Chapter: 224
If Ellensia were to leave like this, and Lian were to walk through the White Door, drowning in despair and resignation, it would be the perfect ending to a scene straight out of a novel. But Lian wasn’t a mature protagonist, and every moment felt like a wretched reality.
“NO, NO… NO!”
BEEP—…
Even in his soul state, a ringing echoed in his ears. His vision wavered, and his mind spun as ragged breaths buzzed around him.
Having starved for love for so long, the soul was shy, unaccustomed to affection. Yet, at the same time, it was greedy.
“I can’t let it be taken away…”
Not a single drop of love was Lian willing to share with anyone else. Not even if it meant death.
“Ellensia is… mine.”
The sticky obsession that slipped from his mouth spilled forth. His eyes, once dull and unfocused, now sparked with intensity.
CLANK! BANG!
The firmly shut White Door burst open, and a dazzling light shot toward Lian. The Powers suppressed by Noah, Jess, and Iris flared back into action, sparkling fiercely as they embedded themselves into his soul.
Grrgrrk.
As Lian exerted force through his fingertips, the transparent wall rippled and began to take shape. His vision twisted and churned, like a creature thrashing before its breath ran out.
Ellensia gazed blankly at something that was crumbling and starting to fall apart. She instinctively recognized it because she was all too close to death herself.
‘The boundary between life and death… can it really be shattered by hand?’
What Lian was smashing down was none other than the wall dividing the worlds of life and death. A signal echoed in her mind that if that wall fell, horrific things would occur. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to stop Lian.
How could she stop the man she loved, who had grown desperate to save her?
She couldn’t do it. Not even if the world crumbled.
While Ellensia could only vaguely surmise that something terrifying might happen, Lian, regaining his Powers, fully understood what would occur if that wall broke.
The worlds of the living and the dead would merge, resulting in profound chaos.
‘So what then?’
Lian had already lived in a world where even greater chaos coexisted. Compared to the comedic world, the blending of the dead world with the realm of the living didn’t even rank on the scale of madness.
Crack, crack!
Even with the gods absent, the fundamental ‘Will of the World’ gathered forces to stop Lian. Sensing the approaching power quickly, Lian tore at the barrier with one hand while raising the other to block the oncoming attack.
KBOOM…
The space quivered as if something might happen at any moment, only to settle into silence. For reasons unknown, the Will of the World chose to leave Lian alone.
It didn’t seem like it was just watching to see how far this ruined world could go; if it wouldn’t interfere, Lian didn’t plan to provoke it either.
No resistance meant it was just a matter of time before the barrier shattered.
C RAAACK!
With a massive explosion like an asteroid crashing to the ground, the barrier collapsed entirely. More accurately, it had been made into a gigantic hole.
“Ellensia.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s go!”
Just as Ellensia reached out a hand in the black space to say “Let’s go together,” this time it was Lian extending his hand toward her. She bit her lip, fists clenched tightly.
Was it okay for her, already dead, to come back to life? Could she truly live, after failing to stop the outside powers?
Perhaps due to her humble acceptance of death, even before a glimmer of hope, she found it hard to move forward. Yet, Lian tugged at her hand.
“…!”
One step, then another. Before she knew it, she had entered the blindingly white world. Lian was looking at her with a charming smile. In that moment, she realized she would never forget this moment.
“Let’s go together, Ellensia!”
“…Yeah.”
All the reasons that had held her ankle back crumbled in the face of his smile. What could she do? With the one she loved asking her to come, how could she not follow?
Thus, the two of them passed through the wide-open door.
*
“Eh?”
“Yeah?”
As they passed through the glowing white door, squeezing her eyes shut, when they opened them again, Lian found himself cradled in the Gag God’s embrace. And not just any embrace—he was in a bib.
“What… what the heck!? AAAAAH! Why am I in this ridiculous state?!”
The Gag God had dressed Lian in oversized clothing, fit for a baby just starting to babble. She was holding a gigantic pacifier, seemingly about to pop it into his mouth.
“AGAIN!? This is your doing, isn’t it!?”
“Oh? Ohhhh?”
Humiliated and flustered, Lian shook her by the collar. In response, she stared blankly, making silly noises while swaying along with his shakes.
“…If I’m going to recover with a time delay, at least give me a heads-up! Hmph!”
Finally grasping the situation, she pouted as if her own misery was unfair. Regardless of her feelings, Lian had the urge to smack his forehead but then felt dizzy looking at the hand coverings (these are to prevent babies from stuffing their hands in their mouths).
“Why of all things…! Do you even know how old I am?!”
“Well, um, you’re 0 years old, right? You just became a god!”
“Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!”
Before he could lament more about the Gag God, Lian bit his tongue at the mention of ‘0 years old’ and ‘god’. The Gag God seemed delighted as she grinned widely, reaching for the colorful halo floating over Lian’s head.
There was a strong resistance as if trying to find its way back to its original place, but to her, it felt like the wriggling of an ant.
“See? Look, this also appeared ~ and wings sprouted on my back too ~.”
“WINGS?! WHA—WHAT IS THIS?!”
At her outrageous comment, Lian turned to peek behind him, startled to see three pairs of pure white wings. They flared wide open, responding to his heightened emotions.
These wings, having absorbed overwhelming power, were incredibly large and splendid. Soft motes of light scattered like divine dust.
“No, why is this happening?!”
Staring blankly at the wings on his back, Lian swiftly turned to the Gag God.
“YOU’RE KIDDING! Are you really just messing with me?!”
“Eh? Have I really played pranks that often?”
“Am I asking because I don’t know?!”
In his excitement, Lian was about to resume shaking her when she raised her hands in a surrender gesture and backed away.
“Okay, okay! Just show me solid proof!”
“It’s probably still just a joke! Quickly get this ridiculous stuff off and give me my clothes back!”
“Oh come on… I’m being nice, so I’ll help you. Seriously.”
After saying that, she casually snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Lian’s attire transformed from baby clothes to a dazzling white outfit adorned with lavish golden decorations.
It was an outfit from an unknown time, exposing his sides all the way to his back and binding at the hips with strings. The pants, if they could be called that, barely reached down to mid-thigh, making them practically the same as a dress.
“AH! GIVE ME SOME REAL CLOTHES, YOU ACCURSED GOD!”
“Ehh! That’s a style straight out of Greek mythology—wait! Alright! I’ll stop shaking you!”
With another snap, her top-lengthen, reaching all the way down to his ankles, while white pants appeared underneath. The strange, revealing outfit transformed into something closer to a fantasy world’s priestly garb.
‘If I push for more changes, she might bring in an even weirder outfit. That accursed goddess would definitely do that.’
Though he wanted to ask for something to cover his back, he quickly gave up, knowing that if he did, she would surely strike again with something even more bizarre and exposing.
‘Next target, those wings.’
Since his back was openly visible, it would be simple to cover the flowing lower half with cloth if those wings were gone. If he asked to get rid of the wings and also requested sewing tools as a prank, the clothing issue would be neatly resolved.
“Tch.”
As Lian showed no more signs of discontent, the Gag God clicked her tongue lightly. As Lian skillfully navigated out of the trap, a deep sense of regret washed over her face. Just as expected.
“Sigh… Now, let’s get rid of these—”
Just as he was about to ask her to remove the wings, she pointed behind him, exclaiming, “Ah! Look over there!”
In the Gag world, there’s a special rule: if someone says, “Ah! Look over there?” and you ignore it, something strange might come flying at you. But if you turn to look, you’ll get smacked in the back of your head while they say, “Gotcha! You fell for the trick!”
The method of survival is simple! Turn just half your body so you can see both directions!
With a fluid motion, Lian turned half his body around. It was an angle perfect for checking both in front and behind at the same time, and Lian’s expression instantly fell.
“Er…?”
Before him fluttered pure white wings, scattering divine light. The problem was that the rightful owner of those wings was not Lian.
An angel, with hair as black as the contrasting wings, had shimmering red eyes that sparkled like jewels, holding Lian within her gaze.
“Ellensia?”
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