“Are you saying you’re going to pass all your memories to the child named Airlights?”
Liphyue, who had regained some of her composure, sat gracefully back down on her chair. Venus remained as nonchalant as ever.
“That wouldn’t be possible, but I intend to at least teach her why we are disappearing.”
“It’s impossible. Lady Beltesia will not permit it, and I am also against it.”
“Your opposition is meaningless, and Beltesia… she’s just annoying. She acts like she knows everything just because she was born first.”
“Everything happens for a reason. Because she is Lady Beltesia, she was born first and constructed this world.”
“Whatever. Be quiet.”
The pure white Liphyue looked at this tomboyish goddess who was covered in crimson. With her two eyes still closed, she stared at Venus—or perhaps at Airlights—and let out a small sigh.
“Venus, why are we choosing to disappear in the first place?”
“Because of our excessively accumulated power.”
“That’s right. Due to the nature of Beltesia’s Divine Space, the longer we stay here, the stronger our souls and bodies become.”
“Among the countless transcendents in the universe, we are a group that can be counted on one hand in terms of strength.”
“Yes. And the one who achieved that was Lady Beltesia.”
“…… I don’t like it, but that’s true.”
Venus was in a slouching posture, stretching her two long, beautiful legs out onto the table as if to show them off. Despite the pose, she didn’t seem vulgar at all; instead, she felt elegant and alluring, truly worthy of being called the Goddess of Love. Beside her, Liphyue spoke with her hands folded neatly on her knees.
“Since the First War, we have been peaceful for an excessively long time. In that period, numerous new gods were born, and the fact that Lady Beltesia is controlling all that accumulated power is a miracle in itself.”
“That damn Beltesia… anyway, because of that, the Abyss has also grown its power to a level similar to ours. It’s the law of nature.”
“Correct. That is why Lady Beltesia intends to return everything transcendental to nothingness, and we all agreed. Because we loved our world, didn’t we?”
As Liphyue put strength into the word ‘love,’ one corner of Venus’s mouth curled up.
“Well, it’s funny to hear about love from beings who don’t even know what it is, but everyone certainly did love it.”
“After a long time, we all realized. We tried to protect our world with great power, but that only invited greater danger.”
“And I didn’t much like being told what to do just because of ‘love’ either.”
“True.”
Liphyue smiled gently, agreeing with Venus’s words. The two goddesses, famous for bickering, were surprisingly in sync for once.
“To achieve that, there is something that must come first.”
“Kill all the Dragons.”
“Their semi-transcendental power does not fit in a world without gods. Their unconditional obsession with protection is also unnatural.”
“Even if we choose to disappear, if the Dragons remain, they will simply take over the role of gods.”
“Yes. And we must not intervene in the process of killing the Dragons. Our intervention will only create other side effects.”
The mutual destruction of the gods and the Abyss was the gods’ plan from the very beginning. They did it so the world they loved would not waver at a single gesture from a Transcendent. They wanted the world to break free from the gods’ embrace, developing and growing on its own to become stronger.
That was why they chose a world where gods do not exist. Knowing that gods would be gone, they brought those who did not rely on gods into their world.
“Do you understand? I know your intention in passing on your memories, Venus, but that is too deep an intervention. It means we cannot predict what new variables might arise.”
“I know that perfectly well. I know that the greatest variable in the plan we established is none other than ourselves.”
It was a plan established by all the gods together, after checking every single branch extending from countless futures and paths of choice. Even so, there were no guarantees. Among the hundreds of billions of possible futures, they could not be certain which one was the correct answer—even for gods who had lived for eons.
The best they could do was make arrangements for the most hopeful future. They knew that further intervention might create unknown variables.
“And yet you still intend to leave your memories?”
“Yes.”
“Why? If you know everything and understand it all, why do you insist on increasing the uncertainty of the future?”
“You ask why?”
Venus looked at Liphyue and smiled brightly. It was an expression Airlights could not see, but it was likely the loveliest smile in the world.
“Does love need a reason?”
Maintaining her smiling face, Venus tilted her head back and looked up at the sky. There was a sky here as well.
“Where is the love that one can be certain of?”
She gently brushed back her crimson hair.
“Love.”
Even though Liphyue was there, Venus spoke as if in a monologue.
“My child, please love beautifully.”
Liphyue said nothing.
“Do not give your everything, but love as if you were giving your everything.”
Only then did Airlights realize.
“However, it will not be easy. Many things will happen, and many difficulties will harshly block your path. A dark future where no answer can be seen may be waiting for you.”
Venus’s words were not directed at Liphyue.
“When that time comes, do not hesitate. Everything you do is love. That is the miracle that makes the impossible possible.”
These were words spoken to someone else under the guise of a monologue.
“It might be anger, or it might be joy. It could be obsession, anxiety, or…”
Liphyue was the only one facing Venus, but the words were not for her. That meant only one person was left.
“It might be sacrifice.”
These were words Venus was speaking directly to Airlights. Her final advice.
“If that is what you truly wish to do, then do it. Only, do not hesitate and do not regret. Love with all your strength.”
The warm sincerity and heartfelt concern vibrated vividly through the memory, echoing in Airlights’ mind.
“Wouldn’t that be enough?”
Having finished her piece, Venus quietly closed her eyes and buried herself deep in her chair. She was about to drift into a pleasant silence when—
“Are you finished?”
At the sudden sound of Liphyue’s voice, Venus had no choice but to snap her eyes open again.
“What do you mean finished? I was just mumbling to myself.”
“Yes, of course. Regardless, I played along with your wishes, Venus.”
“What do you mean ‘my wishes’…”
“Wasn’t it a shallow trick to compress as much information as possible into the memory while pretending to argue and exchange opinions?”
Venus lowered her legs from the table and awkwardly rolled her eyes.
“……I’m not?”
“Pfft.”
At the sight of Venus, who was terribly bad at lying, Liphyue let out a rare laugh.
“Don’t laugh. If you’re going to laugh, at least open your eyes.”
“You know that’s not possible.”
The grass in the painting the two goddesses were standing on began to vibrate faintly.
*Thump—*
Because it was Liphyue’s space, there should have been no reason for it to shake, yet the ground began to tremble.
“You worked hard, Venus. I am so curious to see what kind of new future your efforts have brought about. I truly want to see the result.”
“Though we’ll all be dead before that happens.”
The small birds from the fairy tale flew away in surprise, and the sun in the painting also began to slowly shift its position. As if something massive was approaching, the thumping vibration grew louder. Soon, a faint shadow began to fall over the two goddesses sitting across from each other.
“Besides, these memories might not even be delivered.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
This was something that should not happen. A shadow in a Divine Space filled only with light? It was impossible. Unless it was the First God, who was so bright she created a shadow with her own light.
“You’ve become quite mature, Venus.”
“……What about me?”
“If it were the old you, you would have jumped out of your seat and caused a scene by now.”
“Is that so? Well, she will judge for herself. Whether to deliver this or not.”
*Thump.*
With one final vibration, the land fell into silence. Liphyue calmly lifted her teacup. Venus also leaned her arm on the chair next to her and looked up. Then, she could see it.
“Our great Lady Beltesia, that is.”
She saw the two eyes of a giant, glowing with five colors. The center of those ecstatic eyes contained the entire universe. Venus’s gaze met the brilliant five-colored eyes. The most radiant Eye of God met the small eyes of Airlights.
And then.
“……Gasp!”
Airlights’ eyes snapped open. They were tinged with an even deeper shade of crimson.
At the very top of the Tower of Mages, there was a path leading to the Abyssal Depths. No, it wasn’t certain if it was truly a path to the Abyss, but a clue had been found regardless. This was a harvest far greater than expected.
However, the memory had not ended. It meant there was more to be gained.
Why did Kreutzvalt want to make Abellard a god? If he had seen the exact future, he should have prepared to take Hio, not Abellard.
How was the Suicide Squad formed, and what happened to them in the end? There was clearly a movement at the World’s End to help Hio. Although he didn’t receive the help, didn’t he see Abellard and the other magicians just before his escape?
Then, the final question. How were they able to survive at the World’s End until now? The Kreutzvalt in the memory was already monstrous enough, but the current Kreutzvalt had even become the Master of the Abyss. To such a Kreutzvalt, numbers were meaningless. Unless it was a power on a similar level to his, whether seven people gathered or seventy, it was no different from zero in his presence.
‘Did that mean Abellard possessed power on a level similar to Kreutzvalt’s? Currently, that was the most plausible guess, but honestly, it was hard to imagine and hard to understand. If they had similar power, they would have clashed long ago to settle things. So how could the two have been in opposition for 1,000 years? Or were they coexisting?’
He had to find out the reason.
‘……Kreutzvalt.’
In Abellard’s sight, Kreutzvalt was smiling contentedly. The previous Lord of the Magic Tower, who had been tainted by the Abyss, had suppressed a Dragon and displayed it at the top of the tower for all to see. What was he plotting here? What did he hope to gain through Abellard?
‘Abellar Pavlenko.’
Regardless of Kreutzvalt’s inner thoughts, Abellard was currently preoccupied with the Dragon before his eyes. Hearing information about the Abyss directly from Kreutzvalt, he likely could not suppress his rising curiosity toward the ecstatic body of the Dragon and the incredibly mysterious power of the Abyss.
‘What truth was he hiding?’
Kreutzvalt’s voice, speaking of the impending War with the Abyss, echoed lowly. Along with it, Abellard’s movements in observing the Dragon became increasingly busy.
Time began to flow once more.
“The time has come.”
The story was racing toward its conclusion.
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