It is the same as the beginning.
……
…….
The hall was engulfed in silence.
That silence is certainly the same, yet also entirely different.
If the first silence was bewilderment, this time it is shock.
It could not be helped.
The God of War has vanished.
Of course, since there was no god-slaying tool, it cannot be seen as complete annihilation, but regardless, he has met a temporary disappearance.
As time passes, he will be resurrected through faith and belief in war.
However, what matters here is victory or defeat.
The God of War was a god who boasted power that ranked among the top few of the gods currently in the bar of Valhalla.
It could not be helped, for is he not the embodiment of the status of war?
War is something where combat, Martial Power, and the like are prioritized.
Naturally, that god also could not help but boast the pinnacle of Martial Power and yet, he vanished.
Furthermore, to a mere human who is nothing more than a creation.
No matter how much his status had lowered, it was something unacceptable to the gods, something that should never have happened.
“Next, is there no one?”
I desperately called for the next god to step forward, but no one intends to appear.
Any god capable of normal thought would not step forward.
This is because a divine status that can be definitively called stronger than the God of War does not exist, at least within Valhalla.
‘No.’
There is only one person.
“Marvelous.” A voice echoed through the hall.
Along with that voice, as warm as a spring breeze.
That is, shhh.
The gods began to retreat.
Walking out from between the gods as if the Red Sea were parting was a beautiful woman boasting emerald hair.
She, wearing a fluttering brown dress, was.
“Mother Earth Goddess.”
A being commonly called the Mother Goddess.
Symbolizing the fertility and birth of the earth, she is no ordinary god.
She has served as a chief god for the longest time and was the progenitor of all gods except for light and darkness.
“To recognize me at a glance. You are indeed extraordinary.”
“If my eyes were so useless that I couldn’t recognize the mother of gods, I wouldn’t have been able to come here in the first place.”
The respect I showed was something I hadn’t shown to the God of War or the other gods.
It could not be helped.
The Mother Earth Goddess is the mother of the gods, but she is also the mother of humans—no, of all species.
In the beginning, when various species, including humans, were born, it was the Mother Earth Goddess who created their vessels (bodies).
By the power of the gods being bestowed upon the soil created by her authority, they were able to be born as species.
Therefore, the Mother Earth Goddess is the mother of all gods and species.
Even among the greedy gods, she was the only one who desired fertility and the origin of species, so no matter how reckless I am, I could not treat her carelessly.
“That child, War, was very rough. He probably never expected that a human’s ability could reach this kind of realm.”
“I understand. The struggle just now was to prove my qualifications. I had no other intentions.”
“Is that so? Then, that is a relief.”
The conversation continues.
“The proposal from a moment ago.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think that is possible?”
“Are you talking about driving out the God of Light and the God of Darkness?”
“Yes.”
“I am not so idle as to boast about impossible things.”
“How dare you…!”
I tried my best to express myself politely in my own way.
However, one of the gods who judged even this as rude tried to intervene, “Stop!”
But due to the restraint of the Mother Earth Goddess, a conflict could be avoided.
“Courage. You cannot harm him with your skills. Do not act rashly.”
“But……”
“I ask that you please do not act rudely toward a guest who has visited Valhalla.”
“……”
As expected of the Mother Earth Goddess.
Unlike the other gods, she understands the situation correctly.
In the current situation, they are not the ones in power.
They are the subordinates, and I, a human, am the one in power.
Because according to my proposal and that plan, a great cataclysm will occur where the positions of the gods may be overturned.
“Light and Darkness. May I think of this as you saying you can break this structure of dominance they have created?”
“You have seen it correctly. I intend to break that structure of dominance.”
…….
Emerald eyes stare straight at me.
“Just like the past when you led the Twilight of the Gods?”
As expected of the Mother Earth Goddess.
It seems she is aware of the forgotten history regarding the Twilight of the Gods that I carried out in the past.
“A thick scent of deicide emanates from you. With that level of residue, you must certainly be one of the protagonists who caused that massacre in the past.”
“…That is correct.”
“Then the purpose this time must be the same. The Twilight of the Gods. The downfall of the gods.”
It is unexpected.
Everyone who was transferred from the Gritia Continent did not remember me.
The pinnacle of the Knight.
Commander of the Immortal Legion.
And the God-slayer who led the Twilight of the Gods in the past.
Humans, the Demon Clan, gods—no one remembered me.
However, even if the Mother Earth Goddess did not remember me as an individual, she knew about the downfall of the gods and the twilight that had occurred in the past.
And even the fact that I was the protagonist who led it through the residue remaining in me.
Originally, I only intended to mention the goal of dragging down the God of Light and the God of Darkness, but if this is the case, the story has to change a bit.
“I did not know you would remember the forgotten history.”
“I will take that as a compliment.”
“To be honest, yes. I intend to lead the Twilight of the Gods once again.”
I changed my strategy.
Originally, I intended to deceive the gods, but now it is a frontal confrontation.
“Wh-What?!”
“A mere human dares!”
The gods, who still do not know their place, react with hostility.
However, I do not care about such agitation and whirlwind of emotions.
“Gods and humans must be separated. Especially here, Earth is a place where communication with gods has been severed. What I want is a clear boundary between gods and humans, just like in the past.”
The Twilight of the Gods.
That did not mean the downfall of the gods in the literal sense.
It was to clearly draw a boundary between gods and humans and sever them.
In other words, it was to create an environment where gods live among gods and humans live among humans.
“The severance of gods and humans. What is the benefit we gain from that?”
Unlike the other agitated gods, the Mother Earth Goddess was still calm.
Beyond being calm, a sense of composure is felt from her composed appearance.
Truly, a vessel worthy of being called the mother of all gods and species, who has existed since the beginning.
“Diversity.”
And to her, who expressed doubt, I presented one clear answer.
“Diversity?”
“Look at the current structure. Light and Darkness, two powerful divine statuses that have existed since the beginning, are ruling the world. How was it originally? In the past, the sky and the earth, and next, thunder and the sea, and after that, wisdom and war, and so on. It took the form of a cycle, where gods who obtained powerful status ruled the world.”
Before the God of Light and the God of Darkness ruled the world, the Gritia Continent had a structure where various gods ruled.
It was naturally humans who created that dominance structure.
An era when there was nothing.
At that time, they looked up to the sky and the earth and worshipped those divine statuses as the supreme gods.
As they began to farm, they cared about natural environments such as thunder, the sea, and heavy rain, and in the full-scale era of war, they worshipped gods such as wisdom and war.
At that time, there was not much intervention from the gods.
However, as greed arose among the gods, they began to force belief and faith, and eventually, through plans like those of the God of Light and the God of Darkness, a structure of eternal dominance was completed.
“Although they will be separated from the human world, various gods will gain power through the freedom of belief and faith. Depending on the era, the environment, and the development of civilization, a structure of such a cycle will be completed where various gods gain power.”
If gods are able to intervene as they do now, a structure of eternal dominance, like that of the God of Light and the God of Darkness, could arise again at any time.
No, it’s not just that it could happen; it will definitely happen that way.
The severance of gods and humans prevents that vicious cycle.
Due to the freedom of faith, various gods will gain opportunities, and that will soon return to the cycle of the loop.
“The cycle of the loop……”
The Mother Earth Goddess is a god who values cycle and order more than anyone else.
Naturally, she could not help but be shaken by my proposal, and she was expressing such emotions overtly.
However, things in the world do not always flow as one intends.
“Do not believe him!” Suddenly, someone approached in anger.
It was a sturdy male form.
What was unusual was the five heads and the countless arms decorating his upper body.
‘God of Destruction’
A god with the status of destruction.
“Severance of gods and humans. He is deceiving us now with words of enchantment.”
“That is right!”
“What he is plotting is the downfall of the gods. Does it even make sense that a mere human, a mere creation, can manipulate the status of gods!”
It was not just destruction.
Gods with the status of Misfortune, Disease, and others stepped forward.
‘It’s obvious.’
The reason they oppose?
‘It’s obvious because they have a high probability of becoming the next chief god.’
The world is in chaos.
It is full of misfortune, destruction, and disease.
Naturally, fear, faith, and belief in those divine statuses will arise, and that soon meant an increase in the power they possessed.
If the current environment and situation continue, they will be able to reach an even higher status and attain the realm of a chief god.
Severance from humans when the opportunity is coming their way even if they just stay still?
To enjoy that glory, they were trying to invalidate this plan by denouncing my words as lies.
And their words.
“……”
Caused agitation among the gods.
It could not be helped.
More than anything, it is because it touches on a sensitive part—that humans can manipulate the fate of the gods.
They call it diversity, but in reality, it’s determined by human belief, so they could not help but think that way.
“That is……..” The moment I tried to refute this.
“Impossible.”
Those were not words directed at me.
The Mother Earth Goddess’s gaze was directed precisely at the gods who had stepped forward in opposition, “It is greed. Even if the current period is a favorable environment for you, you cannot break the foolish dominance of Light and Darkness, that eternal yoke, in this way.”
There was no need for me to explain.
The Mother Earth Goddess was a wise god, and she correctly understood that the current structure of dominance would not be broken without intervention.
And even the greed of the gods who had now stepped forward in opposition.
“Are you looking forward to the next? Without determination, such a future will not come. Do not look at the forest, look at the trees. Current greed will only encourage eternal dominance.”
If another god had said so, they would have rebelled but it is the Mother Earth Goddess.
At the words of this mother god who had birthed numerous gods by uniting with the sky.
……
……
Dissatisfaction still remains, but they swallow it internally.
“Thank you.”
“Would this serve as an answer?”
By advocating for me, the Mother Earth Goddess provided an answer instead.
“Yes. That is enough.”
And I lightly looked around.
Opposing opinions?
There were none.
It is something the Mother Earth Goddess herself permitted, not anyone else.
Who would be there to openly obstruct the mother’s proceedings?
“Then tell us. The method to end the eternal yoke of Light and Darkness.”
However, one thing still remained.
The yoke of Light and Darkness that still rules the world.
The method to put an end to that.
It is natural, but to thwart that plan prepared for an amount of time nearing eternity, an even more powerful move is needed and that method.
“There.” I pointed to the god in the messy gray robe, sipping alcohol alone in the corner of the bar.
“I will make you the chief god who surpasses light and darkness—no, I will make you the Sole God.”
I declared an ambition that would shock every god in the hall.