“This way.”

In the hallway, Mrit followed a soldier who is appointed by Naash to accompany him to a room in the castle.

Following him behind, the soldier indifferently looked at Mrit.

‘No matter how I look, this guy doesn’t look that tough. Why did his highness make me look after him?’

The real reason Naash appointed the soldier was not to accompany Mrit but to spy on Mrit. Even though he assessed Mrit, still the doubt in his heart never faded but rather increased.

“Look at his every move. See if you find any weakness of his or anything that might seem suspicious.”

“The intent he released might be because of the long days of fighting. But I can’t get a grasp on his physical capabilities.”

When he held Mrit’s hand, he felt nothing. It was the hand of a normal person with a normal grip, so he doubted Mrit might be hiding something.

And like that, the soldier is now looking after every movement of the man in front of him.

‘That silver hero. He still didn’t give up?’

But Mrit noticed this from the beginning. From when the soldier approached him until now, he had already noticed the daggering eyes scanning him relentlessly. But he still let him be.

After a while, both of them came near a door. The guard then walked ahead and opened the door.

“This is your room. Feel free to call me or anyone nearby if you want anything. The basic necessities are already inside.”

With that, the soldier tried to leave, but Mrit caught him by his shoulder.

“Thank you so much.”

“N-No problem.”

The soldier tried to shake him off but was unable to do so. Mrit then came near his face and whispered in his ears.

“But forgive me. I couldn’t show you anything that you can report to your king.”

Mrit then entered the room leaving behind the speechless soldier outside the door.

Closing the door, Mrit then sat on the bed and drank some water.

“Hmm.... no poison, huh.”

One by one then, Mrit checked everything inside the room but didn’t find anything dangerous. After that, he lay down on the bed.

“Is this my fate now? To work for the one who destroyed mine world.”

Just thinking about it, Mrit’s eyes flared up with rage but Mrit with a sigh negated the rage inside of him.

“I have nothing as of right now. So going against the goddess and this whole world is stupidity now. But it’s not like I will follow her.”

“Just you all wait. I will tear you all apart. This world, for which you abandoned earth, I will make it hell for you all.”

With that in mind, Mrit slept and so, a day in this new, unknown world ended.

***

The next day, the priest accompanied by Mrit arrived at the church of the Goddess.

“Now let’s go and have you get blessed by the Goddess.”

This morning, the priest along with the king came to meet Mrit.

“Mrit, I hope you didn’t face any problems while sleeping here.”

The king tried to be as friendly as possible after getting to know that his little plan was already seen through by Mrit. With a gentle smile, he talked to Mrit.

“No, how would I even have a problem when you sent a soldier to ‘look’ after me and let me rest here? I couldn’t ask for more.”

Mrit politely replied. He knew why the king was acting like that but still let it go. Knowing that pursuing the matter will be useless, Mrit then inquired about their visit.

“By the way, why are you two here?”

“Oh that. I forgot to tell you yesterday, but today you will be getting blessed by the goddess.”

“What’s that?”

The king then gazed at the priest following which the priest started to explain.

“Can you access your status window?”

“That... I haven’t tried that.”

“You will not be able to. The summoned ones cannot activate the status window without the blessing of the goddess.”

“The system of your world differs from ours and so, as the supreme entity who is summoning you, the goddess herself grants you a new status window.”

“But then, what will happen to the previous skills we gained on earth.”

“You will retain them. The system will be upgraded to be used in this world along with some boost to your powers. It will differ person by person depending on their potential.”

“Isn’t this like baptism or whatever was that from our world where you are drowned by force in water?”

Mrit looked at the king and asked.

“At first I also thought so. It is kinda similar but this doesn’t include drowning. The goddess blessing will have greater effects on your status window and power. You too should go and get your blessing.”

“Without it, you will be branded a heretic and non-believer here.”

“Thought so... ”

In a world where a kidnapper is a ruler and everything, this doesn’t seem so new.

And now, they are in front of the church. Following the priest, Mrit entered the church. Entering the church, Mrit, with his eyes, looked around and scanned the nook and cranny of the church but found nothing dangerous.

Looking at Mrit, the priest laughed mischievously before speaking.

“Found anything dangerous?”

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“...”

But Mrit didn’t reply. Continuing, the priest again spoke.

“Don’t be on guard. This is the church of the benevolent Goddess. You will find nothing that will harm your life.”

“And she is the one who gave you a new life by summoning you here.”

“More like kidnapping me here.”

Even though the priest acted friendly, Mrit still didn’t believe him. On the first day they met and shook hands, he knew this guy was not as innocent as he presents himself.

Being in the body of death, he got to perceive the nature of the individual in front of him more accurately. So he always stayed on guard when he was with the priest.

“You are the first to actually say that. The others, even his highness, the king himself never said we kidnapped him but felt relieved that we saved him.”

“And I am the last, thanks to YOUR goddess.”

“...”

To that answer, the priest didn’t speak further. Even he cannot deny the fact that the world of their heroes got destroyed as they continuously summoned the heroes while leaving the earth on its own.

The priest stopped talking and walked forward.

Looking at his back, Mrit realized that even though the priest is from this world, he has some conscience. If not, then he would have refuted his point by now.

‘This guy is definitely not easy.’

With that in mind, Mrit and the priest walked into the church until they arrived in front of a huge, white door with the picture of the goddess carved on it.

“We have arrived. Now, please enter and get your blessing.”

The door automatically opened, with bright, brilliant light coming out of the room, blinding both of them. Mrit, covering his eyes, asked the priest.

“Will I be able to talk to the goddess of yours?”

“It depends on the goddess itself.”

The priest nonchalantly replied while also covering his eyes.

Hearing the half-hearted reply of the priest, Mrit then took a step inside the room as the light engulfed him, and seconds later, the door got closed, leaving the priest behind.

***

Inside the room, Mrit walked continuously as the blinding light made him unable to look forward.

“Damn this light!!”

He walked for hours and hours, yet he didn’t feel anyone’s presence. He just walked and walked and walked, but there was just no end to it.

“Where the hell is the goddess?”

He neither heard anyone nor sensed anyone there. It was just him and him alone there.

“I guess I should do that, even though I don’t know if it will work.”

A technique he mastered when he was in the body of death.

With this technique, he can perceive any and all beings present within a certain radius. When in his prime, this technique can cover the whole earth, but now in this feeble body, he doesn’t know the limitation of the technique.

“Let’s see what happens. Death Sense!”

Following his voice, a dark aura burst and spread from him, covering the whole room, and then slowly started absorbing the white light. After a while, the bright light faded and its source is now visible.

“Now I can see well, isn’t that correct-”

Turning back, he found the source of light, standing with a shocked expression.

“-Goddess.”

“H-How?”

There stood the goddess, the one he came here to get a blessing from, with a shocked look on her face.

“You mortal. How can you overpower my light?”

Many times when she met the heroes of the other world to give them the blessing, she played with them for hours like this before making them surrender to her.

Taking pleasure in the weeping and cries of the person, she passes her time. But now, this man in front of him has beaten her in her game.

“I just used a technique of mine, but to be honest.”

Looking at her, Mrit, who had it pent up deep inside of him, the hatred for the fate of his and his world exploded.

“You are just a weak bitch.”

***

“What did you just say, mortal!!”

The goddess, recovering from the shock, was now overflowing with rage. A petty mortal that she saved and is on her mercy is now abusing and challenging her and her authority.

“How dare a rat as you question me, a god?”

The dark aura got overwhelmed by the fierce white aura of the goddess as he looked at Mrit. Mrit, with a calm look, looked at the goddess with a grin.

“I never questioned you. IT is you who is getting angry over something this small.”

Refuting her, Mrit spoke with a voice full of confidence. Even though he didn’t know, he has an inborn skill of a sharp tongue. And now his opponent is a god, who is acting like a certain useless goddess.

“Calling me weak and on top of it, calling me a bitch is a small thing for you? No matter what, I am your savior and you should be kneeling in front of me.”

Controlling her rage, she then tried to show her usual demeanor, the act of a benevolent goddess who saves the weak.

But the man standing in front of him is the one who has surpassed the gods himself. He who has met these kinds of people has gained a sort of immunity to their fake appearance.

“It seems more like a kidnapping to me.”

“Mind your words, mortal. I saved you from the verge of death. If not for me, you would have died from those devils.”

The goddess, with pride, boasted about her act, but this didn’t fit well with our Mrit.

“If you hadn’t ‘kidnapped’ those awakened from our world, our world wouldn’t have been engulfed in chaos. We would have survived”

“But did anyone complain about that?”

“What?”

“You have seen him, right? The silver hero of your world is now a king and a hero in this world. Rained with praises of people and money, he has now accepted his fate and so did the other heroes, too.”

Over time, getting showered with love, affection, money, and status, humans, no matter where they are, get too comfortable. They forget about everything and indulged in the pleasure they are being showered with.

The heroes or the awakened that have faced a countless number of dangers with no reward in return found their long-lost comfort here in this world, and the goddess naturally used them for her own profit.

But no one can explain this to them.

“So, join them and protect this world from the upcoming calamity. In return, I will let you stay or help you rebuild your planet. It will be your choice. So-”

Hovering around Mrit, she rested her chin on his shoulder, waiting for his answer.

“-choose wisely, Mrit, the chosen and the last champion.”

***

“Hah!! Hah!!”

Panting heavily, in an alleyway ran a man hurriedly. Behind him, there were other people too, clad in armor and wielding various weapons running for their life, and tailing them behind was a creature out of the world, the devil.

The creature responsible for the state of the earth it is in now is now chasing them. With sharp fangs and dripping saliva, the devil looked at the puny humans running away from him with a huge grin.

Any onlooker can say it is a fight between a mouse and a cat, with the cat being tolerant, only to devour the mouse after having fun with it.

With heavy steps and a menacing look, he looked at every individual there, only to smile while looking at a single person, his one and only prey and plaything. The people with armor and weapons charged at him and so began a never-ending battle of cat and mouse.

The devil attacked them ferociously. With long claws, he lashed at the individuals. A guy with heavy armor and a shield became his first target, but the guy with perfect timing blocked the devil with his shield as he rejoiced happily, only to have his hopes shatter.

The shield, his long-standing wall, cracked and soon shattered into pieces. His armor, pierced by the hands of the devil, was now soaking in blood as the body of the person now became lifeless.

Plucking out the heart of the guy, the devil looked at others and then continued to ruthlessly kill every single person while taking their hearts out. After killing everyone and collecting their hearts, he came in front of the last one.

“S-Stay away!! D-D-Don’t come near, you monster.”

With fright, he pointed his blade at the devil standing in front of him. The devil took pleasure looking at the frightened human in front of him.

“Keh, keh, kehh... You puny rat! You thought you can escape from me, the great demon general? Now, for the punishment of yours to escape from me...”

Lining the hearts, he plucked and pierced them with a rod making a skewer of them. He then looked at the person in front of him with an evil grin and threw the skewer of hearts at him.

“Choose. Eat the hearts of your team here and get your life spared, or else get your head sliced your heart skewered by the great me.”

For a heinous and cruel choice for life presented by the inhuman monster in front of him, he only had one answer to say.

***

“I choose death.”

Then and now, his answer is one. That time, for the pride of being a human who fought against those devils and survived, and now the pride of being the last living person on the planet which was destroyed.

And the presenters of the choice were both the ones who had a hand in the earth's destruction. Then the devils, who destroyed the peace of earth and now a goddess who, with her summoning, left earth with no one to protect it.

For them, there is only one answer he can give. Lifting his right hand and then lifting his middle finger, he pointed it towards the goddess as he did to the devil.

“Fuck you and your championship, bitch!! You are the destroyer of our earth. Fuck off!!”

“YOU MORTAL!!”

Following his provocation, the goddess, now puffed with rage chanted something, and following her, a large magic circle appeared underneath Mrit.

“You choose death?! So be it. I will send you to the deepest pits of hell where you will beg for your salvation.”

“Hah!! Salvation? I asked for salvation a countless number of times but because of you, nobody answered to that call. Send me anywhere, but I will return and will become your ultimate end.”

“Shut up and die!!”

After her words fell, the magic circle glowed brightly and thus engulfed Mrit, and soon the place became empty, leaving the goddess behind.

The one who came here for a blessing got cursed, and the one who was there to bless got cursed. The wheel of fate has now started to roll forward which will now decide the fate of the awakened, the goddess, Mrit, and both the worlds.

***