The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"This is a sword I forged myself."

"Nonsense! You're just a human; how could you possibly create a divine artifact!"

"This weapon was forged using the holy sword left behind by the goddess; it is not my achievement alone."

"What nonsense! If we're talking about goddesses, they're everywhere here, and I've never seen anyone who could forge such a weapon." The god didn't believe Vena's words at all.

Since this sword was able to break through the dimensional barrier and arrive at the chessboard of the gods, it means that it possesses the power to slay gods.

"Whether it's true or false, we'll find out soon enough by checking." Another voice chimed in.

At first, Viner thought the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but when she looked over, she was surprised, "Arios?"

“Here, you should call me by my divine name—War.” Arios nodded, acknowledging the greeting.

"Hmph, I'd like to see what you're up to."

The god waved his hand, and a dusty crystal ball flew out from the corner.

Vina had a strange feeling that this crystal ball was the world where the continent of Fodora was located.

"...I never imagined that 'war' would cause such a disgrace to the world."

In just a moment, the god understood the whole story and, as if wanting to publicize Arios's dark history, passed the crystal ball around for the surrounding gods to see.

Arios remained unmoved and waited for the gods to finish reading before speaking: "Compared to these trivial matters, there is something more important: shouldn't we fulfill our original promise?"

“You mean, allow him to become one of us?” another god asked.

“That’s right, we promised to bestow a divine name upon the winner of those two, and I think the name ‘God of Craftsmen’ is quite good,” Arios said.

“Although the two little ones did not directly determine a winner, it is reasonable for them to inherit this promise as their successors,” a deity immediately agreed.

A person with a human body who can forge divine weapons is a rare talent.

"I disagree! The original demand was that only one of them could survive in a life-or-death struggle." The god who had previously questioned Venus vehemently objected.

“Look at that,” Arios pointed behind Him.

Even after taking a hit from "The Star of the Creation of Heaven and Earth," Rimuru was only severely injured. After being kicked by God, he was turned into a pile of mud and was beyond dead.

"You wouldn't deny what you did, would you?" Phoenix God added, seizing the opportunity to deliver the final blow.

"Well, I'm not completely against it, but not now."

Whenever a new god joins the game, the chessboard of the gods must be reopened.

Having already secured victory, He certainly didn't want to waste the favorable situation before Him.

This is also why He was dissatisfied with Venus.

"And what is your opinion?" The crystal ball was passed to the leading deity, who looked at Venus and spoke with a hint of goodwill in his tone, "It has been a long time since any human has been able to come here, and we will respect your opinion."

"He is the god who controls time, so feel free to mention him."

The voice of the Phoenix God resounded in Vena's mind.

"I never said I could definitely do it."

The God of Time shook his head helplessly, clearly having seen through the whispered conversation.

"Becoming a god... is still too far away for me." Vena calmed her thoughts.

Even though he is already the strongest being on the continent of Fodora, second only to the Demon God, he is no more threatening to the gods on the chessboard than an infant in a sheep's womb.

They were willing to listen to Venus's words, partly because they found them novel, and partly because this human had forged a weapon that could threaten them.

Although it was only a threat at the level of nail clippers, it proved Wiener's potential.

"Since you are the god who controls time, could you restore this world to its state before the destruction?"

Vena gazed at the shattered continent within the crystal ball, her voice earnest.

"This is a small matter. Once you become one of us, you'll be able to do it easily," the God of Time replied calmly.

His army did not want Venus to waste this precious opportunity, a chance for a mortal to make a request to the gods.

For humankind, that is the whole world.

But to the high and mighty gods, the world is nothing more than a convenient toy.

Given Wiener's demonstrated talent, it's only a matter of time before he repairs a toy.

“I don’t want them to wait too long,” Wiener admitted.

"But you don't mind waiting a little longer?"

“If each of them waits for one minute, I will owe them ten times or a hundred times more. I can keep that account clear.” Viner said without the slightest hesitation.

The God of Time was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "This is the first time I've ever seen someone understand time like this."

He reached out and tossed the crystal ball back into Vina's arms.

When Wiener looked down, the crystal ball, which had been in a state of disrepair, was now completely renewed.

The mainland has regained its vitality; rivers are rushing, greenery abounds, and everything is thriving.

Those humans who sacrificed themselves because of Rimuru were also reborn because of the time reversal.

"I have granted your wish," the God of Time said. "As a price, you must wait until this game is over before you can officially become one of us."

“I have no objection.” Viner nodded solemnly.

The next moment, his body transformed into starlight and poured into the crystal ball.

As soon as Venus disappeared, a deity spoke up: "Now that he's gone, it's time to continue. Whose turn was it to roll the dice just now?"

"Hmph, of course it's me."

The god who was initially disturbed picked up the dice again and looked at the chessboard.

One glance was enough to make his face turn extremely ugly.

The pieces, which had initially held a favorable position, suddenly became a chaotic mess.

"Who moved the chessboard!" He roared angrily.

"Who else could it be? Didn't you mess up the chess pieces yourself?"

Phoenix God blew on her little hand, saying nonchalantly.

"I--"

The deity wanted to argue, but was interrupted by another person.

“Since the pieces have been shuffled, why don’t we just start over?” Arios suggested.

"Don't try to deny it like this just because you're about to lose, Arios!" the god roared angrily.

"What, you messed up the chessboard yourself, and now you expect everyone else to take responsibility?"

"Given my advantage just now, I should have been declared the winner outright."

"That's not necessarily true. Didn't you just see the possibilities for humanity in desperate situations?"

Although Arios did not explicitly state it, all the gods present had not forgotten Venus, who had single-handedly broken through the space-time rift to arrive at the chessboard.

"I agree to reopen." "Me too."

The situation on the scene was completely in Arios's favor.

"Then let's start over, according to everyone's wishes."

The God of Time unleashed a golden beam of light, enveloping the entire chessboard. Everything on the chessboard was reversing at an astonishing speed.

"Then, please choose your pieces again..."

-----------------

"Vina, please don't disappear, Vena!"

Felix's voice was choked with sobs.

Unlike others who tried to control their emotions, he made no attempt to hide his grief and burst into tears.

Unlike the previous disappearances of Vena and Tilisa in the kingdom, this time even Jessica couldn't detect a trace of Vena's presence, as if she had completely vanished from this world.

Moreover, he was sucked in along with the demon Rimuru.

From any perspective, the odds are against them.

Felix had few friends.

Now, having lost the two most important people in his life at the same time, he cried like a child.

“If I had tried harder to replace Vena—” His voice choked with self-reproach, “I had promised to help Vena destroy the demon god, but I couldn’t help at all.”

Just as his vision was blurred by tears, a familiar voice suddenly rang out: "Cough, what did you say you wanted to replace?"

The atmosphere froze instantly, then exploded into a frenzy.

"Vina!"

Almost simultaneously, the group turned and ran toward the source of the sound.

Before Felix could even wipe away a tear, he found that Venus was already surrounded and there was no room for anyone else to get through.

He chuckled awkwardly and took a step back, secretly relieved.

The best news is to see Vina return safely.

"When has Wiener ever disappointed you?"

Suddenly, Tilisa appeared and gently patted Felix on the shoulder.

"Teacher!"

While Felix was excited, he noticed that the other person seemed to have changed somewhat.

Logically speaking, since Nie Dian Zhana took the brunt of the heart-piercing wound for Vina, Tilisa should not be able to return to human form for a short period of time.

But at this moment, the master seemed completely unaffected.

Tilisa made a shushing gesture.

She had dedicated her entire life to the academy, finally defeating the demon god and entrusting the academy to Jessica. She didn't want to be captured and taken back.

“Vina, you just disappeared without a word, we…”

Lisette burst into tears of joy, unable to utter a complete sentence. Venus gently patted her back, carefully comforting her.

"What about the Demon God?"

Although Vina's appearance reassured Jessica somewhat, she was still worried that the demon would return.

“There’s no need to worry anymore,” Viner said with a slight smile, her tone resolute.

Although he is still only a reserve officer, he has undergone a fundamental change.

Even if ten or a hundred more Rimuru came, they wouldn't pose a threat to him.

Hearing this, Jessica finally felt completely relieved.

She punched Vena in frustration: "If the power of the demon god hadn't exceeded the plan, were you planning to keep this from me forever?"

"I was just afraid of putting pressure on you," Viner said with a forced smile.

“How could I possibly feel pressured because your abilities surpass mine?” Jessica shook her head.

What kept her in the shadows, creating a sense of urgency, was the presence of the Demon God.

Now, this biggest threat has been eliminated by Wiener.

"Since we're already here, why don't we hold the meeting at the academy?" Anna suggested at the opportune moment. "That way, no one will bother us, right?"

"Aren't you in a bit too much of a hurry?" Viner couldn't help but complain.

"It's always better to have the money in your pocket than to be truly secure in these kinds of situations."

Everyone laughed when he said that.

The entire Crystal City began to shake violently, gradually collapsing as if it had lost its support.

Sunlight streamed in through cracks in the walls and ceiling.

.......

It was as if everyone had been in a dream.