Chapter 104: Ragnarok (3)
by fnovelpia
Smoke from the collision of fire and ice obscured Wolfgang’s vision.
Wolfgang stared at her own hands with a dazed expression.
Even though the seal had been broken, she felt no pain.
Originally, she had expected the kind of pain that made her feel like something would explode inside her at any moment.
Strangely, with that pain gone, her heart felt even more uneasy.
Had she died during the fight?
If so, where was this place?
Heaven? Hell?
If the gods had any conscience, they should at least send her to heaven.
After all, she had burned her body for the greater good.
But soon Wolfgang easily recognized the beings in front of her.
They paid no attention to someone like Wolfgang, their heads bowed toward each other, absorbed in something.
Wait a minute.
Beings?
So they weren’t human?
That single word made her fading consciousness cling to reality.
Wolfgang walked toward them with burning eyes.
Just then, someone blocked her.
Surprisingly, it was a massive golden flame identical to hers.
Thanks to the wall of flame, Wolfgang could no longer even recognize the beings in front of her.
Wolfgang’s burning gaze turned to the golden flame before her.
It had been with her since the moment she opened her eyes in this world, but this was surprisingly the first time they were facing each other directly.
“Why are you blocking me? Sun God.”
[It’s been a long time, child.]
The Sun God.
The empire’s revered chief deity, who had been fighting the King of Winter to a standstill.
At least that’s what the empire’s people believed.
But unfortunately, all of that was just a setup.
Just to maintain this scenario.
And to keep creating it.
Yes, that’s all it was.
We were merely pawns to the gods.
The villainess, the heroine, the hero.
Assigned roles from the moment of birth, never realizing it until death.
Destiny was practically predetermined.
So it was only natural to have questions.
“Why did you choose me? To you, I was just a villainess.”
[Now you identify yourself with that girl.]
“…Lana Frost. It’s been a long time since I’ve said that name.”
[Yes, you’re right. Lana Frost was originally meant to be a villainess who would bring chaos to this land. That’s why she was sent to the empire.]
The Sun God began explaining all the truths he knew to Wolfgang.
Surprisingly, Lana’s original role was almost identical to the current Saint Jeanne’s role.
Together with Winter, she would conquer the empire and become the sword pointed at the kingdom.
Literally the final boss of this scenario.
That was Lana Frost.
But that’s precisely why it was even more incomprehensible.
“The one who disrupted that scenario was you, wasn’t it?”
[Yes.]
“Why did you do it?”
[For ages, I fulfilled my duty under the pretext of maintaining balance. But as I continued to watch over you… I began to think deeply about you.]
Emotions for a god were merely a luxury.
Even if they existed, they wouldn’t be directed toward mere creations.
After all, they could always create anew.
The Sun God was no different at first.
But over time, he gradually developed concern for the continent’s life forms.
Eventually, he came to regard them as his own children.
Lana Frost also started with compassion.
Was it really necessary to fall so far just because she was assigned the role of villain?
Was there no other way?
What began as mere rebellion turned into something far deeper than the Sun God had imagined.
The gods changed the entire scenario with remarkable ease.
[From that moment, you took on the heroine’s role, while the Saint assumed the villain’s role. To them, their roles no longer mattered.]
“How disgusting. Get out of my way. I’ll kill them all.”
[That’s why I have to stop you, child.]
After arbitrarily assigning good and evil roles and playing with them, they didn’t even bother to maintain consistency.
Treating them as mere playthings ignited furious anger.
“What do you mean?”
[If you start fighting them, you will win. I guarantee it.]
“So why stop me?”
[No, I’m worried about you.]
“What exactly are you worried about?”
[If you start fighting them… who knows how much time will pass.]
Fighting the gods is never easy.
Wolfgang would certainly not lose.
With the Sun God’s full power now hers, the gods couldn’t stop her.
But time was the issue.
Completely eradicating all gods would take decades at minimum, possibly centuries.
Moreover, eliminating all gods would cause Wolfgang to lose her divine powers as well.
The gods existed in a symbiotic relationship.
[If maintaining balance becomes impossible, all divine powers will disappear. Including mine.]
“Yet you still choose to help me?”
[Yes.]
“Aren’t you afraid of ceasing to exist?”
[I’ve watched over you for so long. Laughed, cried, rejoiced, raged, and grieved with you… After experiencing countless emotions, I realized… we would be better off not existing.]
Living life according to fate predetermined by gods.
A destiny that could change overnight with a single word from the gods.
Could anyone truly call that a good life?
[If you choose to punish the gods, I’ll help you as much as I can. But even if you walk that path to the end, you might not receive any reward.]
“…”
[Will you still choose that path?]
Wolfgang fully understood what this meant.
She might lose her powers in this battle.
In the worst case, even if she returned to her original world, everyone might forget her.
“I willingly choose to walk it.”
She made her choice nonetheless.
Because she was the leader.
“If not me, then who?”
That was enough.
She gladly walked the path the Sun God had blocked, smiling as she went.
When she appeared enveloped in golden flames, the gods panicked and attacked her.
Numerous divine powers assailed her, but none could match her after fully absorbing the King and Queen of Winter’s powers.
The gods were not to be underestimated either.
Though they had grown rusty after eons of complacently overseeing scenarios, they remained the source of all creation, the beings who ruled above all life.
But even so, the gods couldn’t even dream of victory against Wolfgang.
She had already overturned their scenarios countless times and survived life-or-death battles.
One by one, the gods were consumed by Wolfgang’s flames, becoming fuel for her power.
Consequently, Wolfgang’s strength grew even greater.
She took them down one after another.
It’s unclear how much time had passed.
The moment the fighting finally stopped.
Looking around, nothing remained except her.
Wolfgang instinctively realized that the long, drawn-out battle had finally ended.
Her strength was gradually fading.
“Finally, it’s over.”
When she finally put an end to this long battle, the first emotion she felt was emptiness.
She had known this would happen, yet she couldn’t help but feel bitter.
[You’ve worked hard, child. I’m truly proud to have chosen you.]
“I wish I had died in battle.”
[It was an incredibly tiring and difficult path for a human to walk.]
“Yeah, but since I survived, I’ll live until the end.”
[I have a small gift for you who saved me from eternal suffering.]
“A small gift?”
Wolfgang tilted her head.
The Sun God’s power was already gone, so what more could be given?
The Sun God answered with a smile, responding to Wolfgang’s reaction.
[There are people who love you waiting.]
“What are you talking about? So much time has passed, they probably all died long ago.”
[Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. But I used my remaining strength to fix time as much as possible.]
“That means…”
[You’ve really worked hard, child. Now stop fighting…]
Live happily.
You’re fully qualified to do so.
With those words, Wolfgang finally opened her eyes.
She was surrounded by familiar faces, all looking at her with tearful expressions.
It was quite amusing.
“I’m back… but I can’t say it properly.”
This is quite a famous cliché, you know.
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