Chapter 232

〈 Chapter 233 〉 The End of the Journey

*

It was the moment after the proof was completed.

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

– Congratulations on passing the trial.

Come to think of it, I had forgotten.

The first trial and the last trial had been one and the same.

The trial of the God of Chains.

‘So I passed.’

The purpose of the trial was to become a Hero.

It seemed I had entirely fulfilled that by stopping destruction.

– Yes, you did wonderfully. I would like to give you a reward regarding that, may I take a moment of your time?

A reward.

Well, given that it was a trial, a reward seemed reasonable.

‘I understand.’

After saying that, I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again, finding myself in a familiar place.

‘This is…’

The great tree where I met the gods every time.

However, the scenery was somehow different from usual.

‘What about the great tree’s condition…?’

The size of the great tree was still the same, but its form had turned translucent.

And beneath that great tree stood someone.

“God of Chains.”

The hooded figure turned towards the direction I was in.

– Good to see you, Allen Pleuk. Is this the first time we meet at eye level?

I nodded.

“You’ve never come down from above, have you?”

– Well, I needed to conceal my identity to some extent.

“Identity?”

I was curious about what exactly his identity was.

At that moment, he removed his hood.

– Well, I can tell you now.

The face of the one who unveiled his hood looked…almost exactly like mine.

However, there was hardly any emotion on that expression.

‘Indeed…’

I had caught a glimpse of that appearance before, but now it was confirmed.

This guy’s concept was heavily influenced by mine.

“You are…”

A god greatly influenced by me.

A god who could manage dimensions and world lines.

A god above all other gods.

Given all the evidence, there was only one identity that came to mind.

“Are you the God of Cause?”

He nodded.

– Yes. The God of Time, the God of Dimensions, the God of Proof. I have various names, but the core name that pierces through is that one.

It was the moment I finally learned his true name.

“God of Cause…”

It surely couldn’t be unrelated to me.

After all, the path I’d walked thus far had been a continuous cycle of proof.

I create results as a cause.

There couldn’t have been an act more helpful to his divinity than that.

At this point, I started to think.

“We must resemble each other quite a bit.”

It wouldn’t just be in appearance.

Probably in personality as well, in thought…

But he denied it.

– No, we are different.

“What do you mean by that?”

– Perhaps we were a bit alike at the beginning. But we surely don’t resemble each other now.

He was decisively drawing a line.

– Even if my concept is vast, I am merely a god who presides over the concept of cause. After all, there are things you have that I do not.

“Things I have that you do not?”

– For instance, things like connection.

At that moment, a figure, no, a god flashed through my mind.

“Speaking of which, what happened to the God of Connection…”

What had become of him?

I recalled Albert being elevated, spreading the divinity.

However, I had no idea how he had prevented destruction and what had happened afterward.

– He replaced the Creator God and became the god of this world.

“Became the god of this world? Is that even possible?”

– It is impossible for ordinary gods like me and others, but he could. He had the qualifications to do so.

“Qualifications?”

– To begin with, his concept is vast. Connection is… a concept that cannot be explained simply through cause and effect. It is a very powerful concept, similar yet different from mine. And at the same time…

He explained the decisive reason he could become the god of this world.

– He is a new divinity that arose among humans rather than a fragment of a creator like me. Therefore, even if the creator’s divinity dissipates, he could survive.

Hearing that, something came to mind.

‘Indeed, when Wilhelm shot the thorns…’

Since they contained the power of the Demon King, the thorns, which would be useless against any other god, had slowed down against Albert’s barrier.

Albert’s uniqueness had been apparent from that moment.

‘That being said…’

One thing caught my attention from his words.

“So does that mean… the other gods besides him will all disappear?”

– Yes. We are merely fragments of the Creator. Now that that divinity has completely dissipated, we can no longer exist.

“Is that so…”

Suddenly, I thought of the other gods I had met so far.

I felt a twinge of sadness.

“Well, I guess this is the last time I’ll see you like this.”

I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but the God of Cause was still gradually fading.

Perhaps he was slowly disappearing even now.

– Yes, I will likely vanish soon. So before that, I want to give you your reward.

A reward.

Yes, that was there.

“But what is the reward?”

The great tree had already faded to the point of being ephemeral, and he was also in a lower state now.

It didn’t seem like the reward would drop from the tree again.

– Just tell me your wish. If it’s something I can grant with the divinity I have left, I will heed it.

A wish.

That was surprisingly groundbreaking.

And the wish that immediately came to mind was ultimately one.

“Then please extend Miss Gwen Reedval’s lifespan.”

She seemed somewhat satisfied, but I didn’t think so.

In the end, she couldn’t help but feel satisfied, but deep down, she would still be hoping for a normal life.

– I’m sorry, but that isn’t possible.

“What?”

I was pondering whether the God of Cause could do no more than this.

– After all, that will be resolved naturally.

“What do you mean by that…”

– The Rose Emblem she possesses is ultimately a remnant of a god. As gods dissipate, it will naturally vanish.

I felt relieved.

But still, I was somewhat concerned.

“If the byproducts vanish with the gods, then… what will happen to the other connections?”

– I’m not sure. It probably depends on what policies the new God of Connection establishes.

“Is that so… then what about Earth?”

– My connection to Earth was solely my duty, so it will be severed. Of course, this might change depending on what the God of Connection decides to do afterward.

In the end, it seemed most things depended on Albert.

“I understand.”

– Now, let’s go back to your wish. Time is running out.

A wish…

The next thing I thought of was this.

“Can I revive the dead?”

– Impossible.

This time, unlike before, it was a clear denial.

– Were you trying to bring your mother back?

“Well, if I could, I would have tried to resurrect everyone who had died with the High Priest… but it seems that’s impossible.”

If that’s impossible, what should I wish for?

As I began to contemplate, the God of Cause spoke.

– Aren’t there many wishes you can make? Grant me the strongest power, or grant me vast wealth.

Hearing that, I felt the God of Cause was quite remarkable for being able to fulfill such things.

But that was all.

None of those were things I truly needed.

What I desperately wished for now.

That was to save Freira, but if that was impossible…

“Would it be possible to have a short conversation with Freira?”

At this, the God of Cause fell silent for a moment.

Then he responded.

– It is probably possible. If you mobilize your Snowflake Vision.

“Snowflake Vision?”

Perhaps it was fortunate that the Snowflake Vision was inherited from the fifth emblem, the Snowflake Emblem.

“Understood. How do I do that?”

– Just a moment…

The God of Cause suddenly raised his head and started looking up at the great tree.

Near the branches of the great tree, faint light particles were flying around.

– There it is.

He raised his hand and pulled one of the particles toward him.

The particle gently settled on his palm.

“What is this…”

– Now, activate the Snowflake Vision here.

“Got it.”

I nodded and activated my Snowflake Vision toward that particle.

Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

And at the same time…

“Freira?”

Her figure began to take shape.

Soon, I could even hear her voice.

(Allen.)

“Freira!”

I reached out to embrace her, but my body just passed through her form.

She looked at me with pity and said.

(I’m sorry. I’m already dead.)

I knew that much.

But…

“Freira, I’m sorry.”

I wanted to apologize to her.

(What is there to apologize for? You did well enough. You defeated the High Priest and prevented the destruction.)

Of course.

“But in the end, I couldn’t call you mother.”

At that, her eyes widened.

But soon after, she smiled warmly and said.

(Then call me that now.)

“Yes, of course.”

Yes, this was what I had wanted to do.

I wiped my tears that had begun to flow again and called her.

“Mother.”

I could only feel sorry for not calling her that when she was alive.

However, she seemed to forgive me, placing her hand over my head and saying.

(If this can ease your regret at all… then I am satisfied.)

“Mother?”

(I was already happy the moment I died for you.)

Ah.

‘I see.’

She was still worried about me even after her death.

Her happiness had been enough for her.

“Don’t worry about me.”

The tears stopped.

For her sake, I needed to live happily tomorrow.

(Yes, you look good.)

At that moment, her form began to fade.

It seemed this last meeting was coming to an end.

“Well then, goodbye, Mother.”

(Live happily, Allen.)

And with that, her form completely vanished.

It was a brief meeting, but it was sufficient.

“Thank you for granting my wish.”

– There’s no need to thank me. It’s just a rightful reward for passing the trial.

At that, the God of Cause was starting to fade quite a bit as well.

– Now… live well. In the new world led by the God of Connection.

“You too, thank you for your efforts, God of Cause.”

At that moment, the space around the great tree began to collapse.

It was the moment the era of gods came to an end.

‘So then…’

Once I escape from here, there was a certain place I needed to go.

*

The sound of a bird chirping.

Here, the glow-tinged barrier was no more.

Instead, a real sunset was happening.

In the village of Basilium.

The smell here evoked nostalgia no matter how many times I breathed it in.

Of course, I might adapt to it in the future.

Creeeak

The old door groaned as it opened.

It seemed like I would need to replace this door first.

Stepping inside the inn, I found…

“Allen?”

“I’m back.”

Gwen and Lucy were waiting for me.

Soon, the Innkeeper also rushed out from inside.

“Allen!”

Gwen rushed to me and hugged me tightly.

I embraced her back.

And then smiled as I said.

“I’m back.”

It had been a long journey.

There were many hard and painful times.

But…

It was a rather enjoyable journey.

*