Chapter 395 - Divine Revelation (2)

Celeste.

Recently, she had been in quite a good mood.

The Kathedal, built for the Sun God, was steadily expanding its influence, and judging by her growing powers, it seemed the deity was drawing closer to this world.

Moreover.

"..."

She now had someone trustworthy by her side.

...She thought of Egostic and quietly smiled.

And so, Celeste was living each day to the fullest.

Although classified as a villain, she had never once considered herself one.

For the sake of this world, she was simply doing her best to conquer it through Kathedal as the Sun God wished, to benefit humanity. Even if there was resistance... it was merely the words of ignorant masses who didn't understand the deeper meaning, so she paid it no mind.

Then came a certain day.

Perhaps due to memories from a few days ago, it was a day when she felt particularly good.

As usual, she was in the prayer room, properly dressed in her priestess robes with her silver hair flowing down. With closed eyes and on her knees, she was offering prayers to the Sun God while lost in various thoughts.

...In truth, faster than anyone else.

She sensed something unusual.

'...What is this?'

Thump. Thump.

Clearly, she had been praying as usual, nothing different.

But the power within her began to surge in rhythm with her heartbeat.

As if announcing that something had arrived.

"Ugh..."

Just as Celeste clutched her head.

Boooooooom

"Urgh...!"

Suddenly, it felt as if something massive had descended into her mind.

And then 'His' voice resonated.

[Greetings, humans.]

And in that moment.

Celeste, the only priestess of His in this world, understood just by hearing the voice.

Ah. This is the voice of God.

The voice of the Sun God whom I've believed in all this time.

And as if to prove her words.

The Sun God slowly continued speaking.

[I am the one who once ruled over you. The being once known as the Sun God. It's good to see you again, my children.]

"Ah...!"

At his words, Celeste momentarily forgot her pain and let out a genuinely joyful exclamation.

It's Him. He has truly come.

He has finally come to save this world.

The one who loves humans and cares for the world. At last.

As she was immersed in such joyful thoughts.

[And in my absence. You have truly, truly...]

[Grown terribly.]

"Ah...?"

She couldn't immediately understand the God's next words.

What, what does that mean?

Haha. Did I mishear?

Before she could even think that.

As if not giving her a chance to escape, the deity continued firmly.

[Lowly beings, let me tell you in advance.]

[I will judge you.]

[From now on, in 1̴̧̩̖͔̟̈̎͆̉̊͝8̶̨̥̯̟͕͎́̍̕0̶̜̞̈̓̅͜͡%̷͉̜̝͉͈̈́̊́͊̌͢͡@̷̢̪̗̞͎̊̊̽͋͝!҈̨̭̰̜̾̍͞, I will descend personally to judge your sins.]

Like a pronouncement, the clear and certain continuation of His words.

The evident anger and killing intent in the voice that spoke of judging everyone.

While Celeste, with her superior solar sensitivity, listened with a dazed expression to all of this.

Finally, His words approached their end.

[So until then, spend your time in atonement and painfully await the coming destruction.]

[Death is all that suits you.]

With those words.

At last, the long message from the Sun God ended.

Thus, the oppressive pressure that had been weighing on her body finally disappeared.

...But Celeste, still collapsed in a corner of the prayer room.

With empty eyes as if her soul had left her, she could only stare into space and mutter with a trembling voice.

"Why...?"

My God, why?

Why. Why are you doing this to us?

Just why, why...?

And as she was thinking this.

"Urgh..."

Once again, she alone felt an immense pressure.

For a moment, wondering if another message was coming, she tensed.

"Huh...?"

To her surprise.

Before her eyes, a sacred white light was blazing brightly as if burning.

And from within it came a voice, much clearer than before.

[My child, Celeste...]

"M-my God...!"

At his words.

Celeste instinctively knelt down and looked up at the light.

The deity.

Had come directly to her, just for her.

If she were her usual self, she would have felt infinite emotion at this.

But having glimpsed the deity's true intentions, only confusion and fear remained in her.

As she looked up at the light with trembling eyes.

Finally, the voice of the deity was heard again.

[You've grown so wonderfully. My most loyal servant.]

"Th-thank you..."

[I have one request for you.]

As if not hearing her words, his message continued indifferently.

But even at this point, she still had hope.

Hope that the deity's earlier words were just a warning, and that he might tell her to take responsibility and control this world.

However, Celeste's expectations...

...were mercilessly shattered by his next words.

[Before I arrive in this world, you must destroy it first.]

[Your objective should be to eliminate as many humans as possible, as many as you can.]

[That power I gave you, it's the ability to make other ability users' powers go berserk and bring them under your control. Use that power to judge this world before I arrive.

"Ah, ah..."

His firm words, leaving no room for objection.

His words forcing her to stain her hands with blood, as she was sinking into deep despair.

...His next words were enough to plunge her into even deeper shock.

[And, this is the most important thing.]

[Eliminate the child of the stars.]

[Somewhere in this world, there is someone with the power of the stars. That one is the most dangerous. Eliminate that one first. Quickly. Understood?]

"Ah..."

At those words, one person immediately came to her mind.

Always smiling, taking care of her by her side, always being there for her.

Clearly, despite having the power of stars, he smiled and said he believed in the Sun God.

And now...

To eliminate him with her own hands...?

Those unbelievable words were enough to bring her back to her senses.

"W-wait. My God! Why on earth..."

[I believe in you, Celeste. Please don't disappoint me.]

But her words were mercilessly cut off by the Sun God's continuing message.

And then, Celeste realized.

"Ah..."

From the beginning, the deity was not listening to her words.

This message was just one-way communication.

Whoooosh

And so, the light disappeared.

Left alone, collapsed in the prayer room.

With empty eyes, she was struggling to process the truths she had just learned.

"Ah..."

Celeste had firmly believed since long ago.

That the Sun God who saved her was surely a benevolent deity, and that someday He would save the world too.

And this belief was strengthened when Egostic found ancient records in the Sun God's ruins showing how benevolently He had ruled the world.

However.

[Your objective should be to eliminate as many humans as possible, as many as you can.]

That clear voice of His.

...It was undoubtedly a voice filled with killing intent.

The deity was different from what she had thought.

He desired not the salvation of the world, but its destruction.

"....."

What should she do now?

Having realized the truth, Celeste sat in a corner of the prayer room with dead eyes, quietly thinking.

She had lived her entire life for the deity alone.

Believing in Him, following only Him. A life lived for the one who had saved her.

But now what should she do?

Should she follow His command to destroy the world?

And if so.

[Eliminate the child of the stars.]

Should she also follow His command to kill Egostic?

'...That. That alone, I cannot do...'

"Ah... sob."

As she was thinking this to herself.

"No, Celeste! Are you alright?"

Footsteps were heard beyond the prayer room door.

Then a familiar voice came from right beside her.

Only then did she turn her head.

...And seeing Egostic, who had rushed to her side as soon as the incident happened, wearing hastily put-on clothes.

Only then could she face reality.

"Ah, E-Egostic..."

Grabbing hold of him as he approached her.

Celeste, sobbing, murmured to him.

"...Egostic, what, what should I do... the God, the deity..."

Celeste was now in a completely broken state.

She had lived looking only to one deity.

The feeling of being completely cast adrift in a vast ocean.

Without anyone to rely on, she had lost her way, not knowing what choice to make.

And within that.

...There might also have been a sense of betrayal that the deity was not the deity she had thought.

As she clung to Egostic, lost in confusion.

"Shh. First, calm down, calm down."

Egostic said with a composed expression.

To him, Celeste opened her mouth with a slightly trembling voice.

"How, how can I calm down...! The deity I've believed in and followed all this time, gave such... such an order. And, sob..."

He told me to kill you...

As she couldn't bring herself to say those words, completely at a loss.

Egostic, calmly.

Standing before her, quietly said.

"Celeste."

"Why did we follow the Sun God?"

...he asked.

"What...?"

And, though Celeste didn't know it at the time.

That moment was when her future fate was decided.