Inch by inch, inch by inch.
On Ethan's neck, blue veins bulged wildly.
Looking down at Death, his cobalt-blue eyes burned like torches!
"You fool. In the end, you didn't even understand the basic principles of this magical world."
To love, and to be loved.
It is the most inexplicable, absolute force in this created "fairy tale."
Ethan roared, "If they want to, even Khorne can receive care and warmth—"
Of course.
He was merely a blindingly brilliant little artist and a part-time savior.
"Accept your destined death, Death."
Ethan said, emphasizing every single word.
He suddenly raised his hand and plunged the fierce, black blade deep into the space between Death's brows!
In an instant.
Thick, dark energy erupted from the wound!
It swept across the entire space!
[Aaaaaaargh————!!!!]
Death's furious shriek shattered Ethan's eardrums, causing trickles of blood to ooze from his ears.
But he didn't let go.
The Asura avatar pinned Death's thrashing body down completely. Gathering every ounce of his strength, Ethan drove the black blade further down!
[No, no—It is impossible for Me to fail! I am Death, the one who reigns supreme over all living things—!!!]
"No," Nagini's stern voice rang out. "You have gone astray. Right now, you are nothing but a coward toyed with by power!"
"Remember! Remember the precious past you cast aside!"
Along with her words, a clear, purifying power diffused through the air.
Death's roars gradually faded, and amid the overwhelming black mist, scene after scene began to surface:
A thin, pale, hunchbacked, gloomy young man being punished by his "mother," who was obsessively opposed to magic;
An Obscurus bursting forth, a cursed black fog destroying most of a city;
Rescuing Nagini from being trapped in the circus...
Joining Grindelwald, ultimately betraying Grindelwald, and "dying" from sheer exhaustion...
The tragic life of the man named Credence Barebone, or Aurelius Dumbledore, unfolded before Ethan's eyes.
And then.
Ethan saw the deceased Credence's soul climb into the high heavens, reaching the pure white gate that Ethan himself had once reached.
The Apex Gate that allows one to ascend to a [God]!
But unlike Ethan, Credence chose to accept.
He cast away everything from his past, accepted the power within the gate, and became the darkness that eclipsed the sun and the light—
"Death."
[I cast away my eyes, for I no longer wished to see those miseries and pains]
[I cast away my heart, so my freezing chest would never again be burned by worldly emotions]
[I cast away my brain, and the chaotic thoughts tormenting me finally fell silent]
["I" finally became a "God" who could control my own destiny]
Eerie blue subtitles materialized before Ethan's eyes, as if narrating the innermost feelings Credence once held.
"...No, that isn't called 'autonomy'," Ethan spoke slowly. "Just like a painter who only copies textbook strokes line by line, no matter how gorgeous the canvas is, there is no soul in the brushwork."
"Pain is torment, and torment is grace."
"And moving past all this brings rebirth... Ah, what a truly delightful thing that is~"
"What a pity, you can no longer move forward, Mr. Credence."
Death exhaled a weak breath.
As the dark energy poured out, its face hardened and turned white, beginning to crack gradually like weathered rock.
Credence glanced toward the phantom on the side.
That familiar face finally triggered the remaining beautiful memories within his heart.
He instinctively wanted to reach out, but the only response was his steadily disintegrating body.
...In the beginning, he had merely wanted the power to control his own destiny.
How did he end up becoming a puppet of fate instead?
Perhaps only this guy, whose mind works completely differently from normal people, could break out of this cage of fate.
Credence withdrew his gaze and looked at that radiant, high-spirited face.
His lips trembled as he left his final words in a mocking yet respectful voice:
[So, what about you...]
By killing me, the next God designated by fate will be you, Ethan Vincent!
[Congratulations! You have achieved an unprecedented, unparalleled feat!]
[You have successfully defeated Death]
[Soul fusion increased by 1%]
[99.0% -> 100%]
[Birth of a New God]
Boom———!!!
Death's body collapsed with a thunderous roar!
The eyes, nose, mouth, and face that had turned to stone all shattered into pieces, plunging downward.
Ethan instinctively tried to steady himself, but was suddenly enveloped by a blinding burst of golden light!
"Ugh!"
Ethan's eyes widened, feeling as if his head were about to split open!
A dazzling "Lamp", like a golden crow breaking from its shell, threatened to burst through his forehead and soar into the sky!
"Master!"
Nagini cried out in alarm, reaching out to grab Ethan.
However, that golden radiance was incredibly overbearing and cold, completely banishing her and the other phantoms, locking them out of the light!
Pant, pant, pant!
Ethan stood in the void, arching his back as he gasped heavily for air.
Blinding brilliance erupted from his cobalt-blue eyes!
Crack!
The pitch-black dome shattered.
The wind of the real world blew in, revealing the swirling, ink-blue starry night—which looked even more distorted than Death's mental space.
The Summit of the Alps
The exhausted crowd quickly forced themselves alert, pointing to the sky and shouting in pleasant surprise, "Look! Ethan is out!"
"What a... what a blinding light!" Ron squinted, shouting in shock, "Is Ethan turning into light?!"
In the dim night sky, Ethan looked like a rising sun.
The dazzling light radiated so intensely that it could be seen with absolute clarity not just from the summit of the Alps, but from everywhere else as well!
"Oh my god..." Hermione's eyes widened as she murmured blankly, "This is too breathtaking, too beautiful... Luna?!"
A sharp gasp echoed.
Luna, who had been quietly recovering from her injuries, suddenly dashed out!
Her figure leapt across the snowy mountains, drawn by the cool moonlight, and plunged straight into that ball of golden radiance!
Hogwarts
Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Snape... along with all the students and wizards in the school, poked their heads out of the castle, staring dumbfounded at the suddenly appearing golden "sun".
"W-What's happening now?!"
"Merlin's beard! Did Ethan succeed?!"
"Unbelievable... the wizarding world is truly too spectacular!"
"Ethan succeeded," Dumbledore said. "He has truly achieved something no one before him ever could."
Sirius chimed in, "And I'm afraid part of the reason lies with us."
He clenched his fists and said hoarsely, "When Death attacked earlier, it clearly had a purpose. It seemed to be trying to reverse the 'fate' that Ethan altered."
"In other words, I, Mr. Dumbledore, and the others whom Death wanted to kill—we were supposed to be dead."
If not for Ethan, his false charges would never have been cleared. Even if he had escaped the Ministry of Magic's trial, he would likely be living a life on the run, completely different from now.
"Yes," Lupin nodded. "Without Ethan, I would have carried the werewolf's curse for the rest of my life, never able to appreciate the full moon again."
"Ethan has done too much, far too much for us." Dumbledore let out a long sigh.
The painting of his sister hung right in his room, giving meaning to the very act of coming home.
"Now, Ethan has finally gotten his wish!" Sirius cried out joyfully. "Becoming a God! Ha, A History of Magic will have to be completely rewritten just for him!"
"Long live Ethan! Long live the Light! Woohoo———————!"
However, Dumbledore did not join the celebrations like the others.
He knitted his brows, his aged eyes gazing at the brilliant, radiant scene in the distant sky as he murmured:
"You must return safely, Ethan..."
Because after all, compared to any grand masterpiece, every single one of them cared far more about Ethan himself.