Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 570



The God Who Stitched Together Sin and Skin –

Though differing in type, all saints possess the power to see the future. Some saints see realities yet to be reached, some see their unchanging future selves, and some read the threads of causality.

However, among them, the future seen by the Sky Saint is quite alien.

The Sky Saint, Meiel, enforces the future.

The exact principle is unknown. The saint’s power is all derived from the original saint, so Meiel herself does not fully understand it, and the returner who heard it from another future only knows it vaguely.

However, according to the returner’s memory, the Sky Saint Meiel can ‘choose’ the future at every moment.

A future where Nebida does not exist. A future where Nebida is wounded. A future that continuously deprives Nebida of existence. She wields the power to see the future with pure strength.

Wind, clouds, temperature, light. Unlike the steadfast and unchanging Earth Goddess, all the energies of the ever-changing Sky Deity converge unfavorably towards Nebida. Continuously enforcing the worst possibilities, she brings forth disasters one after another to kill a single person.

Thus, Meiel is overwhelmingly strong among the saints. Originally, saints lack combat power, so they create a direct military force called the Holy Sword Corps for protection. But the Sky Saint is a force capable of facing a nation alone.

If the opponent is a mere existence, Meiel could erase them from this world merely by dreaming.

However, this time, the opponent was not a mere existence.

“Light is fleeting. It fades faster than a single flower.”

A small branch adorned with leaves brushed past the Sky Saint, who was a cluster of light. The branch that dared to touch the saint instantly withered and ignited, but where the leaves had passed, there was clear damage.

The foliage grows by standing on the earth, absorbing light and droplets of water. They transform the grace of the sky into their own lives, becoming predators of light. In that brief moment, the leaves that Nebida had ‘modified’ greedily devoured the light.

Meiel spoke calmly, as if she had expected this.

[Survivor. Knowing that life and death are cyclical, do you still cling to the dead, unable to let go of your regrets?]

“And you as well. Are you not already submitting to a dead harlot?”

—

Nebida scoffed at Meiel and raised her hand. In her thin, sturdy fingers, like an old tree, she held a small twig.

“Is more explanation necessary? My lord is the sovereign, while your lord is the fallen woman who betrayed him. Shouldn’t we compete for power and discern right from wrong in accordance with the natural order?”

[You cannot solve everything with power. The reason the human king has vanished from this land is precisely that. For humanity to truly become noble, we must abandon the logic of strength.]

“No. Your fallen woman betrayed him, and that is why he has disappeared.”

With that, Nebida struck the twig into the ground. A small World Tree. The sapling of the previous World Tree and the foundation of the new World Tree took root and sprouted in an instant.

The light that had filled the surroundings began to fade. The world, once too dazzling to behold, gradually revealed its contours.

I lifted my head. The hole in the forest was being filled again. The pillar of light, which seemed ready to burn everything away, shattered and scattered among the lushly blooming leaves.

The scattered light was directing itself in all directions, causing the mountains and trees to grow even more. This land, bursting with all kinds of flora, resembled a sudden paradise.

“How ridiculous that you, who have driven out the sovereign with something that is not even the logic of power, would say such things. The sovereign will return to this land.”

[…Even so, please do not head towards extremes.]

From all around, grass and caves rushed to swallow the light. Vines, thorns, leaves, and branches stretched out, targeting the light that formed Meiel’s body.

Yet, for some reason, the extending branches and leaves lost their direction at some point and scattered in all directions. It was as if the possibility of reaching Meiel had been eliminated.

Meiel looked at Nebida with unfocused eyes and spoke.

[Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Even though I could kill you all, I choose not to. The world must be beautiful, kind, and sing of love and mercy. There should be no power to destroy humanity.]

“The sovereign does not destroy humanity. She only affirms the purer aspects of humanity.”

[That will ultimately lead to the destruction of humanity. Humanity has already obtained the power to destroy itself. And someone resembling you will pull the trigger towards ruin over trivial emotions.]

“I will ask after we reclaim the sovereign whether that will indeed be the case.”

Nebida smiled as she touched her divine being.

The tree of origin. The power that touched the source of life transformed strength into life. The leaves and branches that had not reached Meiel were now pushed inward, having no space left to evade her.

Regardless of Meiel’s power, the pure lack of space meant that the ‘possibility of the growing vegetation missing Meiel’ had vanished. The forest swelled as if it would explode, and the new shoots had no future left to choose. The once proud Meiel was ultimately invaded by the vegetation. Leaves and thorny vines roughly ravaged and consumed her entire being.

“Next time you come, make sure to come in your true form. That would be the proper respect for the sovereign.”

*

One was the strongest among the saints residing in the Grand Shrine. The other was a symbol of barbarism and a living divine being. There was no place for ordinary people like me to intervene in the battle of these two absolute powers. Instead, I had to find a corner to hide.

The reincarnator wanted to help me escape, but breaking through the rapidly growing green barrier was impossible. I could only create a space for myself with earth magic and druidism.

“Teacher!”

While I struggled against the encroaching vegetation, Rash, who was in a dire situation, approached. Wrapping herself around Calis, she came through the branches and shouted urgently.

“Calis is in danger! If this continues, she might die!”

It was true.

I was the divine being of Tir. The reincarnator was the energy of the void. Rash possessed the power of the immortal. Each of us had a corner to lean on, barely managing to survive amidst the clash of those immense powers.

However, that was only the story of those with power. Calis, an ordinary human, was constantly threatened with death, unlike the other immortals from whom the offering god had withdrawn power. Perhaps Meiel had taken pity, as she avoided being blinded by the light…

—

The air boiled and the trees ignited, while the foliage absorbed the heat and thrived in a world that was far too harsh for ordinary people. I expressed my sorrow as I looked at Kaliss, who had collapsed, branches embedded all over his body.

“Oh dear. How unfortunate.”

“Is that all you have to say?!”

“What can I do? I’m barely hanging on myself. I can’t afford to worry about someone else’s life!”

Rash, feeling anxious, must have wanted to grab anyone and scream, but realizing it would be futile to vent to me, he changed his words.

“Teacher. It’s not just Kaliss. My kin are in danger too! Isn’t there any way?”

“What way could there be? As long as those two are fighting, there’s nothing we can do. We can only pray to survive!”

“Then it’s too late! The God of Offerings has withdrawn his power, and my kin have weakened as well! If this fight doesn’t end soon, I’ll be the only one left!”

Rash shouted as he pushed through the suffocating underbrush. Right now, Nebida and Meiel were locked in a battle, filling the space with their powers. If this continued, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I might truly suffocate on branches.

To survive here as an ordinary person…

“…I think there might be one way to survive. It would only be to survive, though.”

“That’s enough! What is the way?”

“The reason the Immortal’s power has weakened is that the God of Offerings has taken it away, right? So we just need to reverse that.”

“But the God of Offerings has become a tree due to misfortune…!”

“Yes. He has become a tree. But he hasn’t disappeared, has he?”

At my words, Rash widened his eyes and looked at the spot where the God of Offerings had been. The strangely human-like brown tree stood there, unchanged from when it first sprouted.

Even as the sky was torn and the landscape was transformed by the battle between Meiel and Nebida, it remained steadfast. Like an ancient tree that had stood its ground for thousands of years.

“Yes. That fruit is the essence of the God of Offerings, left with only ‘power’ after countless deaths. It’s a fruit shaped from all the flesh scattered across this land. If you eat it… just like the God of Offerings did, if you indulge in it, you could gain the God’s power. Then perhaps the Immortals who have regained their god will have their strength returned.”

“But Kaliss is not an Immortal! Even if I eat that, Kaliss…!”

“True. Kaliss is not an Immortal. Not yet, at least.”

Rash belatedly understood the meaning of my words. For a brief moment, fear flickered across his face. The God of Offerings had survived by borrowing another’s body. How Kaliss would change after taking that power, and what Rash would have to do if he did—he had no way of knowing.

However, one thing was certain: if this continued, Kaliss would die.

“Kaliss! Just hold on a little longer!”

Rash ran while cradling Kaliss. Sharp branches grazed his cheek, but he was grateful for that. At least the branches that pricked him wouldn’t harm Kaliss.

Shaking off the vines that clutched at his arms and legs, Rash climbed toward the tree of the God of Offerings. He trampled the other form of the deity he respected and grasped the fruit with his right hand. As he pulled the fruit with force, crimson juice flowed out like blood.

“Forgive me for feeding you the fruit without asking!”

The unconscious Kaliss did not respond. Rash chewed the fruit himself and then pried open Kaliss’s mouth, pushing it inside.

Thus, the new God of Offerings was born. What would happen to them from here, I did not know.

But one thing was certain: everyone had fulfilled their wishes.

Rash saved his kin and his god, and the Immortals regained their deity. Kaliss obtained a powerful authority that he had not even gained in the military. And on top of that, he gained love—how fortunate he was.

And the offering god survived. I’m not sure if it was in the form it desired.

Now, there’s no need to worry about that side. I should focus on my own affairs.

Just in time, the fight between the two was coming to an end.