Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

Even if her physical power wasn't enough to truly materialize this being, this status and existence were no longer something she could desecrate. No, it was precisely because her physical power was unworthy of his status that this terrible misalignment was created!

Even so, its power is only insufficient relative to its rank. Since it is enough to wield the power of such a terrifying abomination, if it were used to deal with her, the goddess of discord, Eris—

"You talk too much nonsense," Tsugumi chuckled in a low voice.

"You want me to be afraid of your mother? Just because you're a goddess from Greek mythology? Just because you're Nyx's daughter?"

"To survive in this world, you need power and connections!"

"My boss is the lord of ten thousand armies, what side are you on?!"

"Gah!!!" Eris let out a rough, shrill cry like a raven, trying to escape this doomsday place, but it was clearly too late.

The Crimson King swung his rusty chains, binding the goddess who was trying to escape and dragging her into the crimson ocean!

938>>>>

"You enjoy endlessly toying with others? Coincidentally, I do too, but I enjoy toying with self-proclaimed noble goddesses like yourself even more. Come, play along. I will make you experience unimaginable pain and torment over countless years..."

"Don't you pride yourself on being a noble god devoid of humanity? Then I suppose you have nothing to fear..."

“I will fill your body with worms, I will fill your nerves with pain, I will steal your power, I will tear your divinity apart, I will corrupt you, I will make you enjoy endless experiences.”

Eris, swallowed by the crimson tide, let out a short scream. She mobilized her divine power to fight back, but was easily suppressed by Tsurugi. Perhaps they were not important parts of each other's mythology, but it seems that the Abrahamic pantheon is still more prestigious than the Olympian pantheon.

Having been forced to foresee the endless torment that his spirituality would bring him, Eris began to plead and threaten him, which only made Tsurugi mock him more and despise this so-called divinity even more!

Ultimately, what are those who constantly talk about divinity and humanity, and who think that a god who shows humanity isn't a god? A god-man?

Whether it's divinity or humanity, it's just a name, a state. I can pick up something at will, and I can put it down at will. If one insists that to be a noble being one should stay away from everything human, then in the eyes of such a person, the closest thing to the divine should be the stone on the ground.

So he dragged this goddess of discord into his crimson tide, and began to ravage, torment, and destroy everything she was proud of.

At that very moment, a patch of darkness suddenly appeared in the void and chaos of the world. It was born from the instant the world was created, a symbol representing night.

It parted the crimson waves, and Eris, wretchedly devoured, looked at her and let out a cry of surprise.

"Mother, Mother, save me!!!"

Dongjiang tilted his head, looking at the quiet and deep night. Ah, great Nyx, lady of the night, a great goddess whom even Zeus had to respect.

So what if they call in reinforcements? Who's afraid of who!

Without hesitation, Tsurugi pulled out his horn and blew it with all his might!

In an instant, brilliant holy light, accompanied by the song of rumors, pierced the darkness beyond the world, and amidst the countless surging rays of light, one majestic figure after another descended upon this place!

Without hesitation, they pierced the darkness, tearing apart the night that descended from Nyx's skirt, dispelling the primordial darkness with song, light, and flame.

Tsurugi, somewhat unaccustomed to the situation, stepped aside. He didn't bother paying attention to these things, but instead admired the Goddess of Discord, who looked blank and incredulous amidst his crimson tide.

"How is that possible? You are the demon of that one God's world? But how can you wield the power of Heaven? Why would an angel stand on the side of the devil?"

"Perhaps it's because heretics are more despicable than heretics?" Tsurugi joked.

"Of course, it's also possible that it's because I'm just that popular?"

The hem of night faded with a sigh, taking away Eros's last hope. The radiance of heaven followed suit, but before they left, they returned an evolved, consecrated soul to Tsurugi.

"—The Lord Himself blessed his proud soul, and from this day forward, no heretics will be able to obstruct his path."

Tsugumi smiled and waved as a thank you, then looked at the trembling Goddess of Discord and smiled.

"Oh, don't make that face. I haven't tormented a real goddess yet."

“I know, Lucifer said, that it is impossible for me to truly kill a mythical being engraved in all the heavens and the myriad worlds. You will eventually be resurrected in your myth, but you at that time will not be the same as you now, and before that time—we will have a long, almost infinite period of time to pass.”

The Goddess of Discord let out a final, hasty, and desperate cry before being completely swallowed by crimson.

And someone's soul, escorted by the river, returned to his promised land.

......

"I am back."

Carrying the corn chips and potato chips he had just bought, Subaru hesitated for a moment before stepping into the house and speaking.

"Welcome back," the mother greeted gently from the doorway.

Subaru blinked, then lowered his head with a somewhat dazed expression and went back to his room, lying on the bed in a daze.

Was it all just a dream? Emilia, the story of another world, and everything else...

He couldn't confirm any of it, because the memories were so real, yet some parts were as blurry as a dream. Just as he remembered facing countless cycles of death before finally standing before that door, he couldn't recall the pain involved.

938>>>>>>

It was precisely this memory, both real and unreal, that made him so anxious and insecure...

Is it all just because he's gone mad? Mom, I can't tell, I can't tell!

But—there is at least one thing that must be done.

Natsuki Subaru sat up in bed, walked out of his room, went to his parents, and hugged them.

"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom."

"What's wrong all of a sudden?" His father took off his glasses and looked at him curiously. Subaru was silent for a moment, then smiled and said...

"It's nothing, I just figured some things out, anyway—"

"Dad, Mom, if one day we never see each other again, I hope you will say good morning, good afternoon, and good night."

"You brat, you've been watching too many movies!"

His father chuckled and playfully patted him on the head. Subaru smiled, his eyes narrowing, and then went back to his room.

He collapsed onto the bed, breathing softly, then choked back sobs. He didn't want it all to be a dream, yet he also hoped that what he was experiencing now wasn't a dream; this feeling of uncertainty and uncertainty made his heart pound.

This stirring of emotion compelled him to call out that name almost instinctively.

"...Tsugumi?"

"Your father is here!" A voice suddenly rang out from inside the room.

Subaru suddenly sat up straight, looked at Tsugumi who was smiling and waving at him, opened his mouth slightly, and then slapped himself hard.

It's not a dream...it's not a dream...That's wonderful, wonderful!!!

"Everything has settled down." Tsugumi said with a smile, looking at the excited Natsuki Subaru.

"You don't need to worry about the mastermind or the truth. Just know that you and I have already completed this game."

"You have already received your reward, but obviously, I am not the kind of person who would create a dream ending like this, so you have a second reward."

His finger gently touched Subaru's forehead, bestowing upon him a mark—a symbol that allowed him to freely travel between these two worlds.

"That world isn't a dream for you, it's a real place. Your lover, your friends, your career are there too. So, oh—there's no need to go back to reality and then never be able to go back there~~~"

Tsugumi has basically finished dealing with things in that world.

He placed Satella's soul into the prepared body, separated Emilia from her, threw the half-dead soul of Puck back into the body, and then resurrected Echidna and the witches as promised.

Well—it's hard to say whether the latter two are good or bad, but overall, Tsurugi didn't break her promise.

Emilia's hometown was also unsealed, and all the elves were safe and sound, though the destruction of their homeland was another matter entirely.

There are many other things as well, but in short, those are matters for Subaru Natsuki, not for this devil.

and so--

"Our contract ends here, Subaru." Tsugumi looked at the boy and said with a smile.

"But this doesn't mean we're separated forever. If you have time, you can look for me. As for how, just go to any church—you'll know how to call me."

"Oh, of course, don't make noise for no reason, and you'd better not go to the Vatican if you want to remain a normal high school student."

Natsuki Subaru opened his mouth, stammering a little. This perfect ending was just too abrupt for him.

After all, logically speaking, he should have experienced being killed by some axe king hundreds of times, then being ambushed, sealed away—and so on and so forth in the plot before he could possibly have a less than happy ending.

But Tsugumi's deus ex machina brought about the sudden arrival of the final boss, thus ending this long process.

Screw iAngTV, let's give our blessings to this wonderful other world!

Tsugumi isn't good at saying goodbye, so—

See you again sometime, bye-bye~~~~

Tsugumi nodded slightly to Subaru Natsuki, then smiled and left.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I gave Subaru Natsuki a happy ending and wrapped up the story. The editor should be at work today, so let's see if we can discuss whether the lockdown can be lifted.

Regarding the issue of unblocking posts, I'll update later today.

I talked to the editor for a long time. Basically, I need to work on a lot of the initial content before I can see if it passes review. So I have to work on it overnight (I've been working on it all day, my head hurts). I'll see if it passes today, probably by noon at the earliest. If not, I'll just publish it after 3 pm. Of all the books out there, it's me, someone completely unrelated to this, who's been hit. Subscriptions are plummeting, I can't take it anymore...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Path to Godhood: Kill, Kill, Kill

A grand reading feast awaits at our book club forum: a vast collection of books and an unparalleled reading experience.

939

Stay tuned to the Life Absorbers, the book club forum, and every update of "Traversing the Heavens, Can You Be Smarter Than Me?"

658. Tsugumi, the God of Conflict (Comments are back!)

[The God of Discord]

'A divine essence derived from Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. Using it will grant you the divine office of the goddess of discord and strife—but you may also become an incarnation of Eris.'

"So, how do you use this thing?" Tsurugi asked, playing with the divine essence in her hand, which resembled a black jade pearl.

"Ultimately, do the gods in Greek mythology possess anything like divinity?"

Although the term "divinity" may seem to originate entirely from modern online novels, especially the concept created by borrowing from the divine power levels in D&D, the earliest version of this term can actually be traced back to the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, in the Tang Dynasty, "divine status" referred only to spiritual character. However, when this term reappeared in the Song Dynasty historical record "Zheng'an Music Chapter," it became a religious term meaning "divine status," referring to the rank, position, and power of a deity.

So this is indeed an ancient term.

But neither of them seems to have any connection with the gods of Greek mythology.

After all, it's widely known that the gods of Greek mythology, because of their respective erotic tales, are famous representatives of 'humanity' in the history of world mythology...