Chapter 498: The Heavens Shall Fall (XXXIX)

“Ugh…”

I opened my eyes slowly, my head pounding and my body aching from every angle imaginable.

The first thing I noticed was softness beneath my head, something warm and comfortable that smelled faintly of flowers I couldn’t identify.

The second thing I noticed was that I was lying in someone’s lap.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision and found myself staring up at the creator woman’s face.

She was looking down at me with that same entertained expression, one hand resting lightly on my shoulder while the other played absently with a strand of my hair.

『Oh~, you’re finally awake!』

She said with a smile.

『You’ve been out for about ten minutes. That was quite the show you put on down there.』

I tried to sit up, and pain immediately shot through my ribs, making me wince.

『Don’t move too quickly.』

She stated, pressing gently on my shoulder to keep me down.

『Your injuries are healing, but you pushed yourself quite hard in that fight.』

As my awareness expanded beyond just the two of us, I became acutely conscious of the attention we were receiving.

Every single godly figure in the arena was staring at us, and the emotions radiating from them were clear as the sky.

Jealousy.

Pure jealousy mixed with barely suppressed killing intent.

The being made of living fire was crackling more intensely than before, flames dancing with agitation.

The darkness-shrouded figure had its hands clenched on the arms of its throne hard enough that the stone was cracking.

Even the geometry-violating entity had stopped its constant shifting and was focused entirely on where I lay in the creator woman’s lap.

They wanted to kill me.

All of them.

For the simple crime of being where they wished they could be.

I remained calm despite the pressure of their combined attention, my mind already working through the implications of this situation.

If these beings were powerful enough to create and oversee entire universes, and they were all looking at the creator woman with that kind of longing…

Then she was something definitely even beyond them.

I made a decision that was probably going to make things worse, but I was too tired and too annoyed to care about playing it safe.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position despite the pain, ignoring the creator woman’s surprised sound as I moved.

Then, before anyone could react, I reached down and slid my arms under her legs and behind her back, lifting her up in a princess carry.

『Kyaa—!!』

A small sound of genuine surprise escaped her lips, her eyes widening entirely.

The temperature in the arena dropped noticeably as every godly figure leaned forward simultaneously, killing intent now flowing freely.

I ignored them completely.

Instead, I walked the few steps to her massive throne and sat down on it, settling into the seat that was clearly designed for her.

Then I adjusted my hold on her and laid her across my lap, positioning her so her head rested against my chest.

“Grrrr…”

“A mere God… how dare he?!”

The sound of teeth grinding filled the arena, so loud it was almost deafening.

The creator woman stared up at me, her face completely blank and showing no flush or embarrassment, but her eyes held something I couldn’t quite identify.

Surprise, certainly, but also something else.

After a long moment, she shifted slightly, pressing her head more comfortably against my chest and letting out a small, contented sound.

『So bold~』

She murmured quietly, just loud enough for me to hear.

Crack!

More grinding teeth, and I was pretty sure I heard something crack as one of the beings actually broke part of their throne from gripping it too hard.

I looked down at the arena below, then at the assembled gods, meeting their furious gazes with complete calm.

“Can you explain this now?” I asked the creator woman.

She made small circles with her finger on my chest, the gesture almost absent-minded, before she finally started speaking.

『This is the Multiverse Divine Arena』

She stated softly, in a voice… that could even be considered intimate.

『A place where the strongest gods, those who have transcended their own universes and reached a level beyond normal divinity, bring their chosen champions to fight for entertainment.』

Her finger continued tracing patterns on my chest as she spoke.

『The arena was created by me, along with the other gods you see around us. We established the rules, set the boundaries, and maintain the space between spaces that allows it to exist.』

That explained some of the jealousy, but not all of it.

“And you are…?” I prompted, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

…She was the creator of the system, and the system itself stated…

『Their creator, of course.』

She stated simply.

『The creator of everything, actually. These gods, powerful as they are, all originated from me in one way or another. Some directly, some through chains of causation so long and complex that even they’ve forgotten the connection.』

She tilted her head to look up at me, that faint smile returning.

『Which is why they’re so… upset right now. I’ve never allowed any of them this close, never shown this kind of favoritism. And here you are, a mortal who became a god, a Fallen God at that, sitting on my throne with me in your lap.』

The grinding teeth sounds intensified, and I was pretty sure one of the beings had actually started growling.

『Although I haven’t exactly found a warrior to my liking until now. I’ve lost this tournament sixteen times already.』

That made me pause.

“Sixteen times?”

『Mhm~』

She nodded against my chest.

『It became rather embarrassing after a while. The sixteenth time I lost, I decided to do something about it. I paused time in all the other universes and began searching properly for a champion worthy of representing me.』

My mind raced through the implications of that statement.

She’d paused time across multiple universes just to find a fighter for a tournament.

The sheer scale of power that required…

“Why didn’t you just use Chronos?” I asked, unable to keep the slight killing intent out of my voice at the name.

“You created him to be invincible, didn’t you?”

『Ah, but Chronos is like these figures around us』

She explained, gesturing vaguely at the assembled gods.

『He oversees your universe, maintains its fundamental laws and structure. Beings at that level cannot participate as champions. They’re administrators, not fighters.』

“Tsk…”

I clicked my tongue in complete frustration.

She genuinely laughed at that, making her whole body shake slightly against mine.

『Why did you click your tongue, dear?』

She asked, her eyes gleaming with something that might have been mischief.

『After all… you’ve already achieved your revenge, except for killing Chronos himself.』

My entire body went still at those words, my eyes turning cold as I stared down at her.

She laughed again, clearly enjoying my reaction.

『Just because you forcibly made the system sleep doesn’t mean I can’t still track your movements.』

She stated playfully, her finger tapping once against my chest for emphasis.

I didn’t reply.

『However~』

She continued, drawing out the word playfully.

『I’m quite surprised that you managed to kill every single child of Chronos in such a short time. And even without Luna’s or Eleonora’s help. That was… impressive.』

The silence stretched between us as I processed what she’d just said. I tried to be as silent as possible about it…

But I guess… me killing the children of Chronos couldn’t be hidden by the creator itself.

『So you knew about the limitations of your race all along?』

She asked, her voice sounding genuinely curious.y

『The seals, the chains, the restrictions placed on the Fallen God bloodline?』

I still didn’t answer.

『I wonder where you got that information…』

She mused, tilting her head thoughtfully.

『Since in all of your previous reincarnations, you never actually used your race form. You always relied on other methods, other powers, other paths.』

Her eyes fixed on mine with sudden intensity.

『Instead, you were always searching for something else… The Akashic Records. Why is that, I wonder?』

“That’s not your concern,” I said coldly.

Her lips curled up into a wider smile at my response, seeming pleased rather than offended by the rebuff.

『Mm~, keeping secrets even from me? How delightful.』

She shifted in my lap, getting more comfortable, and I heard several more cracks as the watching gods damaged their own thrones from the force of their grips.

Then she snapped her fingers, and the sound echoed across the entire arena with unnatural clarity.

『But we can discuss your mysterious past later.』

She said, her voice returning to that playful tone.

『Right now, we have more immediate concerns.』

The arena floor below began to shift, the crater from the fight of the other two champions repairing itself as new gates started to open on the far side.

『”It’s your turn to fight again, my dear~』

I looked down at her, then at the arena, then back at the assembled gods who were all watching with expressions that ranged from fury to anticipation.

“How many fights?” I asked quietly.

『Oh, just a few more~』

She said cheerfully, which told me absolutely nothing useful.

『Don’t worry, you’re doing wonderfully so far. Just keep winning, and we’ll be fine.』

The gates finished opening, and I heard something massive moving in the darkness beyond them.

Something that made Krathax look small by comparison.

『You might want to put me down now.』

The creator woman said, though she made no move to get up on her own.

『Unless you’d prefer to fight while I’m still in your lap? That could be quite entertaining~』

I stood, carefully setting her back on her throne, and began walking toward the arena floor.

Behind me, I heard her laugh softly.

『Good luck, my sweet champion~”』

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