Looking at the familiar but now unfamiliar girl in front of me, I could not help but narrow my eyes with a cold smile.
"… I can't believe you dare to appear before me, Goddess."
[Why? Did you think I would be afraid after your teacher killed Reliel? Don't be naive, Prince. Even if he was a god like me, the difference between us was as vast as the sea itself. I don't need to be afraid of you.
[And even in the unlikely case you have the power to kill me, I came ready, Prince.]
Oh?
Is it so?
[What a shame. These two were truly loyal.] The goddess said while looking at the two crippled old men. [Well, at least they helped me to stall you. That is enough.]
The goddess then looked towards me with an indifferent expression.
[This should be the third time we meet, Prince.]
"It is. However, I'm not happy about meeting you again."
[To be honest, me neither.] The goddess sighed. [You should be angry with me, right?]
"I am." I did not deny it. "After all, you stole the body of my fiancée. I'm thinking about stabbing my sword in your heart, you know?"
[But you will not. Because this is the body of your fiancée.]
"That is the only reason I'm not doing it."
The goddess chuckled softly. She then extended her arm and looked at it, as though she was admiring Clara's body.
[Actually, I don't like this either. But this is unavoidable. You see, boy, gods are not Immortal. Since the moment we become gods, we start to be eroded by the laws of the world until eventually disappear completely, as though we never existed.
[I don't want to disappear. I have lived for so long, and I have achieved so much. Why should I resign myself to death then?]
"Is that the reason you took over my fiancée's body?"
[It is.] The goddess admitted it honestly. [Your fiancée... Her body and soul are very compatible with mine. The compatibility is as high as thirty percent. That is already a lot considering that most souls are vastly different. If I take over her body and soul, I can become a mortal again while keeping my authority as a god, escaping from the erosion of the world's laws momentarily and healing the parts of my soul that have already been eroded. Using this method, I can extend my lifespan for at least half a century.]
"Really, all the gods are the same." I could not help but smile in disdain.
Gods are very exalted, but at the same time, very pitiful. No matter how noble their title sounds, they are nothing more than servants and watchdogs of the world's laws.
Moreover, although in theory, their lifespan is as long as the world itself, the truth is that their souls are constantly eroded until they are assimilated by the world's laws, disappearing from the world.
Most gods don't live longer than one thousand years.
Due to that, gods are always seeking ways to increase their lifespan or trying to break the world's shackles.
And one of the most used methods is the one the Goddess of Order is using now.
I have met many gods that have tried the same, with different degrees of success.
Thus, when I saw the goddess doing the same in front of me, I could only say two words.
"How pitiful…"
[… What do you mean, Prince?]
I did not reply. Instead, I held my sword in my hand and looked at the goddess with a calm smile.
"Goddess, this is your last opportunity. If you return the body to my fiancée, I will not destroy you."
The goddess was startled. But then, she chuckled.
[Is it so? It looks like you think you can defeat me, huh. To be honest, I have always wanted to fight you as well. I want to see how strong you are!]
With a tone filled with killing intent, the goddess released the power inside her body.
[I want to see why you are so confident to face a god!]
And immediately, lightning erupted from her.
With her body as the center, a giant ball of lightning appeared, growing quickly and swallowing everything in its surroundings.
It was as though a second sun appeared! The heat and energy inside the ball of lightning seemed able to incinerate any living being!
[Die, Mortal!] The goddess bellowed.
However, I shook my head calmly.
"Useless."
With a soft wave of my sword, space was cut into two.
The lightning ball was cut into two halves, but it was not the end. My sword then cut the mana holding the lightning together, forcing it to disperse harmlessly.
Then, I brandished my sword again, stabbing towards the goddess.
When the goddess saw her attack being dispersed so easily, her expression changed. But even so, she remained confident.
[Order!] She shouted.
Power was carried through her words, affecting the world in the surroundings and diffusing everything that affected the natural order of the world.
Magic, laws, and skills were canceled by her words, denying the sword attack coming towards her.
At the same time, she summoned a lightning rain that turned into a barrier around her, protecting her from any attack.
However, that was useless against me.
My soul lit up, burning brightly as powerful soul energy filled my sword and countered the goddess's words.
The barrier was penetrated, and the lightning was shrugged aside. It was unable to stop my sword even for an instant.
Under the goddess's stunned eyes, my sword continued unimpeded towards her throat, stopping one millimeter away from her skin.
When the goddess felt the coldness of my sword against her neck, her face turned pale.
[… Impossible.]
"Nothing is impossible, Goddess. You underestimate me."
The goddess fell silent. But one second later, she chuckled.
[Right, I underestimated you. But you underestimated me as well.]
"Oh really?"
[I told you, didn't I? I came ready. Even although I did not think you could defeat me. I made preparations in the case that you were stronger than me.]
Looking straight into my eyes, the goddess put on a confident expression, as though she was sure that she had the upper hand.
[So what if you are stronger than me? You can't kill me. Not when killing me means killing your fiancée. I did not kill her and instead, I joined her soul to mine. If you kill me, she is going to die as well!]
I raised an eyebrow in amusement.
I can imagine the goddess's plan. She is probably going to use my fiancée as a hostage. Then, she is going to propose something like sharing the body with my fiancée and promising not to hurt her. However, her true goal is to devour Clara's soul slowly, stealing her memories so she can feign she is Clara.
In the end, Clara will disappear completely and she will use her memories to fool me into helping her, everything while I still think that Clara is alive.
But–
"I'm not so naive, goddess."
[Huh?]
"Do you think that I don't know what you are planning?" I said with an amused chuckle. "It's so obvious that I could see it from miles away. Plus, I already have a countermeasure against you put in place."
The goddess was stunned.
[You… What are you talking about?]
For some reason, she got the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
I smiled softly and looked straight into her eyes.
"Why don't you see for yourself, Goddess? Clara, it's time for you to eat."
Instantly, the sleeping soul of my fiancée lit up.
A frightening power hidden inside it erupted all of sudden, tearing away the goddess's bindings.
Then, my fiancée's soul attacked the soul of the goddess.
[This!? NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?]
"Devour her, my love," I said to Clara, my words reaching to the soul of my fiancée. "Use the soul of a god to become stronger."
....
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