Chapter Twenty Nine: In Awe

I left the castle the moment I finished lunch, shifting straight to City 1.
This was where it all began—where Ha’e’rrut’s rampage had first scarred the earth.Now the city lay like a corpse beneath the cold afternoon sky, its lifeless streets whispering of terror and loss.
I remembered every instant of my battle with Ha’e’rrut, the suffocating pressure that crushed my lungs the first time I laid eyes on a god.From that moment, I knew the world—and I—would never be the same.
Since the stadium’s mysterious disappearance at the hands of Mitreanreax, humanity has clung desperately to a single savior: “The Girl in Red.”That title was born from my first fight, when terrified witnesses swore they saw a crimson-clad figure defy a god.It was LV’s idea to disguise myself in her form to bait Ha’e’rrut.Now rallies across the globe chant the name of the girl in red as their last fragile prayer.
Most of City 1’s residents have fled; the few who remain cower in underground facilities, begging unseen powers for mercy.
Is this how humanity will live from now on—like frightened vermin in their own world?
I drifted through the desolate city, encountering only a scattering of hollow-eyed survivors, then finally turned toward the capital.In the beginning, the gods struck only to annihilate humanity, but since I shattered their plans, their focus has sharpened solely on me.
I was preparing to shift when a sudden flare of light erupted before me.
Once, I might have frozen in fear, expecting a god to emerge.But I am no longer the weakling who first stumbled into this war.Now, it feels almost as if I can glimpse the future.
The light warped, rippling like water—then a pair of sparkling white wings unfolded from its core.
An angel descended.
It hovered for a heartbeat of silence before landing gracefully beside me, kneeling with reverent precision.I recognized the messenger immediately: the same angel who once revealed my gift of Telepathy.
Head bowed low, voice soft as moonlight, he spoke:
> “I have once again been sent from heaven as a messenger, bearing a message to you, O great one.”


“Have you come with a revelation… of a new ability?” I asked.
> “………… I’m afraid the heavens can no longer afford that.I am here to reaffirm your title as the God of Conquest, and to inform you that… the end is near.”


Before I could respond, he vanished into the air, leaving only the fading shimmer of his wings.
The end is near…I think I understand what that means.
The heavens can no longer afford that.So—they’ve begun to fear me.Once I was their amusement.Now I am the thorn in their divine throat.
> {After defeating so many gods, they have no choice but to acknowledge you.}


LV’s voice coiled through my mind. I hadn’t even sensed her presence.
> {You wouldn’t have found me anyway. I connected my being to you and took a nap… a deep, long nap.}


Still lazy as ever.
> {No comment to that… but things are about to get serious.}


Yeah… it looks like it.
I shifted back to the capital, to the barren field where the stadium had once stood.Only dust remained, carried on a wind heavy with unanswered questions.
Are they really dead?Even with my expanded knowledge, I still cannot unravel what happened to those Mitreanreax made vanish.It was a normal day, a day like this one—until the world simply… broke.
> {You wanted to come here… is that why you told the others you were meeting a friend?}


Right.Before leaving the castle, Hinata had begged to come with me.I didn’t want him—her—exposed to danger, so I lied: “I’m meeting a friend… I’ll be back soon.” Then I left.
I’d barely started to think about that lie when—
“Yo! Bro!”A familiar voice cut through the silence.
That voice…
“Mint…”
“Yep, that’s me! You don’t know how happy I am that you recognized me.”
> {Is this the friend you were talking about?}


I was about to explain—I only said that to stop Hinata from following me—but Mint grinned, eyes bright.
“I see you’re not scared anymore, like you said before.”
He was only the fiftieth person I’d seen today, counting all of City 1.Dressed head-to-toe in black with a gleaming watch on his wrist, he looked strangely out of place amid the ruins.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m strong. I’ve looked up to you for a long time, and that’s why I trained so hard.”
“I see.”
“Eh!? Did you just talk without moving your mouth? Infinity, you really are a god, aren’t you!?”
> {This is strange…}


What is?
> {I didn’t feel him approaching.}


His aura isn’t strong—that’s why.
> {What if he’s hiding it?}


This is only the second time we’ve met.You think a god would waste time playing games?
Still… my own suspicion simmered.When I first encountered him outside the mall, I hadn’t sensed his presence either.I’d blamed it on weakness, but I can sense even the faintest power now—except his.
Keeping him close would let me watch him carefully. After all, power cancels power.
“Are you talking to someone? You suddenly look serious.”He tilted his head, curious.
“No… it’s nothing.”
He smiled faintly and stepped closer. “Umm, can I ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“I’ve always dreamed of playing a game with my buddy Infinity. Would you play with me at the arcade?”
“Sure.”
He practically bounced with excitement as we headed for the ghostly game center—completely deserted.“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for everything!” he said, grabbing a handful of tokens.
We played game after game until his money finally ran out.“I don’t want you paying when I invited you, so let’s do this again someday,” he said, smiling despite his hundred-to-zero loss.
We left the arcade and wandered near the ruined stadium Dreams, Mint chatting cheerfully about trivial things.Then—
“I have to stop by somewhere. Don’t go home yet, okay?”He offered a quick excuse and hurried back the way we’d come.
Not a minute later, another voice sliced through the air.
“Mind…”
I turned.Hovering above the street, descending with quiet arrogance, was Mind.
“I see you’re doing well after your battle with a middle god,” she said coolly.
“A middle god? The god of heaven isn’t a worthy opponent… for me.”
“Ho~? You know LV can hear you, right?”
> “Leave me out of this, you coward!”


LV burst forth with a yell, then slipped back inside me.
“I’m here to offer you my help,” Mind continued, touching down lightly.
“Help?” I echoed.
“What do you take me for? I’ve been reading your mind forever, you know?”
“I see… I never thought of that.”
“And I’ve witnessed all your battles. You were thinking of a way to give humanity hope before I arrived, weren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
The moment Mint left, I’d begun weighing how to reach the broken masses—how to lift them from despair.That was when she appeared.
“Follow me.”She leapt to the rooftop of a nearby building. I followed, landing beside her.
“So, do you have a plan?” she asked, eyes sharp.
> {Don’t be fooled by what she says.}


Come on, LV. We’ve been best friends forever, haven’t we?
Mind’s voice slid effortlessly into my mind as well.
She’s Mind after all—it’s no surprise she can talk to anything, living or not.
> {Hmph! I don’t know you!}


What is their history? The tension between them crackled like rival storms.
“Why do you want to help us?” I asked.
With a gaze blazing with conviction, she answered,“It’s simple. Unlike LV, I actually love humans.”
I see. That’s reason enough.
Ending the gods’ assaults would revive humanity’s hope—but as things stand, the attacks will only keep coming.Humans must learn to stand strong even amid endless threats.But that… that is the hardest part.
I’d hoped to use Telepathy to reach the world, but the ability isn’t strong enough.
“That’s perfect!!” she burst out, eyes sparkling.“I couldn’t have thought of a better idea myself.”
“What do you mean? I just said it wasn’t strong enough.”
“Just who do you think I am~? I’ll take your thoughts and transmit them to every human—no, every living being on this planet,” she declared, smiling like a queen.
“You’re… kidding, right?”But I knew she wasn’t.
The barrier over Academia was built to trap LV and me, yet Mind can slip through it with ease.And if she can pass through, sending her powers beyond would be effortless.As the god of minds, she can whisper directly into every brain on Earth.It would feel like a dream—inescapable until her message was complete.
She straightened, closing her eyes in deep focus.
> “When you are ready…”


The world sees their hope as the girl in red.I drew a breath and began:
> “Humans of Earth… why do you fear? Why do you cower in your homes? Why have you lost hope… and why do you despair?Why are we humans? Why do we call ourselves human?We may not be the ultimate life form, but we are the complete life form!Haven’t I stood with you? Haven’t I defeated every god that dared to look down on us?In our battle against the gods, humanity must stand strong!The world as we knew it is gone, but our evolution has never abandoned us!We may be outmatched, outclassed, and weak, but our strength lies within our weakness!Humanity has not declined—and we will never decline.Above the angels… above the lower gods… the middle gods… the higher gods… and even above the god of heaven…Humanity will claim its place as the ultimate being!The era of the gods is over. This is the new era of—HUMANITY!!!”


As my words thundered through every mind, Mind used her power to pull every hidden human into the open streets.Life flooded back into the city like a rising tide.
“That was an amazing—” Mind began, but a sudden shout cut her off.
“Infinity! I’ve been searching all over for you!”
Mint.Strange—why was he here already?The transmission had just ended. Shouldn’t he be among the crowds?
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! You call that hope? Humans are truly amusing…”
BADUMP. BADUMP.
A new presence tore the sky apart.A figure hovered above, clutching a limp body in its arms as the heavens themselves began to twist and open.
“MITREANREAX!!!”
I didn’t need anyone to tell me who it was.The god of disappearance glared down at me, wings of distortion unfurling.
I braced to leap skyward when—He dropped the body.
Slowly it fell.And as it descended, recognition struck like a blade.
I opened my arms and caught the lifeless form.Tears burned my eyes.
“Hi… Hi—Hinata…”