lightning asked the older Schnee sister, the elder Farron instantly noticed the different behaviour this white-haired woman had from the rest of newcomers, more rigid and professional.

Winter noticed the same thing on her as well.

"I still am, this is my first leave from Atlas military since I joined them," Winter said that quite proudly.

While Lightning felt sense of Deja Vu from hearing that, because she just saw herself in this woman!

After all, she was one of the youngest Sergeants in Guardian Corp, and she followed orders to ladder, that was until her sister was branded as enemy...

"Hmm, I see, I used to in the military as well, that was until the whole world turned against my sister..." Lightning said that as she looked Serah for second who was excitedly talking with Weiss, more like pulling her out from her Heiress persona, similarly how Ruby does with her innocence, only Serah being Goddess of Light can do it casually with words.

Hearing that made the specialist slightly baffled, whole world turning against one girl? what in world is that place!?

"Did Ray told anything about places he visited before?" Lightning curiously, asked her.

"I only know that he 'conquered' several realities."

Lightning sighed hearing that... yeah she learned about THAT very last second as well!

Something like: 'Oh, by the way, I rule whole reality in that place!'

By that point, she didn't care about that anymore, but it still grated her nerves that he can be that nonchalant about such things...

"Yes, one of those was my homeworld..." The older pinkhead sighed, then decided to ask something.

"Does your homeworld has crazy gods?" She asked curiously.

"...not that I know off, I believe general called then 'childish'..." Winter said whatever she remembered about them, they never were on their mind, since they had a bigger problem to worry about, which is living with them, and who had domain over Destruction and Chaos.

*Sigh*

"Childish is better than the ones which were residing in my homeworld..." Lightning then decided to elaborate what she meant.

...

Short explanation later, the specialist from Atlas could only stare at the older Pink head with disbelieve.

And, here she though her Homeworld had it bad, turns out maybe her world is better when the one the Pinkhead was inhabiting before coming here.

Humans raised as cattle to be used for mass genocide ritual so that a god could expand his domain over some invisible domain?

Nope! she takes Grimm over any time of day then this madness!

"So, how does... Raynor fall into this?" Winter curiously asked.

~~~

Weiss would be lying if she said that she was not nervous, meeting another girlfriend of her OWN man is a weird experience!!!

Normally she would either jealous, envious and of course angry, yes the word NORMALLY, but this situation is not normal, by any stretch...

First of all she was standing in front of Primordial Goddess, why she is mentioning this is simple, as Raynor has his moments when he 'reveals' himself, otherwise she forgets that he is God with human disguise...

This Goddess in front of her is not such thing, not to mention she is Primordial Goddess of Yin, and she can be considered the concept of woman in flesh...

"You have my thanks for taking care of darling." Xia Qingyue said with a smile, all Weiss wanted to look somewhere else and not at her!

The presence she was emitting was intense...

But, then as if knowing what was happening Raynor, put his hand on Weiss's shoulder, this instantly lowered the presence Xia Qingyue was emitting.

"I-I-It was nothing! I was at least I could do!" Weiss said with shutter, she was embarrassed because, in her mind she underperformed, for someone like her, who strives for perfection, she can't take such compliment.

"Hmm, don't think like that, I am impressed that he only brought 'you' back, while the rest of them might have feelings for him, our darling is seems was more interest in you." Xia Qingyue was impressed that this white-haired girl kept Raynor entertained for so long (several weeks even)!

Well, there is that fact that reality was largely unknown to him as well.

So, she gets more brownie points from the Goddess of Yin.

...

"Why don't we get something to eat!?" The only orange-haired girl got everyone's attention.

First to react was Raynor, whose eyes nearly glowed from excitement.

"I am all up for it! I haven't eaten your dishes for over week, I think I am getting into withdrawal stage soon, if I don't get any of your homemade stuff!" Erina blushed for a second hearing his answer, it was twice over actually, she was embarrassed that Raynor is categorising her food to the same level as drugs!

The newcomers have heard his comments and looked at the orange-haired girl, so this is the legendary chef who made that divine food!?

~~~

While the newcomers from Remnant getting introduced to Raynor's harem, a pair of blondies have escaped the manor the moment they arrived into Primal Chaos.

"So, why we just run out from the house!?" Yang asked, her head was still somewhat spinning but Arno helped her to maintain proper balance.

"Ray's harem, that's why!" Arno said with slightly fearful eyes.

"Oh... you afraid of them?" The blonde girl asked with disbelief.

"Of course I am! Raynor discarded his humanity the moment he could, embracing his obsession with anything dragon." He said with a deadpan look, he knew his best friends likes those fire breathing lizards, but becoming one? he never expected that! then again he never expected their life-changing event like that over summer as well!

"You have something against dragons?" Yang asked wirh slighly 'pissed off' look, her name has dragon in it!

"No, of course not! everyone has their freedom to choose whatever they want! what I am saying that he got severely influenced by that transformation, he might didn't noticed, but he has developed draconic like obsessions."

Yang raised her eyebrow, where is he going with this? talking in circles is only confusing her!

"Can you just cut to chase?" The blonde girl sighed in annoyance.

"Raynor has domination fetish towards people with 'questionable' characters...," Arno said with sigh.

Yang blinked several times hearing that.

"His first two girls are Primordial Goddesses of Yin, Darkness and Night, all of them are by nature corrupting," Arno said that with somewhat pale look.

"You have not seen the looks those two give to people outside Raynor's circle..." The blonde only saw it once, but it was enough for Arno to remember forever, how... they don't care about anything except one individual in the whole universe...

"So, they are evil then?" Yang was still confused, why he is afraid? he is Raynor's friend so nothing is going to happen to him...

"Evil? No, evil is... not the word, more like morally unchained, 'evil' is opposite of 'good'. They will do good because Raynor expects them to do good. After all, it's his 'domain', well his type of 'good' is quite selfish."

"The thing is he has two women who will do anything for him, because they want to please him in any way possible, if my 'Friend' status is to disappear, I would be dead long ago! because after all, Raynor is everything to them, and no 'measly' mortal deserves to be close to such existence." Arno words finally made sense to Yang why he is terrified of those two...

"That...so...twisted...and I thought my mother was weird..." The blonde girl said with disbelieve.

"Yes, and Raynor has thing such beings, anyway..." he sighed." Just keep in mind those two... Goddesses, other ones are tamer and possible to be around, and not be afraid for one's life." He chuckled trying to lift the atmosphere.

~~~~~~Next Day~~~~~~

Next day, the girls wanted to see the Holy Grounds, while Raynor allowed them to leave his manor and check out the Holy Grounds, and unlike Erina, these girls know how to handle themselves...most of the time.

"Not long ago the Holy Grounds got an expansion, four more islands were added, to it." Cang Yue explained as she decided to show the girls around, with her were Farron sisters who decided to join them.

"Ray decided to split his Sect into four branches, Azure Dragons which uses spears, this whole branch focuses on fast-paced aerial battle-style, White Tigers which I am part of, it's sword focused branch, next is Black Tortoise Branch, pure defence focused branch, they have most physically fit members, and so far it's male-only, because of its heavy gear, and quite brutal training methods, no female ever applied to it." Lightning shrugged saying the last part, her fighting style is speed so she naturally looks down on the slowpokes, well that's maybe her domain over thunder is rubbing off...

"And for the last is the Vermilion Bird branch, which is 80% females and it's a branch which focuses on support, like healing, first aid and pill making, they are the main sect's income of sorts, not that we need income to begin with." The elder pink head shrugged again saying that.

"As Light just said, those are the four branches of the sect, but there is more to that, as we have fully functioning city here, because of the expansion, the core area is getting upgraded as well, as the sect branches have moved out to their lands." Cang Yue point at very centre of the Holy Grounds.

"Over there will be fully functioning shopping mall, with Auction house, restaurants, weapon shops..."

This got the newcomers confused.

"But isn't it counterproductive... Shopping mall inside place where no one from outside can visit?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Not at all! Holy Ground already has people in millions, and we don't care about income in the first place, it's for Raynor amusement in the first place." That has shut Weiss instantly.

It's a sect run by Primordial Gods why would they care about income?

"And, over there is something you girls probably going to like." Lightning pointed at building under construction.

"It's a Coliseum, which will hold Sky Profound Continent and Blue Wind Empire ranking tournaments, and as well as... I believe some other games, which Ray is planning to hold here." Her words made Ruby eyes transform into stars, while other girls had the look of interest as well.

"Isn't it small though? don't people here can level mountains and sever the seas casually?" Weiss asked, Ruby and Blake, looked at the Heiress with amused smiles, hearing her say such words is amusing on its own!

"That's true... the tournament I was before, had Coliseum tens times bigger than this, but we don't care about people cultivation, our sect exists on the principle of talent over regular cultivation, and so our tournaments will be pure martial arts instead cultivation, this way even Elementary Profound could technically beat Divine Master, as they could only use their battle experience and basic martial arts." Lightning had quite sadistic smile thinking of what kind of humiliation those pompous Divine Master will experience in these tournaments!

That moment Cang Yue and Serah just sweatdropped seeing Lightning smile like that...

"Anyway, we should start explaining how cultivation words around here, because I can see you four are clueless..." Serah quickly decided to move on from the tournament subject!

~~~

While members of Team RWBY and older Schnee are being shown around, Raynor was enjoying one of his favourite downtimes...

And that is lazing around on his favourite couch and reading some recently translated Against the Gods chapters, it never stops amusing him that he is reading about the world while being inside of it!

While he is reading about Yun Che's (mis)adventure in Snow Song Realm and his subsequential 'no' to dual cultivating with Mu Feixue because she reminded of Chu Yuechan, which is quite stupid because most of the women over there are similar to her.

Xing Tong was looking at him with quite a pout, because for one, Est was on his lap!

Not only that she purrs like a cat, and constantly asks for head pats!!!

And Redhead can swear that Est had smug look directed towards her!

The Crimson Princess had enough! and decided to capitalise his attention for today!

"Ray! can you please help me find my little sister? and one more thing... can please bring back mother and brother Xisu back?" Xing Tong asked with puppy eyes.

Est narrowed her eyes at the Xing Tong...