113: I won’t join you!

When I opened my eyes again my body was ghostly. It was transparent. And Delta, who was in the same state like me, was right next to me. As I look around, it was hard to distinguish were we are. Funny enough it looked like an art museum or something.

"...What is this place?"

"Welcome to The Memorial Hall of Successful Heroes."

Huh. Are we in the God Realm? Why did they build such a thing? Since it was a memorial, did that mean that this place comprised of heroes?

"Wait… aren't heroes supposed to be humans? There are paintings of Mazoku, Elves and Dwarves too."

"Don't have a limited a thinking. For Gods, the term hero means something else. You see, when a world is faced with a calamity and the Gods don't agree that it's the time for that world to end, they have to do something. But since they can't directly intervene, they chose heroes and send them to prevent the calamity. Not all succeed, but when they do, their soul is automatically granted access to Heaven and as a reminder, they are imortalized in this hall.

In fact, some of them showed so much potential that they stopped being mortals and were granted divinity and the right to join the God Realm."

"What's all this got to do with you?"

"Take a look over there."

I look in the direction she was pointing. An empty frame which had written the words… "The Fallen Hero".

"The Gods tried covering up my hero. Probably the greatest hero in all of history. Yurishia… no. Kimito, your soul per see is indeed unique. You yourself could be a rare case of a hero. A unique man, 1 in 100 thousand. However, my hero, was even more special. He was a 1 in 10 million case. You see, a world I was fond of was facing extinction of the highest degree.

But the 3 God Pillars decided that the world had no use so they said that it wasn't worth saving. That infuriated me. I couldn't accept that. So I broke the rules and sent that Hero to save that world. He showed unparalleled strength and in the end managed to save that world. But the gods were infuriated. They recognized his talent, but rejected him, hence he was known as The Fallen Hero. They shattered his soul.

As for me, they wanted to destroy me for disobeying their decision. I interfered too much. Before they could kill me, I managed to flee and hide in my own dimension. Ever since then, I swore I would get my revenge."

…

"Gods should be just beings and care about creation. Yes, keeping all the world in balance is important, but that doesn't mean it is right to simply abandoned them in a crisis. All life is meaningful. Achieve the impossible and save the world! That's the motto the gods originally decided on. I know and respect it better than anyone."

She started touching her hair and playing with it.

"As time passed, my appearance changed. I didn't always look like this, but because I was cut off from the God Realm, I lacked it's divine nutrition. But I found another way to survive."

"What's your goal? Why did you create such monsters?"

"My goal? Monsters? They might be monsters in your eyes, but they aren't. They are abandoned souls I picked up and nourished. Betrayed people, that felt pain no less than you did when you were backstabbed. I'm offering everyone a chance to get their revenge. As for my goal, if I can conquer a world and that world will worship me as the only divine authority, then the Heavenly Rules are clear.

The Gods won't be able to touch and I can return to the God Realm and set things straight."

"And you think that justifies all the lives you took?"

"Spare me the lecture. You also killed for the sake of your revenge. Haven't you also obliterated an army all by yourself? You and I are no different in the slightest. You are trying to make Stellaria a better place now. That's exactly what I am trying to do as well. I'm just doing it on a bigger scale."

"We… we aren't alike."

Delta shook her head softly upon hearing my remark.

"I’ve been watching all of your battles up to now. I think you possess a power equal to that of the gods…Yet, it seems that you don’t know how to fully use them. Let me teach you. Under my guidance, you can reach such higher places. And not because that body is my daughter. But you, Kimito, you are someone I can relate to. We have so much in common and we think the same way. I called you here because I wanted to invite you."

"In…Invite?"

Then, Delta stared at me with a smile on her face.

"How about this? Would you like to create a rightful world with me?"

"Huh!? What are you saying!! Why should I cooperate with you? You think just because you're a goddess I will trust you? How can I know everything you've just said isn't a lie?"

I screamed with bitterness towards her. However, she replied kindly as if she were my close friend.

"Is the God’s realm a cozy and nice place? What you think is right is not necessarily right in reality. Listen carefully. The ideals of the God’s realm are entirely wrong. And if you don't believe me, you can always ask your precious Zeshia."

This is a tough predicament. I understand where she's getting at but… I'm conflicted. A part of me feels like I should take her hand. What she says does make sense. Someone so righteous as Guilford wouldn't have joined her if there wasn't some truth here. But at the same time, I'm afraid. What if she will cause something horrifying?

"You don't need to give me an answer now. Think about it. And…"

"I don't need to think about it. I already have my answer."

"Hou!?"

"My answer is obviously… HELL NO!

I don't care about your personal situation or if you are my mother. I have a rule. I don't take orders from anyone. Even if it's a God. Scheme and do whatever you want. But if you get in my way and try to ruin what I create… then you better be damn sure I'll stop you."

"I see. You certainly take after me. But it's such a shame. I can't kill you myself, but if getting in my way is truly what you want, then make no mistake, you will feel an agonizing death. As time passes I will only grow stronger, and so will my minions. You will regret your choice one day. But for now… it's time for you to wake up."