Chapter 121: The Goddess of Violence (2)
…Suddenly, I noticed that the black darkness was gone. In front of us stood the ruined Sage Village. Seiya and I were standing on the magical circle.
…Those weren’t…hallucinations, right?
Seiya hit my shoulder while I thought about what had happened.
「Lista. Hurry up and summon the portal. 」
「Eh!? 」
「Open the portal to the heavenly world. 」
「Ah…Eh!! Do…Do you want to return straightaway to the God’s realm!? 」
「That’s right. So, hurry up. No, it may be too late. 」
「May be too late…It…It can’t be…Do you mean that Merseys is in the God’s realm!? 」
「Most probably. 」
I summoned the portal in a hurry. My heart beat violently while I dived through the portal.
…Aria!! Great Goddess Isister!! Please be safe!!
Nevertheless.
「…What!? 」
As always, the gods were chatting happily and laughing in the plaza of the God’s realm. After looking at the heartwarming realm, I stared at Seiya’ face.
「Nothing happened…!! 」
「Hmm. They seemed to be ready to counterattack. At least, that’s what I felt from that masked thing.」
Wha…What the hell…I freaked out so much…I mean, these scares were extremely bad for my heart!!
I lost my strength and fell down. But Seiya grabbed my collar and made me stand up.
「Ugh!? 」
「But they’re definitely going to take some action soon. Lista. Let’s go to Isister’s room. 」
「Ye…Yes! 」
—
「…Great Goddess Isister. Excuse us. 」
「Listarte! You’re safe! 」
The Great Goddess Isister came running on our direction and held my hands. She always took care of me. I thanked her for her concern, and I reported to her about everything that happened with a serious complexion.
「I finally know the name of the evil god that was nesting in Exfolia. “Merseys, the Goddess of Violence”… That’s the true nature of the evil god.」
「Merseys…! 」
The Great Goddess Isister, who was usually quiet, opened her eyes wide and had a rough breath.
「As a war criminal who caused the Unification War of the God’s realm, she was supposed to have received the punishment of the fallen deities from the almighty gods of the innermost world of gods…I see…So, the evil god is actually her…」
「Old hag. She absorbed the life of the Demon King Artemaeus and gained a mighty power. That’s why I want to talk with the gods of the innermost world. Take me there.」
「I understand… 」
We walked down the hallway guided by the Great Goddess Isister. Seiya and I entered the innermost world of gods from the “room that stops time”.
—
I walked along the winding road to reach the innermost temple. At both sides of the entrance, stood Chronoa, the Goddess of Time, and Nemesil, the God of Reason. It was unusual to see them there since they were frequently inside of the grand temple.
The Great Goddess Isister kneeled before the two great pillars of the innermost world of gods.
「Lord Nemesil, God of Reason. Her Ladyship Chronoa, Goddess of Time. I request an audience with you to consult about the evil god of Exfolia.」
「Isister. That’s for later…Listarte, Goddess of Healing. The rescue quest of the SS-rank difficult world Exfolia must’ve been challenging.」
「Eh!? Ye…Yes!! 」
I was shaken and confused. Yet, Chronoa smiled gently at me.
「First, we have to congratulate you for your utmost efforts. Like us, the Supreme God Brahma will appear now.」
「The Great Lord Brahma…! 」
Brahma, the God of Creation. The Supreme God and Father of all gods. I had never seen such a figure before.
Eventually, the temple’s doors opened slowly. The figure that appeared with a divine light was actually a petite god. In fact, he was smaller than I was. Brahma was not giant like Nemesil, the God of Reason, nor beautiful like Chronoa, the Goddess of Time.
He wore a white robe and had large wings on his back that didn’t fit his petite body. But, what caught my eye more than anything was Brahma’s face.
The face of the Supreme God Brahma was split in the middle. The first half looked like a boy, and the other half looked like a girl. One of the hairs was short, while the other was long enough to reach his waist.
…Whoa…! This figure was Brahma, the God of Creation! Well, he was a little bit different from what I expected him to be!
Brahma’s slip face smiled tenderly.
「You did well, Listarte. The punishment that had been imposed on you has been lifted. Moreover, you are going to be recognized as a top goddess from now on. I want you to do your best in the future.」
「Tha…Thank you very much! 」
I responded with a nervous voice. Nemesil spoke aloud from the other side.
「This is probably the first time that Lord Brahma has appeared to anyone else except us. Be thankful, Listarte.」
「Ye…Yes! 」
Isister and I were both nervous to be on his presence. Even so, Seiya was the one to take a step closer to Brahma without any courtesy.
「Hey, “half-man”. There’s something more urgent than that. 」
…After a moment of silence, both Nemesil and Chronoa exclaimed aloud.
「Who…who…who’s the “half-man”, you damned fool…!! 」
「Ryu…Ryuguuin Seiya! Lord Brahma is the supreme combination of Yin and Yang! He is the precious figure that created all things, including the creation of the universe!」
I stared attentively at Brahma’s face in fear. Still, the faces of the half-boy and the half-girl remained the same, and he kept smiling. Tha…Thank goodness! Apparently, he wasn’t angry!
「Ryuguuin Seiya. I would like to thank you too. The salvation of a SS-rank difficulty world. That’s a great accomplishment. I won’t say that it would be right now, but…wouldn’t you want to become a male god eventually?」
I was stunned by those remarks.
…Se…Seiya…a male god!? If Seiya became a god, we could live together in the God’s realm for all eternity!! That would be extremely wonderful!!
However…
「I refuse. 」
「Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!? 」
Seiya easily dismissed that proposal. Just like me, Brahma looked surprised as well.
「If you become a god, you will get eternal life. 」
「I don’t want it. Since most creatures die, they get to live a meaningful life for a limited amount of time. I won’t have that if I get an eternal life.」
「I see. So, there are those who have that kind of thinking. However…Still, you are quite the contrast of your guardian goddess. I asked that question to Listarte’s soul once, and she answered with “Eternal life, super YAY”.」
「Are you sure that my soul really said “super YAY”!? 」
Seiya stared at me with white eyes after I yelled high. After a short while, he finally spoke the main subject to Brahma.
「The mastermind behind the previous war of the heavenly world, Merseys, the Goddess of Violence, was the one who corrupted Exfolia. With a high degree of probability, she will attack the heavenly world in the near future.」
「Hmm. I see. 」
Despite the fact that Seiya spoke seriously to him, Brahma replied with a light-hearted tone as if they were having a small talk.
「Merseys, you say. Certainly, she was a powerful goddess once. But, from our point of view, the power of violence was a shabby power.」
「I had a glimpse of her power during the battle with the Death Emperor. I don’t understand it clearly, but she might have the power to shake the foundation of the heavenly world.」
「That won’t happen. No one can stop time and become a threat to the innermost world of gods, on which we control the laws of the Three Thousand Worlds. The foundation of the God’s realm won’t shake.」
「It’s not just Merseys that will attack this place. She will bring demons and evil gods with her. And most probably…」
Seiya’s strong gaze turned fixedly at Brahma.
「A hero as well. 」
For a moment, the area was calm as if the river waters had stopped. However, after a while, Brahma giggled and laughed aloud.
「Sure, sure. The possibilities are endless. 」
「If that probability happens, can the gods of the heavenly world kill the hero?」
「No. Gods can’t kill humans nor other good living beings. That’s against the rules.」
「Then, what should one do in that scenario? 」
「In that scenario…That’s right. Listarte will have to summon you again. 」
「If that happens, I’d like to keep my memories intact. 」
「Ah, that’s fine…What? Did you perhaps change the course of this story to your own advantage?」
Seiya turned his back on Brahma and proceeded to walk away from the grounds of the innermost temple.
「Oh my. Where are you going, Ryuguuin Seiya? 」
「I want to meet Zeth, the other Goddess of War, and hear more about it. 」
「Exfolia has been saved. Isn’t your job over? 」
「I just want to be sure. I want to know more about the thing that was with Merseys just moments ago. That thing managed to raise the state Berserker to the fourth stage.」
「Zeth is isolated in the “well of no return”. There was a plot of rebellion. So, that was the safest way to imprison her. No one can see Zeth now.」
Iso…Isolated!? I went to the well the other day but she wasn’t there!!
「We take actions against rebels every time we see a disturbance in the God’s realm. 」
「Well then. I want data about the other gods that participated in the Unification War of the heavenly world. Since it was a war, who else joined the rebels’ side besides Zeth?」
「Ryuguuin Seiya. I won’t allow more human involvement in that matter. 」
「Okay, I will investigate it without your permission. 」
「Oh really. I guess I have no choice then… 」
Brahma snapped his finger abruptly.
…Eh.
On this very moment, Seiya suddenly disappeared from the innermost world of gods.
「Se…Seiya!? 」
I looked around, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
「Supreme Lord Brahma!! Seiya is…What happened to Seiya!? 」
「I sent him to his original world. 」
「What…!! 」
I shouted at Brahma who remained silent.
「How could you!! Seiya saved Exfolia by risking his life!! He even worried about the God’s realm where we currently live in…And yet, you sent him to his world so suddenly!! I didn’t even say goodbye to him!! That’s cruel!! It’s too much!!」
「Li…Listarte…! 」
The Great Goddess Isister put her hand on my back in order to calm me down. However, I was furious at Brahma, who sent Seiya back without telling me in advance.
「As I said before, Ryuguuin Seiya is a wonderful hero who was able to save the SS-rank difficulty world. Even Chronoa sympathizes with him. I would gladly welcome him if he were to become a male god.」
「You didn’t even listen properly to everything that Seiya said to you!! 」
Brahma smiled at me.
「Not now. 」
「Why!? Why do you say that!? 」
The two mouths of the boy-girl faces were combined with one another, and became greatly distorted.
「Until he becomes a god and chooses to exist as a holy entity, he remains an insignificant, immature and small human being.」
The moment I saw the cold-hearted odd eyes of the Supreme God Brahma, I felt that something crumbled inside of me.
…The God’s realm was supposed to be a peaceful place full of splendor and goodness.
…I had the company of the Great Goddess Isister, of Aria and Adenela, and even Celseus. This place was my cozy and peaceful home.
Yet, with the dangerous emergence of Merseys, the common sense that I had taken for granted was twisted, and my feelings wavered tremendously.
I was…No, the God’s realm was about to be swallowed up by a whirlpool of a great chaos.
Chapter 121: The Goddess of Violence (2)
…Suddenly, I noticed that the black darkness was gone. In front of us stood the ruined Sage Village. Seiya and I were standing on the magical circle.
…Those weren’t…hallucinations, right?
Seiya hit my shoulder while I thought about what had happened.
「Lista. Hurry up and summon the portal. 」
「Eh!? 」
「Open the portal to the heavenly world. 」
「Ah…Eh!! Do…Do you want to return straightaway to the God’s realm!? 」
「That’s right. So, hurry up. No, it may be too late. 」
「May be too late…It…It can’t be…Do you mean that Merseys is in the God’s realm!? 」
「Most probably. 」
I summoned the portal in a hurry. My heart beat violently while I dived through the portal.
…Aria!! Great Goddess Isister!! Please be safe!!
Nevertheless.
「…What!? 」
As always, the gods were chatting happily and laughing in the plaza of the God’s realm. After looking at the heartwarming realm, I stared at Seiya’ face.
「Nothing happened…!! 」
「Hmm. They seemed to be ready to counterattack. At least, that’s what I felt from that masked thing.」
Wha…What the hell…I freaked out so much…I mean, these scares were extremely bad for my heart!!
I lost my strength and fell down. But Seiya grabbed my collar and made me stand up.
「Ugh!? 」
「But they’re definitely going to take some action soon. Lista. Let’s go to Isister’s room. 」
「Ye…Yes! 」
—
「…Great Goddess Isister. Excuse us. 」
「Listarte! You’re safe! 」
The Great Goddess Isister came running on our direction and held my hands. She always took care of me. I thanked her for her concern, and I reported to her about everything that happened with a serious complexion.
「I finally know the name of the evil god that was nesting in Exfolia. “Merseys, the Goddess of Violence”… That’s the true nature of the evil god.」
「Merseys…! 」
The Great Goddess Isister, who was usually quiet, opened her eyes wide and had a rough breath.
「As a war criminal who caused the Unification War of the God’s realm, she was supposed to have received the punishment of the fallen deities from the almighty gods of the innermost world of gods…I see…So, the evil god is actually her…」
「Old hag. She absorbed the life of the Demon King Artemaeus and gained a mighty power. That’s why I want to talk with the gods of the innermost world. Take me there.」
「I understand… 」
We walked down the hallway guided by the Great Goddess Isister. Seiya and I entered the innermost world of gods from the “room that stops time”.
—
I walked along the winding road to reach the innermost temple. At both sides of the entrance, stood Chronoa, the Goddess of Time, and Nemesil, the God of Reason. It was unusual to see them there since they were frequently inside of the grand temple.
The Great Goddess Isister kneeled before the two great pillars of the innermost world of gods.
「Lord Nemesil, God of Reason. Her Ladyship Chronoa, Goddess of Time. I request an audience with you to consult about the evil god of Exfolia.」
「Isister. That’s for later…Listarte, Goddess of Healing. The rescue quest of the SS-rank difficult world Exfolia must’ve been challenging.」
「Eh!? Ye…Yes!! 」
I was shaken and confused. Yet, Chronoa smiled gently at me.
「First, we have to congratulate you for your utmost efforts. Like us, the Supreme God Brahma will appear now.」
「The Great Lord Brahma…! 」
Brahma, the God of Creation. The Supreme God and Father of all gods. I had never seen such a figure before.
Eventually, the temple’s doors opened slowly. The figure that appeared with a divine light was actually a petite god. In fact, he was smaller than I was. Brahma was not giant like Nemesil, the God of Reason, nor beautiful like Chronoa, the Goddess of Time.
He wore a white robe and had large wings on his back that didn’t fit his petite body. But, what caught my eye more than anything was Brahma’s face.
The face of the Supreme God Brahma was split in the middle. The first half looked like a boy, and the other half looked like a girl. One of the hairs was short, while the other was long enough to reach his waist.
…Whoa…! This figure was Brahma, the God of Creation! Well, he was a little bit different from what I expected him to be!
Brahma’s slip face smiled tenderly.
「You did well, Listarte. The punishment that had been imposed on you has been lifted. Moreover, you are going to be recognized as a top goddess from now on. I want you to do your best in the future.」
「Tha…Thank you very much! 」
I responded with a nervous voice. Nemesil spoke aloud from the other side.
「This is probably the first time that Lord Brahma has appeared to anyone else except us. Be thankful, Listarte.」
「Ye…Yes! 」
Isister and I were both nervous to be on his presence. Even so, Seiya was the one to take a step closer to Brahma without any courtesy.
「Hey, “half-man”. There’s something more urgent than that. 」
…After a moment of silence, both Nemesil and Chronoa exclaimed aloud.
「Who…who…who’s the “half-man”, you damned fool…!! 」
「Ryu…Ryuguuin Seiya! Lord Brahma is the supreme combination of Yin and Yang! He is the precious figure that created all things, including the creation of the universe!」
I stared attentively at Brahma’s face in fear. Still, the faces of the half-boy and the half-girl remained the same, and he kept smiling. Tha…Thank goodness! Apparently, he wasn’t angry!
「Ryuguuin Seiya. I would like to thank you too. The salvation of a SS-rank difficulty world. That’s a great accomplishment. I won’t say that it would be right now, but…wouldn’t you want to become a male god eventually?」
I was stunned by those remarks.
…Se…Seiya…a male god!? If Seiya became a god, we could live together in the God’s realm for all eternity!! That would be extremely wonderful!!
However…
「I refuse. 」
「Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!? 」
Seiya easily dismissed that proposal. Just like me, Brahma looked surprised as well.
「If you become a god, you will get eternal life. 」
「I don’t want it. Since most creatures die, they get to live a meaningful life for a limited amount of time. I won’t have that if I get an eternal life.」
「I see. So, there are those who have that kind of thinking. However…Still, you are quite the contrast of your guardian goddess. I asked that question to Listarte’s soul once, and she answered with “Eternal life, super YAY”.」
「Are you sure that my soul really said “super YAY”!? 」
Seiya stared at me with white eyes after I yelled high. After a short while, he finally spoke the main subject to Brahma.
「The mastermind behind the previous war of the heavenly world, Merseys, the Goddess of Violence, was the one who corrupted Exfolia. With a high degree of probability, she will attack the heavenly world in the near future.」
「Hmm. I see. 」
Despite the fact that Seiya spoke seriously to him, Brahma replied with a light-hearted tone as if they were having a small talk.
「Merseys, you say. Certainly, she was a powerful goddess once. But, from our point of view, the power of violence was a shabby power.」
「I had a glimpse of her power during the battle with the Death Emperor. I don’t understand it clearly, but she might have the power to shake the foundation of the heavenly world.」
「That won’t happen. No one can stop time and become a threat to the innermost world of gods, on which we control the laws of the Three Thousand Worlds. The foundation of the God’s realm won’t shake.」
「It’s not just Merseys that will attack this place. She will bring demons and evil gods with her. And most probably…」
Seiya’s strong gaze turned fixedly at Brahma.
「A hero as well. 」
For a moment, the area was calm as if the river waters had stopped. However, after a while, Brahma giggled and laughed aloud.
「Sure, sure. The possibilities are endless. 」
「If that probability happens, can the gods of the heavenly world kill the hero?」
「No. Gods can’t kill humans nor other good living beings. That’s against the rules.」
「Then, what should one do in that scenario? 」
「In that scenario…That’s right. Listarte will have to summon you again. 」
「If that happens, I’d like to keep my memories intact. 」
「Ah, that’s fine…What? Did you perhaps change the course of this story to your own advantage?」
Seiya turned his back on Brahma and proceeded to walk away from the grounds of the innermost temple.
「Oh my. Where are you going, Ryuguuin Seiya? 」
「I want to meet Zeth, the other Goddess of War, and hear more about it. 」
「Exfolia has been saved. Isn’t your job over? 」
「I just want to be sure. I want to know more about the thing that was with Merseys just moments ago. That thing managed to raise the state Berserker to the fourth stage.」
「Zeth is isolated in the “well of no return”. There was a plot of rebellion. So, that was the safest way to imprison her. No one can see Zeth now.」
Iso…Isolated!? I went to the well the other day but she wasn’t there!!
「We take actions against rebels every time we see a disturbance in the God’s realm. 」
「Well then. I want data about the other gods that participated in the Unification War of the heavenly world. Since it was a war, who else joined the rebels’ side besides Zeth?」
「Ryuguuin Seiya. I won’t allow more human involvement in that matter. 」
「Okay, I will investigate it without your permission. 」
「Oh really. I guess I have no choice then… 」
Brahma snapped his finger abruptly.
…Eh.
On this very moment, Seiya suddenly disappeared from the innermost world of gods.
「Se…Seiya!? 」
I looked around, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
「Supreme Lord Brahma!! Seiya is…What happened to Seiya!? 」
「I sent him to his original world. 」
「What…!! 」
I shouted at Brahma who remained silent.
「How could you!! Seiya saved Exfolia by risking his life!! He even worried about the God’s realm where we currently live in…And yet, you sent him to his world so suddenly!! I didn’t even say goodbye to him!! That’s cruel!! It’s too much!!」
「Li…Listarte…! 」
The Great Goddess Isister put her hand on my back in order to calm me down. However, I was furious at Brahma, who sent Seiya back without telling me in advance.
「As I said before, Ryuguuin Seiya is a wonderful hero who was able to save the SS-rank difficulty world. Even Chronoa sympathizes with him. I would gladly welcome him if he were to become a male god.」
「You didn’t even listen properly to everything that Seiya said to you!! 」
Brahma smiled at me.
「Not now. 」
「Why!? Why do you say that!? 」
The two mouths of the boy-girl faces were combined with one another, and became greatly distorted.
「Until he becomes a god and chooses to exist as a holy entity, he remains an insignificant, immature and small human being.」
The moment I saw the cold-hearted odd eyes of the Supreme God Brahma, I felt that something crumbled inside of me.
…The God’s realm was supposed to be a peaceful place full of splendor and goodness.
…I had the company of the Great Goddess Isister, of Aria and Adenela, and even Celseus. This place was my cozy and peaceful home.
Yet, with the dangerous emergence of Merseys, the common sense that I had taken for granted was twisted, and my feelings wavered tremendously.
I was…No, the God’s realm was about to be swallowed up by a whirlpool of a great chaos.
