Goodbye(?)

'Hey goddess... What do you mean?'

『That might have been a bad way to phrase it, but as I said, I do not exist.』

'Huh? Stop joking...' the goddess sounded serious, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

『I am serious. I ceased to exist long ago. Precisely seven years ago.』

'That's... When I was born?'

『Bingo! When you were born, I just implanted what was left of my consciousness into you.』

'How did you even die in the first place? Aren't you a goddess? And what about that time when you were boasting that you were the third strongest goddess?'

『Goddesses can die too. You could say, I got betrayed by a certain person.』

I couldn't understand. Things were developing too fast for my seven year old brain to keep up with.

『I guess things are developing too fast for your seven year old brain to keep up with. Let me explain.』

Was she an esper? I knew she could read my mind but I was pretty sure that line never came into my mind.

『The gods and goddesses live in a separate realm not much affected by time. Long ago, there only used to be one god, the one they called the Tyrant.』

I realized that was why people were afraid of my title.

『The Tyrant was merciless and slaughtered anyone that didn't submit to him. The same fate awaited the humans.

One day, five of his eleven archangels started a mutiny, caught the Tyrant off guard and sealed him in a faraway realm. This led to a civil war between the rebels and the four loyal archangels in which the loyal faction lost their leader, the Archangel of Life.

Due to the sacrifice of the Archangel of Life, the loyal faction managed to push the rebels into a stalemate. That didn't resolve things however. The rebels had an advantage in numbers and quickly gained support from humans, proclaiming themselves as gods. The loyal ones, unable to protect the Tyrant, came to be known as the Fallen Angels, otherwise the Demon Kings.』

'So you... Are you one of the rebels?'

『Hah? I am... err... was the Archangel of Justice. There is no way I would choose a side that commits injustice.』

'But didn't you say the rebels only turned against the Tyrant to stop his tyranny?'

『Kids these days... Neither of the sides served justice. The story I told you was partly fabricated by the rebels, aka the gods. The true purpose for the rebellion was power. They were afraid of the Tyrant's power.』

Huh?

『In the end, I couldn't choose a side and remained neutral throughout the war along with my brother, the Archangel of Peace. It wasn't for the sake of justice alone, but due to the fact that I was the fourth strongest angel at that time. My participation in the war would greatly impact the balance.

The younger angels loved the Tyrant and didn't want to join the rebels. The loyal ones weren't able to offer protection either due to their disadvantage in numbers.

As time went by, they turned into four great factions. The "Light" faction which consisted of the rebels, the "Tyrant" faction created by what was left of the loyal ones and the "Neutral" faction led by me.』

Gods? Angels? Factions? I could no longer understand anything. All I knew was the affairs between gods were worse than just two countries at war.

'What about the fourth one?'

『It was a faction created by one of the four Pillars of the universe, the Pillar of Flames. It consists of beings that aren't angels or gods but transcend the power of mortals by a lot. The "Flames" consisting of the strongest pyromancers in the universe.』

Now pillars? There were too many beings out of my reach. But I had more questions.

'If you were such a powerful entity that could affect an entire civil war among gods, why were you unable to protect yourself in the end?'

『It isn't a betrayal if the person isn't someone you trust the most. However, I did have a chance. I could have escaped by myself, but that would have put the entire faction at danger. I made a choice, to save you instead.』

'Wait what do you mean by "saving" me?'

That was it. The very reason I agreed to help the goddess.

『I haven't told you yet, have I.』

'...'

『The sacrifice of the Archangel of Life. It was a special feature in the system. When a required amount of souls are sacrificed, it summons a powerful being, known as an Angel of Death. It is better known as a God of Death, Deus Morte. The power of the summoned Deus Morte is directly proportional to the souls supplied. In other words, sacrificing your soul alone would be enough to give me a hard time even back when I was alive.』

'Wait... What does this have to do with saving me?'

『The Deus Morte summoned by the Archangel of Life was different. His power transcended gods. If anyone could destroy him, it would have to be the Tyrant himself. He wasn't what was intended to be summoned. A Deus Morte doesn't possess an ego. However, he did. He naturally received a title of a sin, Greed. That was because all he sought was more power. He attacked both sides indiscriminately, which led to an eventual alliance between the opposing factions. He was ultimately sealed, just like the Tyrant was.

As for you, you were simply livestock. Not just you, there were hundreds of souls, with many of them surpassing the quality of your soul. You were intended as sacrifices to summon him again.』

I was confused. The words from the goddess made me realize that the world I was living in was simply an insignificant landmass under the supervision of a nonexistent goddess.

『You aren't wrong. Without the presence of the Goddess of Justice, this world is but an insignificant landmass. Either factions can enroach upon this world.』

'If all archangels served under the same god, then why is there multiple worlds?'

『I am afraid I cannot answer that. It is knowledge that must be kept within Archangels and higher classes.』

'I have one last question. Why me? You mentioned that there were souls whose quality were superior to mine. Why did you choose me?'

『You could say I rolled a gacha. I rolled for an SS-rank and got an S-rank instead.』

'I can't say anything about it.'

『So, are your questions about history over?』

'Well yes but you still haven't explained all apostle stuff to me!'

『That is the responsibility of crow mask. I suppose there isn't anymore questions then. It's good since I am already out of time. I wanted to have you under my protection for a few more years, at least till you entered puberty. I guess it cannot be helped.』

'Out of time?'

『You are no longer under my protection. In other words, others from the realm of gods can now find you. You should be prepared.』

At that time, I heard the goddess speak in a stern tone. Rather than the usual 'voices in my head' type, this voice echoed like a megaphone.

『Attention to all my apostles. My time has come to an end. The more we delay, the more this world is in danger of being either taken over or destroyed.

This is your last mission from me. Protect white at all costs.』

There was silence for a few moments. And then,

『Goodbye.』

There was no sound. I suddenly felt light. It was as if a huge burden was lifted from me.

『The only reason you agreed to help me was because you wanted to know the cause of your suffering, right?』

It was her voice. But it was much feeble, but rather than being spoken into my mind, the voice reverberated through the air.

『You were destined to meet him before the end.』

There were no more presences. I was left alone. There wasn't a goddess speaking into my head anymore.

I thought to myself. Weren't things developing a bit too quick? I began feeling tired for some reason. I was losing consciousness. I blacked out.

I found myself in a black space. It was pitch black, yet there was light. I could see my own body. Suddenly, a green window appeared in front of me.

『The status effect "Curse of the Archangel of Justice" has been removed.』

Curse?

『Verfying identity of user.』

『Proceeding to read soul data.』

『Data size is too big. Proceeding to move to root.』

『Root Souce: Earth.』

『User has been verified as an otherworlder.』

『Initiating access to the nature...』

『Welcome to Iris.』

Huh?