Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush
Chapter 31: Jinx

Chapter 31: Jinx

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Alyhana turned, panic in her voice. "They just appeared, she’s after the sword!"

The intruder’s eyes flicked to him, curious. "Oh? And who’s this pretty thing?"

"Who are you?" Xander asked, grabbing the sword even tighter.

"I’m Jinx, darling." Her blood red lips curled into a grin that didn’t reach her eyes.

"And you all have something I want," she said, voice sing-song and sharp. "Hand it over so your deaths will be swift."

Two massive minotaurs flanked her, their horns slick with blood, their muscles rippling with every breath. They stood unnaturally rigid, like statues waiting for permission to move.

"Never!" Gaea said with a scoff.

Xander’s heart pounded as Jinx tilted her head, eyes scanning the defenders like a child picking which toy to break first.

"Oh, look at you all," she cooed. "So brave. So serious. So... doomed. It’s been a while since I killed someone, I bet this will be fun!"

Then she flicked her wrist, the minotaurs roared and charged towards them as stone shattered beneath their hooves as they barreled forward, their weapons raised and their eyes empty of mercy or humanity like Jinx herself.

And Jinx?

She....well, she laughed.

A full, delighted, spine-chilling laugh that echoed through the burning courtyard like a curse.

"Let’s play."

Vimea was already active, she raised both hands, her fingers weaving glowing sigils into the air, ancient, precise, and burning gold. The symbols hovered for a breath, then launched forward in a burst of radiant energy.

The first blast struck one of the beasts in the chest, staggering it. The second hit its shoulder, searing flesh and drawing a roar of pain.

"Back, creature," Vimea hissed, her voice was thick with venom. "You are not welcome here."

The other minotaur barreled toward Gaea and she met it head-on, her blade flashing in the firelight. Steel clashed against steel with a sound that split the air like thunder. Sparks flew. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the courtyard.

Gaea gritted her teeth. "You want a fight?" she growled. "Then fight me."

The minotaur snarled, swinging again. Gaea ducked low, her blade slicing across its thigh. Blood sprayed, but the beast didn’t even slow down.

Maia stood behind them, her robes whipping in the wind, her hands glowing with light. She conjured a barrier around Alyhana, the shield shimmering like glass in the firelight.

Her voice was calm and steady. "Stay close to me."

Alyhana’s hands trembled, but she nodded. "Lemme help you."

She pressed her palms together, focusing. Her aura flared and soft yellow light blooming around her fingers and she poured it into Maia’s shield, reinforcing it.

The barrier brightened.

Maia glanced at her, surprised. "You’ve been practicing."

Alyhana didn’t look away from the chaos. "I–I had to."

Another blast from Vimea lit up the sky. Gaea shouted something Xander couldn’t hear over the roar of the minotaurs. The ground shook beneath them, but he guessed she were telling him to run for it.

Yeah...he decided rather quickly that he wasn’t going to do that.

And through it all, Jinx stood at the center of the storm, watching with wide, crazy and delighted eyes. "Oh, this is delicious!" she purred. "You’re all so earnest and good! It’s like watching a play where everyone dies at the end!"

Jinx twirled in place like a dancer on a stage, her cloak flaring behind her as she cackled, far too delighted for someone standing in the middle of a battlefield.

"And you’re all so serious," she said, voice lilting like a lullaby. "It’s adorable. Really. Tell me, will the gods forgive me for this Priestess?!"

She stepped forward, boots crunching over broken stone, her yellow eyes gleaming beneath the veil.

"Stop this!" Xander shouted, "who sent you?!" He asked even when he had a good idea who did.

"I’m here because the Beast King is tired of the Priestess’s existence already," she said, her voice dropping into something colder. "Dragan sent me to clean up the mess."

Her smile widened, teeth flashing like a predator’s. "And I do so love a good cleanup."

She raised two fingers to her lips and whistled a sound so sharp and shrill.

One of the minotaurs roared in response, grabbed a cracked stone pillar with both hands, and hurled it toward the temple steps like it weighed nothing.

"Move!" Gaea shouted, grabbing Vimea and pulling her back just in time as the pillar crashed down, shattering into a thousand jagged pieces.

Dust and debris exploded into the air.

Xander coughed, shielding his face with his arm. "She’s insane!"

"No," Vimea said grimly, eyes locked on Jinx. "She’s worse. She’s even enjoying this."

Jinx clapped her hands once, mockingly. "Oh, bravo! You’re catching on!"

She turned her gaze to Maia, who was still shielding Alyhana behind a flickering barrier.

"And you," she said, voice syrupy sweet. "Acting so noble like you didn’t value a random sword more than the lives of a thousand people!"

Maia didn’t respond. Her eyes were locked on the minotaurs, her lips moving in silent prayer.

Jinx tilted her head. "What’s the plan, priestess? Hope the gods show up and smite me? Hate to break it to you, but they’re not listening anymore!"

She snapped her fingers, and the second minotaur charged again—this time straight for Eli.

The crash of the pillar hitting stone echoed through the temple like a war drum.

Iris jolted awake, heart pounding and the mark on her chest glowing...the scent of smoke was already thick in her lungs. She sat up too fast, her head spinning, but the sound of screaming snapped her fully into focus.

"Xander—?"

She was on her feet before she could think, bare feet slapping against the cold floor as she ran toward the chaos.

Eli was already limping down the hall, clutching his staff like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

"What in the gods names is going on out there?" he muttered, wincing with every step.

They reached the courtyard just as another blast of debris rained down from above and Iris didn’t hesitate or register the situation before she threw out her hand, and a burst of pink aura exploded from her palm rather wild, untrained, but strong enough to deflect the falling rubble away from the others.

The gust knocked her back a step, but she stayed standing.

Xander turned, eyes wide. "Iris?!"

"I’m fine," she said, though her legs were shaking. "What the fuck is that thing?!"

"Her name’s Jinx," he said grimly. "And she’s here for the sword!"

Jinx turned at the sound of Iris’s voice, her grin widening.

"Oh good," she purred. "More toys."

She took a step closer, her eyes gleaming with delight. "And here I thought this was getting a bit boring."

She snapped her fingers again, and the remaining minotaur roared, charging toward them with terrifying speed.

Xander gritted his teeth and stepped forward, the Aurex Blade pulsing in his grip like it could feel the chaos around him. The runes along its edge glowed brighter with every heartbeat, casting flickers of blue light across the metal.

The minotaur turned toward him, snorting steam, its axe already rising.

The blade met the beast’s weapon with a deafening clang, the impact jarring his arms down to the bone. He stumbled back, barely dodging the next swing.

"Okay—okay, you’re strong, I get it!" he shouted, ducking under another blow which he thought was amazing since he’d had seen a sword until the Aurex blade. "No need to show off!"

The minotaur roared and charged again and Xander raised the blade, and this time, it moved with him—like it knew what he needed before he did. His swing was cleaner, faster, the blade slicing across the creature’s shoulder in a burst of blue light.

The minotaur howled.

Xander blinked. "Whoa. D–did I do that?"

From behind him, Iris raised both hands, her aura flaring in wild bursts of pink light. She wasn’t in control, not fully but she was trying.

"Xander, move!"

He dove to the side just as a blast of magic slammed into the minotaur’s chest, knocking it off balance.

"Nice shot!" he called.

"I was actually aiming for its head!" she shouted back.

"Still counts!"

Across the courtyard, Gaea’s blade was a blur, her strikes relentless, her expression carved from stone. She ducked low, slashing at the minotaur’s legs while Vimea launched another volley of golden sigils overhead.

"Left!" Gaea barked.

"Already there," Vimea replied, her voice calm as ever.

The second minotaur staggered under the combined assault, snarling as it swung wildly, missing both of them by inches.

Jinx watched it all from the center of the chaos, her grin never fading.

"Oh, look at you all," she said, clapping slowly. "Working together as a team. How sweet."

She tilted her head, eyes narrowing on Xander. "But you... you’re different, why is that?"

Her eyes darkened. "That’s quite the blade you’ve got there, hansome."

Jinx’s grin began to fade, not from fear that her precious, undefeated minotaurs hadn’t killed anyone yet, but from boredom. She sighed, tilting her head as if watching a play that had gone on too long. "Alright," she said, voice lilting. "You’ve had your fun."

She raised both hands, fingers splayed like a conductor about to summon a symphony.

And then she spoke.

The words were ancient twisted syllables that didn’t belong in any human mouth, even Xander didn’t understand what she said And the minotaurs froze mid-charge, their eyes rolling back for a breathless second.

Then they snapped, their muscles bulged. Their eyes glowed red. Their roars deepened into something monstrous.

They went berserk.