Ch.17557. A Thousand Forms and Ten Thousand Appearances (3)

Coming here, I’ve been forced to listen to one absurd thing after another.

Even if I could overlook some questions, I’ve also learned about issues that simply cannot be ignored.

Ahrimān was the first to break the ensuing silence.

“You don’t know what you’re fighting for? Are you serious?”

“When good collapses and evil prevails, the world is filled with nothing but misfortune, suffering, and despair! Isn’t this basic common sense? A world will come that isn’t for everyone, but rather an unreasonable place where selfish and narrow-minded individuals monopolize and dominate. How can you fail to see this?”

“Isn’t it self-righteous to believe that good is always right simply because it’s good?”

“Good is absolute. When good begins to yield, submit, and compromise, all laws become distorted and violated, and nothing in the world remains intact. What if water flows upstream instead of downstream at the appropriate time? What if children kill their parents and trees absorb nutrients without bearing fruit?”

“Isn’t it wrong to demand something absolute and perfect in an inherently imperfect world? If that’s what you wanted, shouldn’t you have created a flawless world from the beginning?”

“That’s not our domain. You know this, don’t you?”

Not at all.

A deity is supposed to be absolute.

Haven’t we always believed and been taught this?

The moment you deny this, you’re no longer omnipotent. And if you can’t achieve this, you’re far from omniscient and omnipotent.

What should we call a being that isn’t omniscient and omnipotent?

How is this any different from kings, conquerors, rulers, and emperors?

Those who reach the pinnacle of power and possess great strength sometimes compare themselves to gods or demand to be treated as divine beings.

…Even if such beings are infinitely higher.

What’s the fundamental difference?

So I asked once.

“By such absolute standards of good, is that why you brought them to ruin?”

I pointed toward Heba and the giants as I questioned Verethragna.

“Those are the embodiments of sin and the creatures born from it. I won’t deny the possibility of improvement. But it’s nearly impossible. It would be a miracle if even one or two out of thousands or tens of thousands could change.”

“Is that your justification for bringing them to ruin?”

“Listen well. Do you still not understand? The good and evil I speak of are fundamentally essential concepts.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Kekeke!”

The Demon Lord and Ahrimān simultaneously chuckled, then burst into laughter.

But the War God remained unmoved.

“You must have heard about the true nature of these beings.”

Giants who once destroyed the world.

And later, life forms who rebelled, waged war, were defeated, and were created as evil creatures forced into eternal servitude.

“If we cannot kill or annihilate them, then our best option is to suppress their nature and guide them toward the possibility of change. But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up. We will continue this cycle. Until they change. Until they can stand shoulder to shoulder with us!”

“So because they cannot be guided, you destroy them, create them anew, breathe life into them, push them into enclosures, and try to guide them again and again. Is that what you mean?”

The soul is immortal.

That’s why in the Irenis faith, reaching heaven after death is considered so important.

This life bound to the flesh is merely a passing phase.

But that’s strange.

“The fact that their nature, original knowledge, and memories remain intact means they could cause the same problems at any time. If that is a sinful flaw, evil, and original sin… shouldn’t it be stripped away?”

Ahrimān sneered again.

“No matter how much you wash for thousands of years, the body will always get dirty again. What about the mind and spirit that cannot even be washed? It’s truly a pointless effort. If they want to follow their innate nature and the desires placed in their hands, what sin is that? What original sin?”

“That doesn’t justify the arrogance of looking down on and disregarding everything except oneself!”

“What’s the problem?! Is it a sin even to proclaim my own greatness?! Then you shouldn’t have given me an arrogant nature! Giving it to me and then telling me not to use it! Try taking a toy away from a child after giving it to them! Do you think they’ll just accept it quietly?!”

“Is power and knowledge needed for childish tantrums? It’s needed to contribute to greater and more noble plans, to become a better self and reach higher heights for tomorrow’s self. It’s not power, knowledge, or rights given to torment others, deny their lives, deprive them, and destroy their existence.”

“Haven’t you stripped away all freedom, rights, and dignity from everything you’ve defined as evil?! Do you think you have any right to speak such words?!”

“Evil is like poison that contaminates clear water, affecting all creatures and even the divine. Are you not ashamed of spreading poison everywhere, and still arguing about right and wrong while mocking those who are dying and suffering from its effects as weak?”

“Denying me is an arrogant rejection of the being who created me and the world itself that I depend on!”

“We are the ones who establish justice and order in that world. If you, as chaos, deny order and good will and try to destroy them, then we have no choice but to remain enemies. Forever!”

…

Both are making valid points in their own way.

Depending on whose perspective or subjectivity one sides with, it could be right or wrong.

Objectivity or subjectivity… doesn’t matter much here.

“Hateful god. May this humble woman ask you a question?”

At that moment, Heba stepped forward and sought permission from the War God.

“I permit it.”

Verethragna readily granted permission.

“So because we bear the original sin in both our flesh and souls, we must suffer continuously without being accepted anywhere, simply because we were born? Is that truly what you believe?”

“Without suffering, there can be no lessons. You and your essence were inherently powerful and once in a position to trample the world. Wodanaz, the one-eyed god of wisdom, war, and magic, rushed about trying to stop this, but what happened in the end? Wasn’t he devoured by the wolf?”

“We… know nothing of this.”

“Ignorance doesn’t erase original sin.”

“Then you should have told us! At least then we wouldn’t have felt so unjustly treated!”

“Instead, you would have become arrogant again, thinking yourselves great beings who killed a god. You might not have, but do you think your other kin would have humbly accepted it like you?”

“That’s…”

“In a sense, you are not creations of our gods, so you might feel wronged. That’s why our Lord succeeded the former fallen celestial gods and took in their slaves, making them his own creations and people again. He granted them the right to be happy and the qualification to cleanse themselves of original sin. In exchange, he even gave them the freedom to determine good and evil. What do you think? Doesn’t our Lord of light and wisdom love his people?”

“But that… that’s telling us to die as we are now, isn’t it?”

“It’s telling you to shed the name given to you and the temporary shell you wear. If you know it’s filthy and made of sinful blood and skin, yet still wear it, isn’t that your fault? Who else would you blame?”

“…We didn’t choose to be born this way!”

“Of course not! You became that way because you were defeated! That’s why victory in battle is of utmost importance. And if evil becomes the victor, that’s the ultimate despair. But I, as a victor pursuing good, am the embodiment of victory born from such aspirations and wishes.”

War is hell unfolding in the living world.

How desperately we’ve longed for someone to save us from such a living hell.

“If you want to change, kill your current self! And embrace a new life. There, you will find only salvation, light, and wisdom.”

“It’s amazing how confidently you spout such madness. Impressive as always.”

Ahrimān’s mockery echoed.

“But can we really die even if we try to kill ourselves?”

Heba’s voice was deeply rooted in despair.

“Impossible. If it were before awakening your divinity, perhaps, but you and your kin are in a different situation.”

“Then… what are we supposed to do?”

“Do nothing.”

“…”

“Until the passage of eternal time washes away even your essence. Until it takes away your current existence. Offer yourself to time.”

“In the end…”

Heba spoke, filled with indignation.

“It’s because you’re afraid of us, isn’t it?”

The War God answered proudly.

“You are a threat. Even the greatest fire burns everything when approached too closely. You are the same. Your sins are the same.”

“Truly, is there no way for us?”

“Regrettably, gods cannot kill or destroy other gods. Even if this world were to perish a thousand times. Even if the world tried to kill us, we would not die. Just as the world cannot die. At most, this planet we stand on would be destroyed. Even then, we would persist eternally.”

“Ha… haha…”

A hollow laugh, suppressed by dry sobs.

“Then what do you exist for?”

After hearing all this, I had much to say. But I had much to say… let me ask first.

The War God remained proud in response to my question.

“To maintain order so that the powerful do not abuse their strength. Only then can creatures exercise their own freedom and rights. At least ensuring they aren’t forced by external coercion is my supreme mission on earth.”

“Certainly. Yes. That fits your existence perfectly. That must be right.”

What greater calamity could there be than someone like you intervening personally?

But doesn’t that mean you’ll just watch as creatures commit atrocities and manipulations in the name of freedom?

“You hate evil so much, yet you just watch as creatures exercise evil?”

“It is what our Lord has decided. Light and shadow inevitably face each other. Because light is bright, shadows deepen, and when darkness is deep, the need and preciousness of light is felt.”

“And then judgment after death?”

Like Ahrimān, the evil that always loses.

You who have claimed the position of defeated evil. For this moment, you may feel like an eternal victor.

But you will soon realize painfully that it was all an illusion, a dream, a delusion.

“The freedom and right to choose between good and evil is ultimately that.”

Strength that remains untainted.

Uprightness that remains unmoved.

Firmness that remains unswayed.

And the power to break through everything.

“Good, or rather victory, is such a thing. That’s why the victor is the being closest to good.”

The wicked turn away from challenges and trials.

But the righteous constantly face them.

Injustice and malice.

These are their trials. Their tests.

“I completely understand what you’re saying.”

Yes. For him, that opinion is entirely correct.

Perfectly so.

It’s all filled with content I can’t help but accept.

Rebelling against this might make sense from a creature’s perspective, but it’s nothing compared to divine standards.

Selecting and distinguishing between the good and the evil… it all seems natural.

The right to choose is ultimately about that.

In the end, it’s not about being forced to submit to good and evil in the name of submission to the divine.

…It’s about choosing for yourself and being judged and rewarded accordingly.

“…”

He, and the master he serves… perhaps they are like a father who is both extremely kind and strict to his creations.

Yes, they might be like such a father figure.

“…”

In the end.

It’s painful either way.

It’s painful because we don’t know, because we’re weak.

It’s painful because we’re foolish, because we’re fragile.

“You know.”

Everything he says fits perfectly.

It’s correct.

It’s the established theory.

Yes. I understand all that, but.

“I just can’t understand. Why create such a world? Why on earth?”

If it had never existed.

If I had never been born.

I wouldn’t have suffered.

The Irenis faith babbles that you were born to be loved, to be happy.

Don’t talk nonsense.

I was in pain.

I’m still in pain, I remain in pain.

I’m just enduring it.

I keep enduring it.

I only endure.

Someday, I might explode with all of this.

But still, I just endure.

I must endure.

But isn’t it strange?

…Why must I endure?

Why am I nonchalantly bearing a life more disadvantaged than others?

In the end.

In what you’re saying, there’s no fundamental reason why we suffer, is there?

Trials? Tests? To make a better me?

Are we steel? To be constantly hammered?

I am not steel!

Stop hitting me, you damn bastards!

“About that. Only He knows. We merely establish our order and discipline on the world He created and formed. For a better world, a better tomorrow.”

“No, no. Being good, better, excellent, just, righteous… let’s put all that aside. I’m not curious about any of that.”

I mean.

I.

“You… no, you… no… ah!”

I’m irritated.

Now it’s becoming clearer why I’m so irritated.

“In the end, on this world’s stage, you’re beings who could become gods, demons, angels, or tyrants just by changing roles, aren’t you?”

“If that’s the image of us you desire.”

“Are you saying we desired that?”

“That’s correct.”

Ahrimān interjects.

“Beings like me exist because that contemptible good and justice is distasteful.”

“You really don’t understand, do you.”

Saying one thing, then another.

“Ah, I get it! You’re not a single concept but a combination of complex concepts! I’ve heard it so many times my ears might fall off! I understand! I get it!”

I glanced at the Demon Lord, who was half-reclining with folded arms in mid-air.

“Now I somewhat understand why you always acted like everything in the world was pointless.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

That War God is my ancestral god? Some distant what?

So? Did you think I would care about such things?

I just wanted to resolve all this—the Demon Lord’s curse, my personal grudges, and everything else—this suppressed resentment and anger, this grudge.

Happiness? Fulfillment? Dreams? Ideals?

Do I look like someone who could contemplate such things?

I gave up on all that.

If I had pursued happiness, would I be living like this?

“Ah, suddenly I’m getting heated.”

Hahaha…

They debate the creation of heaven and earth.

But I couldn’t care less about that.

Still, there’s a path here, and a small curiosity, so I quietly watched and listened.

“…I see. Chaos.”

I understand now.

My essence is extremely close to order.

That ancestral god over there resembles my father, and I, born through my father and mother, whether I like it or not, have inherited both their strengths and weaknesses.

My firmness and strength must come from that lineage.

I was certainly difficult by normal standards. I admit that.

But in the end, what made me break through my flaws and shell, my egg.

…It was them and the world they followed, protected, and embraced.

“Let’s just give up on all this.”

Dominator.

I compose my mind.

But that’s not the end.

What’s certain is.

My body has already been filled with all the stars I can put into it.

This state is why I’ve shown superhuman abilities and physical performance.

But because of this cursed pain that eats away at my body and mind, I could awaken my extraordinary yet not extraordinary weak mind, my clumsy mind… once again.

“In the end, if you’re just actors changing roles on this world’s stage… you couldn’t possibly understand the hearts of weeds, dust, and insects like us who get caught up in it.”

If you say you understand, that’s a lie.

You might be able to empathize.

With transcendental abilities, you might be able to sense or simulate similar experiences.

I’ve briefly experienced being a common soldier instead of Kariel in the Demon Lord’s dream, and being the Demon Lord’s fox facing my father.

Conversely, I’ve also been my father in his younger days facing Grandeus.

And I’ve also been Grandeus neutralizing my slightly younger father. I’ve been all of them.

But is that really real?

It’s fake.

A fake pretending to be real.

Even if I can read someone’s past, empathize with it, and acknowledge it.

In the end, it’s just empathy.

Even amidst all that… I still exist.

My reason, my will, my self are clearly awake.

“Let’s stop fighting so pathetically.”

Darkness rises around my body.

“I know it’s not pathetic… but I don’t care anymore.”

…

Once.

Darkness like deep space.

Countless stars above that darkness.

In that virtual cosmic space like a starry sky.

I asked Grandeus.

How could I defeat my father?

He immediately gave me the answer.

At first, it seemed too simple to understand.

He said what’s important is being able to accomplish something so simple yet significant.

[It’s not difficult.]

The words of the man in black armor came back to me as clearly as if I’d just heard them.

[You just need to remove all divinity that makes up the world.]

Naturally, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

“You think he’ll understand if you explain it like that?”

The Demon Lord dismissed it simply.

“It’s nothing special.”

Just.

“Erase mana from this world.”

The Demon Lord said this, then belatedly snorted as if it was nonsensical babble.

…

“How, how is this possible—?!”

The giant serpent begins to lose its form.

As the darkness covering the world recedes, the sun and the white sky bathed in clear light once again pierce down brightly.

And also.

Some of the War God’s incarnations lose their form or disappear.

The boy’s white hair flutters, and between the strands, a pair of golden eyes flash, crossing the boundary into astonishment.

“You are not merely chaos—”

Looking at the War God wearing an expression I’ve never seen before, I mocked him with an emotion that could have been either laughter or tears.

“Indeed, this is not something a human should do.”

Erasing mana is impossible.

But devouring it is possible.

Completely.

Within a specific domain.

Everything.

Without leaving a trace.

Dominātur peccāta.

The ultimate formula Grandeus created for the final battle with the Great Demon Lord.

And now, a power I’ve just become capable of using… obtained by forging the Sword of Folly.

The reason I’ve come all this way.

Is to gain the strength, the driving force to use this.

But at the point of casting this without such power.

…My life may be in danger in some sense.

I managed to teach Venus something like sword energy, or in our terms, cutting across and through space.

But anything beyond that was impossible.

Of course.

If he could engrave stars within his body and complete it like me… that might be different.

…But it’s probably impossible in this lifetime.

All sorts of things come to mind.

Then suddenly, I realize it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen all this.

This is what they call—

A life flashing before your eyes, right?