Barbarian in a Failed Game

316. The Heavens (12)

In truth, the sequence of events that led to his heart stopping due to the God of Death descending from the sky, his body dying, and the Heart of Predation transforming his dead body to revive it, were not all calculated moves.

How could he have foreseen everything?

He hadn’t even anticipated that the God of Death would ally with the God of Magic. Still, he had thought there might be some hope. With the power of the ash-gray lightning, he believed that at least he could put up a fight against the gods of light and death.

─He was wrong.

He quickly realized that, while he might still have a chance against the Knight God or the Goddess of Justice, fighting the gods of Light and Death was impossible. Thus, he transformed his body using the Heart of Predation.

‘A skill reflects my will.’

This was akin to the ash-gray lightning Khan had come to possess. A desperate will and desire, manifesting into reality….

At that moment, Khan recalled and became certain. The other potential he had vaguely sensed after manifesting the ash-gray lightning was none other than the skill system he possessed.

So, he reconstructed his body based on the Giant’s Strength. Was it possible…? He had his doubts. But it was possible. He had the unparalleled materials: the blood from the confidant of the ancient Giant King and the blood of Esperus.

Moreover, the homeostasis of the transcendent gene played a crucial role. Of course, reapplying the Giant’s Strength to his current body in an evolved form was an extremely complex task. Even if there was a blueprint, it required a skilled worker to bring it to life.

『For me, it was an easy task. Because I am the Dragon King. You may kneel and praise me if you wish.』

Even that was resolved by the tenant in his mind, the Spirit of Resentment, the most skilled artisan.

The Spirit of Resentment perfectly replicated Khan’s blueprint, and in reality, went beyond it. The resulting body did not merely maintain the Giant’s Strength continuously; it transformed into what could be considered the ideal form as envisioned by a Dragon Marquis, the pinnacle of transcendent beings.

『Karyan – that insane human did not have a body of this caliber even in his lifetime. I guarantee it. After all, gathering such materials would be impossible for anyone.』

That statement was no exaggeration, as he felt with a single punch.

The moment he extended his fist, everything along its path ‘shattered.’

Pure physical force distorted and twisted space, and the dimension collapsed under the pressure. Even the highest-ranking gods could not escape the shock that came with being annihilated along with the dimension itself. With the ash-gray lightning directly impacting the divinity, it was indeed a body forged for godslaying.

『Is he dead?』

While examining his body, E-Urel approached, uttering what could be considered a forbidden question. Khan shook his head.

“A meddler intervened.”

『A meddler…?』

“I didn’t see it clearly, but there was definitely a flicker of something before my punch completely swallowed the God of Death….”

At first, he had been unsure. Who could have squeezed through the collapsing dimension to pull out the God of Death? But the moment he caught that flicker, he had a good idea of who it was.

‘The God of Light.’

The God who governs light. It wasn’t impossible that he could move at something close to the speed of light. If it had been true light speed, even catching a glimpse would have been impossible.

So, the flicker he saw narrowed down the candidates. The God of Light had saved the God of Death from obliteration.

“So, it’s clear now that Light and Death have definitely allied with the God of Magic.”

『…This is the worst. Still, they’ve suffered significant losses. It will take an immense amount of time for the God of Death to restore his divinity. He won’t be able to interfere for a while.』

“What about the Knight God? Is there still no response?”

『Unfortunately, none. At this point, I’m starting to doubt. Even that brat should have come out by now….』

“We need to go to the sanctuary of the God of Death.”

Aries, who had kept her eyes closed as if connected to the Goddess of Justice during the battle, spoke up.

“The Goddess of Justice is in the sanctuary of the God of Death?”

“Yes. And the Knight God.”

『That brat? Why…? He’s not the type to sacrifice himself nobly like Justice.』

“Prisoner. Warden.”

Well.

It seemed E-Urel had gotten used to Aries’ concise way of speaking, as he understood her meaning and rubbed his forehead.

The Goddess of Justice was imprisoned in the sanctuary of the God of Death, with the Knight God acting as the warden. That explained why there had been no communication with the two gods.

『That petty brat again….』

“The Knight God made the obvious choice. He did that to avoid the attention of the God of Magic.”

『…Tch.』

Despite her explanation, E-Urel seemed skeptical.

『Well, we’ll find out the truth when we get there. Normally, I wouldn’t go near a place like the sanctuary of death…. But now that he’s been thrashed, it’s different.』

The sanctuary of the God of Death didn’t have a fixed location. It wasn’t that its location changed constantly or that it moved around on its own.

『The gods of the Pantheon are all like that. Their sanctuaries exist as separate quasi-dimensions. It’s not that they were specially assigned separate quasi-dimensions, but their stature is so elevated that their sanctuaries change according to their divinity’s status.』

“If you think about it, wasn’t the sanctuary of solitude like that too? It hid its presence entirely because of the God’s influence.”

『It’s completely different. The sanctuary of a highest-ranking divinity is almost another divinity itself. In the case of the God of Light, he has almost completely merged his divinity and consciousness with his sanctuary, making it nearly indistinguishable from himself.』

The sanctuary of the God of Death wasn’t like that.

『There is no path to the sanctuary of the God of Death. You just need to think about it. Earnestly wish to go to the sanctuary of death. Normally… the God of Death would have closed it off. But now that he is absent, it should be easy.』

Thinking about death. Following E-Urel’s words wasn’t difficult, especially after having just confronted and fought the God of Death.

When they regained their senses, the group found themselves in the midst of the sanctuary of the God of Death, just as E-Urel had said.

“It’s barren.”

『That’s how it always is when people die. People believe that the wicked go to hell and the virtuous live in paradise after death… but in reality, it’s more like this. Death is very egalitarian, devoid of meaning.』

The sanctuary of the God of Death was nothing more than an endless plain. There were no temples or structures that could be called shrines, only countless mounds that appeared to be graves. The sheer number of them was overwhelming, spread out as far as the eye could see.

『This is a cemetery created directly by the God of Death.』

“How fittingly morbid.”

『Think of it as his way of memorializing. He’s a soft-hearted God.』

A youthful voice interjected into E-Urel and Khan’s conversation. Recognizing the voice, E-Urel’s face contorted, while Khan, guessing the identity of the speaker from E-Urel’s reaction, calmly responded.

“He didn’t seem very soft-hearted.”

『It’s hard to judge a God by mortal standards. Just as humans cannot fully comprehend the lives of elves. The way they perceive things is different!』

“The way they perceive things…”

Where Khan’s gaze fell, a boy sat on a rock, swinging his legs and smiling as if he had been there all along.

The Knight God.

A highest-ranking God who bestowed the unprecedented power of aura to all knights of the continent. Also, one of the gods who, for reasons unknown, chose to act as a warden.

“Do you share the same opinion? That you, like the God of Death, aim to fix this broken world with the God of Magic?”

『Haha! Unfortunately, I don’t have such noble intentions. What I cherish isn’t that but noble sacrifice. I don’t particularly have any complaints about the current world. It’s quite entertaining.』

『Noble sacrifice, my ass. You’re just a pervert who enjoys watching people suffer through unwanted sacrifices.』

『My beloved apostle, E-Urel. When will you ever correct that foul mouth of yours? As I’ve said many times, I don’t force anyone to take an oath. I only bestow power and a creed to those who wish to become knights. You did the same.』

With a light movement, the Knight God gracefully descended from the rock, smiling.

『Now, great adversary Gordi Khan. And you, the apostle destined to become the Sword of Justice. The person you need to meet is waiting inside. Shall we go?』

With those words, the Knight God turned his back and walked away, looking completely unguarded. Contrarily, every instinct related to battle screamed that no opening could exploit the God disguised as a boy.

Khan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and followed the Knight God without suspicion.

At least it was clear that the Knight God, unlike the gods of Light and Death, had no interest in the plans of the God of Magic. Rather, his interest seemed to lie in the conversation the Goddess of Justice wished to have with the two mortals.

‘If he’s a pervert who enjoys sacrifice, there couldn’t be a more intriguing subject than the Goddess of Justice right now. That’s probably why he volunteered to be the warden.’

Having roughly figured out the motivations of the Knight God, Khan’s view shifted once again. Within the sanctuary of the God of Death, another quasi-dimension existed.

It was entirely different from the desolate wasteland they had seen. It was incredibly pastoral.

The sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew through the waving grass, and in the middle of it all stood a small monastery.

It reminded Khan of the convent in Al Ranzas, where he had met Elena and Berta in the Argon Kingdom.

『Justice. I’ve brought the guests you mentioned.』

─Inside.

The response came from within the building of the monastery. Curiously, it was a human voice, not the transcendent voice typical of a divine being.

It was a voice very familiar and anticipated in the heavens—the voice of the goddess they had longed to meet.

Creak….

Aries’ face stiffened slightly, but without a second thought, the Knight God opened the door to the monastery and stepped aside.

『Feel free to have your conversation. Just forgive me if I eavesdrop a bit. E-Urel, we have some matters to discuss outside, don’t we? I saw you aiming Reletalrasa at the heavenly divinity… haha. I don’t intend to reprimand you, but seeing such a sorry sight makes me think we need a chat.』

『Tch…. Go ahead.』

E-Urel, looking displeased, gave a slight nod, acknowledging there was no reason to follow the two inside. Aries had already disappeared inside, and Khan shrugged before following her into the monastery.

Inside a spacious room that seemed like a chapel, a woman in a nun’s habit awaited them.

Her presence exuded a gentle compassion towards the weak and a stern justice against the wicked, reflecting her divine nature. A benevolent smile masked her sharp demeanor, revealing the hidden aspects of the Goddess of Justice.

“Goddess of Justice.”

─It’s been a while. Or would you prefer I welcome you as if meeting for the first time?

The goddess, who had provided much assistance to Khan, held a sword and scales in her hands. She exuded a grace that no ordinary human could possess.

However.

There was no trace of the ‘divine stature’ befitting a highest-ranking God. It was as if she had lost her divinity entirely. Khan, narrowing his eyes to assess her state, sighed and spoke.

“Your divinity is completely gone.”

She was now a mere mortal. Unlike the Beast God, who had fallen to the level of a demigod, she had become an ordinary human. She was so frail that a single puff from Khan could break her neck and kill her.

“What on earth happened here?”

A highest-ranking God reduced to an ordinary human? The very idea was horrifying, yet the Goddess of Justice seemed completely unbothered. Her composure was so overwhelming that it made Aries’s stiffened expression seem out of place.

─To explain that, we had to go through this complex process.

Turning her back on her apostle and favored warrior, the Goddess of Justice began her explanation.

─Yes, it all started when she, who was thought to have died long ago, became a God.

The newly enthroned God of Magic.

─The Sorceress Mortalia.

The greatest mage in Midland, who could solely embody the concept of magic within her divinity.

─At that time, she was secretly operating under the name ‘Apostle of Truth.’ After becoming the God of Magic, she immediately gathered me and the other gods to propose something.

─To recreate the world in its true form.

─She claimed that with the power of the Creator in her hands, it was entirely possible.