A familiar white destructive energy engulfed the entire grassy plain, stretching endlessly beyond the horizon. The vastness of it didn't matter to me—not the sheer magnitude of this annihilation. What pierced my heart was the number of innocent lives that would be lost. Countless souls who would never see another dawn. Try as I might, I was only one person, and this expanding dome of devastation was far beyond what I could halt. It grew relentlessly, consuming everything in its path.

The energy passed through me like a scythe through air. For a fleeting moment, there was no pain, just the sensation of overwhelming heat—a brief, eerie stillness before the inevitable agony. Then, a blinding flash seared my vision, followed by a crushing, suffocating pain that filled my entire body, as if my very bones were being shattered from within. I did not scream—I couldn’t. Not because I had grown numb to the pain, but because I had endured so much of it already. The anguish was old, familiar.

I wanted to scream, to cry, to release the torment building inside me. But I couldn’t afford to show weakness, not even to myself. I had taken on the mantle of "Harbinger of Hope," and the weight of it now felt like it would crush me at any moment. My resolve was slipping—on the brink of collapse, like a dam about to give way.

Through the thick, smoldering air, I could no longer see my opponent. Not because I had been blinded—though it felt like my vision teetered on that edge—but because the destruction was so absolute that everything had become nothing but shadows, vague silhouettes flickering in a fog.

Then, amidst the chaos, my gaze found the golden tree in the distance. Its radiant, divine light still cut through the devastation, standing defiant against the destruction. I could no longer hear its voice, the quiet hum of wisdom it once spoke to me, but I knew what it wanted. Yet, I couldn’t allow it to succeed.

"You’ll have to stay under my watch a little longer," I murmured through gritted teeth, each word pulled from my lungs like broken glass. "For both our sakes..."

Suddenly, a sharp, bitter taste filled my mouth—blood. My blood. My vision wavered, and I stumbled, my legs giving way beneath me. I collapsed onto my knees, so close to my goal—mere meters away—but my body refused to obey. Blood pooled in my mouth and spilled from my lips, soaking the grass beneath me.

…

When was the last time I saw my own blood?

Was it before the war?

I could not recall. My body felt so weak, a first for me since I’ve never been defeated in a duel before.

…Why did I hold back? If only I made use of the full power I used to slay the “Abyss” that confined me in its dark embrace, I could’ve won.

Was this mortal the reason? Did I truly hold compassion for those influenced by evil? No, I truly did feel sad for having to kill him. He was an irredeemable boy but that didn’t mean I had to treat him like slaughtered cattle.

No, perhaps I feared what I could’ve done if I let all that power overwhelm my mind. Many horrible things took place the last time I accepted this blessing that It gave me.

…?

It finally dawned on me that I was walking through the mist when the feeling in my legs came back.

Sensing a presence, I lifted my head with difficulty, my eyes meeting the boy.

Ah, those eyes.

Despair. Hopelessness. Fear.

I’ve saved so many people throughout my life but never got used to seeing those eyes. It pulled at my heartstrings—even though said heart was lost in a deal I could not refuse. I could feel my divine power slowly being sucked out of me.

The strength in my body left me at that moment… and I collapsed on my knees.

Is this… the end for me…?

I’ve never reciprocated a kiss with someone I truly loved.

I’ve never even felt the loving touch of a man as he gently caresses my body, only the claws of a tyrant.

My conquest for eliminating evil was my one and only goal ever since I killed the abyss that held me captive. I could not complain and say “I was never given the opportunity to do this”. I had many opportunities, but I chose to sleep for many years as my body was used as a source of food for the only thing I could call an ally in a time when I hated even the gods.

A pain assaulted my chest as the hole in it grew wider at a slow pace.

My eyes met with the boy again. It seemed that he could not move, merely sitting there against the only tree that remained standing, My sword was nowhere to be found but that’s fine. I still had my hands.

I dragged my heavy body towards him. I didn’t notice it before but he was way larger than earlier, and I’m not talking of the fact that he had the body of a male now but how he was closer to my size now. People often mistake me for someone belonging to the Giant Race but a friend of mine is the last remaining giant

Perhaps this is the body that Spirit Assimilation needs to work? I didn’t have much knowledge of it so this could be the case.

The boy gritted his teeth when I put my hands around his neck after straddling him.

Seeing his face made me wonder what kind of expression I was making.

Yes, while I did feel pity for him, my goal was still to kill him.

Could he come back just like before? If fate smiles kindly upon him today then that might be the case but then my efforts would be meaningless. These injuries—which pushed my body to its absolute limit—would’ve all been endured for nothing. Even if I didn’t want to, my resentment to the gods would further increase and a vengeful spirit would be left after my death to kill them all—I didn’t want that.

I vowed to be a harbinger of hope, not become the evil I vow to slay.

Even though it was easy to snap his neck with one hand, I couldn’t put any strength in it. Not because I couldn’t but… because I couldn’t.

“…Why aren’t you killing me? Did you get cold feet after all we’ve been though and all the lives we’ve taken so far?” he glared up at me through his swollen eyes, “Was this fight meaningless to you? You fucking bitch… You wasted my time…!”

He coughed up blood.

“I…”

Before I could respond, I felt something hard poking me from below. I closed my eyes with a sigh when I saw his flushed cheeks.

Getting an erection in this situation is truly brave but it couldn’t be helped since I was straddling him of my own volition.

“I am simply tired… I can feel it, my end is approaching.” I removed my hands from his neck.

“What…?”

“…Every fortnight I am required to go back to the Gardtree so that it can feed on me and keep my blessing alive, which in turn keeps me alive. I was certain I had a full day left before I had to do this.” This was something I had never told anyone before.

My eyes met his while I still sat in that awkward position.

“You have Gederick’s martial spirit—why?”

It was a random question in this kind of situation but my curiosity got the better of me.

“Gederick was someone I admired and watched from afar for a long time. I know how proud he is, so prideful that he’d never give something unless he’s given something in return. Why did he give it to you? What did you offer him…?”

Martial spirits are the pride and joy of every warrior. It was rare to obtain one but once people do, they never allow it to make contracts with others.

Yet the God of War gave it to a mortal?

“I… I feel kind of jealous.” My voice sounded so feeble.

“?”

“He wasn’t just someone I looked up to… He… Well, I shouldn’t be telling this to someone I tried to kill…”

Even right now my body was slowly breaking down. Soon I shall depart this life and yet it felt so peaceful? It felt like my body could simply melt away if I chose to sleep right now. Is this what humans call relaxation? Or perhaps this is what someone on the brink of death feels like.

“…You’re not going to kill me anymore?”

“…”

“I see…” he slumped against the tree, the traces of light through the clouds touching his face. If his condition wasn’t any indication that he was tired then that sigh of his definitely was.

My eyes were drawn to his white hair.

Why did this boy look so much like him?

That handsome face, sharp golden eyes, muscular body that was neither lean or too bulky…

“…What are you doing…?” at his question, I noticed that my hands were about to grip his throat once again. I hurriedly pulled back when I noticed what I was doing.

“…I apologize… It’s just… you looked like someone I once knew.”

“Promethius, right?” he said with a weak smile. Seeing his face this close for the first time made the word “handsome” appear in my mind.

“….” I didn’t have the energy to ask how he knew that so I could only respond with a small, “Yes.”

“Is he… or was he a man you loved?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“You were his wife, right?”

I could not even be surprised by him anymore for knowing this much.

“I suppose you could say I was his wife… But I loved another before, during and after… that relationship.”

“Was this because you had to fulfil the prophecy?”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“….”

I nodded, knowing full well what he meant.

“Even someone as strong as you had a leash around her neck… You were sold off like a slave in an auction when that guy came to the Valkyrie tribe, right?”

“How do you know about the prophecy?”

How did a human know this much? The affairs of the demigods are never revealed to mortals directly by our people. Of course, this isn’t to say many things can be leaked by others who live around our people.

“I’m a player. You probably don’t know what this is but I was someone who helped the creators build everything you see around you.”

“…Stop jesting.”

He shrugged at my remark.

“You said there was someone else you loved. Did your mother—the High Valkyrie at that time—know about this person?”

“….” I climbed off the boy’s lap and sat next to him.

“They knew him personally… My mother was even one of his concubines for a time but had none of his children. That’s how I met him but after he made war his only priority, nearly all his wives left him. Gods commonly have harems of women so they know their husbands won’t be there for all of them since there’s only one of him but his attention wasn’t focused on any of them at all.”

“Right, it’s pretty shitty to not give your wives any attention.”

I could feel him glancing at me even as I gazed over the horizon.

“Was that person you loved Gederick?”

“…”

It felt uncomfortable that he knew so much.

“There’s only one person so obsessed with war that he’d abandon beautiful goddesses. Not hard to come to a conclusion who it is. You said that you’re jealous of me for getting his martial spirit. Could your feelings for him be the reason why you’re feeling that way?"

It sounded like he was teasing me in a smug tone...

“The martial spirit itself is not the issue at hand but the trust he put in you to wield it in battle, is what makes this a valuable gift, something you don’t just give to anyone. Even though I was the one who defeated him in combat... he’s never given me something of equal value.”

I realized it then—what I truly felt when he fled after losing to me.

Anger.

For a pureblood god to be bested by a Valkyrie, a being of demigod blood, was a disgrace. Even in this era, that fact hadn't changed. My anger surged, sudden and overwhelming, like a flood breaking through a dam. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned pale. It wasn’t until the boy’s voice cut through the silence that I snapped back to reality.

“…Wait. You were in love with him, but he wanted to kill you? What kind of love is that?”

“...Love takes on different forms for gods and demigods than it does for mortals. Am I right in assuming that human women lose interest once they discover the man they love despises them?”

“Uh… yeah. I guess that’s pretty common. Sometimes it’s just a crush, not real love. I’m assuming the reason he hates you is jealousy, which most women are turned off by. Some women like it that the guy she loves is motivated to improve himself just because of he’s jealous but… women like that are really rare.”

“Being turned off by jealousy is strange… That’s not how it works in the divine realm. We’re drawn to strength, beauty, and accomplishments. Maybe that’s why, even when someone shows no affection, we pursue them. Procreation is our purpose as living beings—”

"Cut the crap. That's not why you love him. He's lost everything after being kicked out from the divine realm." I could tell he was stifling a laugh.

This is nearly everyone's reactions once they hear how the "God of War" fell from grace. It was utterly pathetic but, as the boy said, I was not attracted to what he achieved throughout his life...

"I know this is a strange question but was he old when you beat him? He was pretty weak when the two of us fought but became an entirely different person at the end. I have a hard time believing you won otherwise.”

He muttered something under his breath that I barely caught:

“There’s no way the gap between level 99 and 100 demigods is that big…”

“...”

“Thought so. And yet, you still like the guy.” His gaze shifted to the side, almost annoyed.

“When I first met him, he was like a washed-up drunkard—no, scratch that. He was one.”

“We’ve crossed paths more than a few times since I awoke from my slumber,” I admitted. I thought back to when I helped the Gardtree cleanse this world of its corruption. “He was... surprised to see me. He left my mother shortly after I became the High Valkyrie—centuries ago—so seeing him like that… It was unexpected. Nearly all our encounters ended up in fights--which he always lost."

“So why didn’t you just tell him that you love him? You’ve had plenty of chances.”

Gederick... His face appeared in my mind. A muscular young man with loose golden hair, a strong jawline, radiant golden eyes and a confident stance when wielding his beloved spear.

My face felt like it was burning up when the memories flooded my mind.

As if I’d become someone else entirely, I buried my face in my hands, confusion swirling inside me.

What is this feeling? My heart raced as his image formed in my mind...

◊◊

“….”

Arnold was watching in utter disbelief that a woman, who was powerful enough to kill thousands of Offspring on her own, was squirming like a school girl next to him.

How did it get to this… They were trying to kill each other just earlier but now they were speaking like old friends. Of course, the pain spreading throughout his body was like a bucket of cold water to show him reality.

He checked her condition earlier and well—

* Condition: Blessing Erosion [Severe]

'She's dying... Did this realization break the constraints keeping her emotions in check?'

Much like sediments that erode over time, either because of wind or water—effectively losing parts of itself—a blessing that isn’t constantly maintained will slowly crumble. This applies only to temporary blessings, which are granted by minor gods like the Wind or Water God on his world.

Looking at the growing hole below Guinevere’s breasts, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say this blessing could be tied to her life in some way since the timing is just too off.

While Arnold was thinking of what to say, Guinevere spoke, her voice lacking all authority from before:

“This is so weird… I’m feeling all sorts of emotions that I’ve never felt in a long time. Why didn’t I feel this way before…?”

She whispered to herself, “Perhaps I would’ve gained the courage to seek out Gederick again if things were different…”

She was probably talking to herself but he answered anyway.

“You were manipulated by the evil you vowed to destroy.” The way he said that probably came off as mockery, “It took away your natural emotions to turn you into a precious tool that will never question its purpose or hesitate to follow orders.”

His gaze turned to the Gardtree that was the only source of light in this world now that the sky went dark. He felt it staring back at him.

He heard an unexpected reply from Guinevere:

“You’re right… The fairies told me a long time ago that I should never stay away for too long but didn’t tell me the reason why. I naturally assumed that… that my life was the price for such power. It’s like an invisible leash that I felt squeezing my neck.”

“…Who did you want to kill with this power?”

He knew full well that she wasn’t at full strength earlier. She was probably way stronger than Arsnoria. That 1 million divine power stat wasn't just for show.

Guinevere’s eyes watched the horizon unblinkingly, as if she froze. Arnold could see a darkness pool within her pupils.

He’d seen those eyes before—the same eyes that stared back at him when he was standing in front of the mirror in the lab.

“…What kind of man was he?” Thinking that the answer was already obvious, he decided to ask a different question.

“…Do you truly intend to listen to the woes of the person who tried to kill you?” she didn’t look at him as she asked that. Maybe she couldn’t because she didn’t want to see what kind of expression he was making or maybe she didn’t want to see the Gardtree in her field of view.

“Listening to your story will fill in a lot of blanks.” He said without a moment’s delay, “I know very little about the past and the people who us humans call heroes. All I know is the future and what the future heroes will be like.”

He heard her chuckle, “I see.”

What was that chuckle for? Well, it sounded kind of cute coming from a woman who looked at old as his mother.

“Humans are redeemable just as they are easy to manipulate.” She began speaking, “Many things go forgotten after hundreds of years if the people who knew about those things are disposed of before they can record their experiences or the records themselves are destroyed.”

“And how many of those people are left today?”

“…I do not know. I only know of myself and another… old friend who can remember what happened in the divine realm a thousand years ago.”

She looked at him finally, “Are you ready to hear about the nine realms’ greatest evil?”