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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Someone whistled.
As if on cue, the other gods erupted in cheers and applause.
“Congratulations on becoming the first human Demigod!”
“We respect your achievement, a miracle impossible for a human!”
“Tell us the story of how you cut off that arrogant lizard’s wing!”
They welcomed me wholeheartedly, eager to embrace me, talk, and dine with me.
“Congratulations, Demigod Daniel Mc…”
I flicked Helios’s sword off my shoulder with the back of my hand. The voices around me were irritating.
“Cut it out.”
I was disgusted.
“Is this charade amusing?”
Silence fell over the hall instantly, as if someone had flipped a switch.
The gods stared at me, expressionless.
The Goddess of Time, her chin resting on her hand, watched me with amusement.
“Refusing the ultimate honor a human can achieve, Demigod…”
“Oh, stop it.”
The Goddess of Time interrupted Helios, her voice echoing through the hall.
The playful child from moments ago was gone, replaced by an air of boredom.
“When did you figure it out?”
She seemed mildly interested in my ability to see through their charade.
I turned away from Helios, or rather, the being pretending to be Helios, and looked up at the Goddess of Time.
“The gods’ favorite number is three.”
Both Lucia and Shakarim had said so.
The gods, through various texts and prophecies, claimed three was their favorite number.
The Goddess of Time continued, explaining the reason.
“Because it represents perfect balance.”
The perfect number, three.
She waved her hand, and a large circle appeared, with three rods beneath it.
The three rods, like a tripod, supported the circle perfectly.
The Goddess of Time scoffed.
“Three rods are enough to maintain perfect balance, right?”
I nodded, understanding her meaning.
“So, you staged this farce because you were lonely?”
“Hmm? No. Humans wanted this, so we obliged.”
She snapped her fingers.
The gods standing around us turned to ash and vanished.
Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter… all gone.
“You wanted these gods. The lustful God of Lightning, the jealous God of the Sea, the loving Goddess of Beauty. It’s funny. Humans claim gods created them, yet they recreate gods in their own image.”
Only three of us remained.
Me, the Goddess of Time, and the being pretending to be Helios.
The Goddess of Time gestured towards him.
“Say hello. This is the God of Life. Life, Death, and Time. These three are enough to maintain the world.”
“…”
“But how did you know? That all the others were fake?”
I glanced at the God of Life. He clenched his fists, wanting to speak, but held back.
“The Goddess of Death being… a goddess, was the first clue.”
“Ah, she’s always a problem.”
Hades, the God of Death, was relatively unknown, worshipped only by a few hidden fanatics.
But the true god of death was a nameless goddess.
“But that alone seems insufficient to deduce that all the others were fake.”
“Helios, not Zeus, presiding over the Divine Council was also a red flag.”
But the most suspicious thing was the Goddess of Time’s presence and the power of the mark she’d given me.
“The fact that all these gods possessed a similar energy to me was the final piece.”
I hadn’t considered it before coming here. That all the gods were just a diversion created by Time.
It was beyond my imagination.
“Hee hee, you noticed? I tried to hide it. But you’ve assimilated my power well. It’s merged perfectly with your body.”
She jumped down from the stands and approached me.
“Now, since you’ve been so clever, I’ll give you a riddle.”
Her playful smile held a hint of excitement. The God of Life looked worried.
The three rods supporting the circle reappeared.
“Three gods support the world.”
The circle, representing the world, zoomed in, revealing a primordial landscape.
“Sky, earth, and sea. The basic structure of the world is also three! Amazing!”
Two dolls appeared.
One was a girl with silky black hair.
The other, a boy with beautiful golden hair.
“So, how many apocalypses will sweep across the world?”
The Goddess of Time placed the doll resembling me, which she’d been holding since our first meeting, between the other two.
“…!”
A searing pain surged in my chest.
An unfamiliar mark appeared there.
“The answer is three.”
I knew what the mark meant.
I clenched my fists, silent.
The mark amplified my time manipulation powers, surging through me.
It felt like a powerful armor, yet also a prison, preventing escape.
“Just one…”
I forced the words out. I had to stay calm, or the mark’s power would surge out of control.
“Just one question.”
“You’re speaking informally? Fine.”
I ignored her and continued.
“Why are you trying to destroy the world?”
“Hee hee, I knew you’d ask that.”
She waved her hand, and the world, along with the dolls representing Rin, Ares, and me, began to move.
The dolls circled the world.
“I’ve never lied.”
She smiled.
“Never lied?”
“Yes, you’re right about one thing. Death and Life want to destroy this world. They’re pessimistic.”
The God of Life nodded in agreement, looking at the world with disgust.
“But I don’t want to destroy it!”
She spread her arms dramatically. I wanted to flick her forehead, but she was too far away.
“Think about it. Why would I have sent you back if I wanted to destroy it?”
“…”
She had a point.
I’d been so caught up in my anger that I hadn’t thought clearly.
“Remember what I told you? If the world ends by a god’s calamity, that god becomes the center of the next world.”
Rin’s doll stepped forward and destroyed the world. The blackened world slowly regenerated, based on the principle of death.
The Goddess of Time reversed time, and Rin’s doll retreated. The world returned to its blue state.
Then, Ares’s doll stepped forward.
A giant meteor struck, destroying the world. Life sprung anew from the impact site.
Whether death or life was the beginning, the world was reborn, different, yet beautiful in its own way.
“See? Not so bad, right?”
She reversed time again. The world returned to normal and floated towards her.
“I understand why Death and Life want to start over. You probably understand too, having experienced it firsthand.”
“…”
“The world is too tainted. Like ink in clear water, it’s irreversible.”
Thinking about everything I’d experienced, I couldn’t disagree.
“I understand their desire for a fresh start. But Daniel, as I said before…”
She embraced the world, a bright smile on her face.
“I love this world! I adore it! Even with all its flaws, its darkness, its corruption, its absurdity, its ugliness! I love it enough to overlook all of that!”
Her voice was filled with genuine affection.
She loved this world more than anyone.
“But… I’m not the only god, am I? So, after a long discussion with Death and Life, we reached a conclusion.”
“A conclusion?”
I felt a chill.
The love in her eyes faded, replaced by a murky grey.
“If you overcome the calamities they’ve chosen, we won’t destroy the world, but we won’t let it become any more corrupted.”
“…”
“After the ‘Earliest Apocalypse’ and the ‘Following Apocalypse,’ the continent will be safe. I sent you two Daggers of Sealing because I believe you can overcome them.”
“Finish what you were saying.”
I clenched my fists, resisting her overwhelming divine pressure.
“What do you mean by ‘not letting it become any more corrupted’?”
I knew her answer wouldn’t be good, and I was right. It was insane.
“I’ll stop time for the entire world. Humans won’t die, and they won’t become any more corrupted. Two birds with one stone! And I can watch over all of you, my beloved creations, forever!”
“…”
The Goddess of Time stepped closer, tracing the mark on my chest with her finger.
“And you, Daniel McLean, are the one who will make it happen!”
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