Transferring my destiny as the King of the End... to Lady Melusine?
The proposal left Rama in a heavy silence.
Truthfully, he didn't cherish his fate; he was weary of it, pained by it.
Yet, he understood it as a burden he was sworn to shoulder.
When the world called, he answered. He had grown used to the weight, never once daring to imagine a day when he might actually retire.
Instinctively, Rama opened his mouth to warn her of how crushing this responsibility truly was, but then he remembered Melusine's mindset.
As a powerhouse, she was far more mature than he. He swallowed his words.
"I see. I understand," he finally said, giving a calm nod.
Melusine turned her gaze toward Pandora. "Open the 'Gate.' Since there are no more doubts, it's time I finished the final stage of this process."
"Always so impatient, always moving like a whirlwind," Pandora teased.
Despite her words, she was buzzing with anticipation; this felt like the beginning of the end.
With a sweep of her arm, the 'grey' shroud before them began to thin.
In the Netherworld, travel wasn't merely a matter of footsteps—it was a journey of the spirit.
One only needed to visualize the destination to arrive in a heartbeat.
However, there were certain [Forbidden Lands/Sanctuaries] that could not be reached by instant manifestation. To enter such places, one had to warp nearby and trek across the earth just like in the living world.
Yet, once the method of entry was mastered, even a sanctuary was only a blink away.
As the grey mist vanished completely, a vast, borderless 'carpet' rolled out before them.
It seemed to stretch into eternity, vibrant with colors so vivid they defied description. Multicolored threads wove into geometric patterns—endless, shifting designs where no two were alike.
A tapestry of a thousand hues, woven across infinity.
This was Destiny itself.
Only a deity of Fate possessed the Authority to manipulate these 'fabrics,' weaving them into whatever shape they desired. As the trio stepped into this domain, the God of Destiny was forced to manifest.
The Divine Sword of Salvation shot from Rama's hand, and following its trajectory, the three of them spotted a young girl.
She looked to be no more than seven or eight years old, completely nude, with shoulder-length blonde hair and skin as pale as porcelain.
She caught the world's strongest Steel without a hint of emotion.
With a face devoid of joy or sorrow, she raised the blade against them. White lightning crackled behind her, coalescing into a Platinum Star identical to Rama's own.
Melusine's identity as a Dragon-Serpent was no secret. From any perspective, this ultimate Steel was the greatest hope for neutralizing her.
Seeing this, Rama's eyes narrowed.
"My former protector, the one who pushes the wheels of fate... that sword was granted the name of Salvation because it belongs to me, Ramachandra. It is true that you have used it for many years, but... that does not mean you can steal it!"
As he spoke, the divine blade in the girl's hand moved of its own accord. It flew toward Rama like a bolt of lightning, plunging itself firmly into the woven fabric of the floor.
Witnessing this clumsy, embarrassing display, Pandora flashed a gentle smile, though her words were sharp enough to draw blood. "Now you have nowhere left to run. Not that there was an escape route to begin with—after all, we have the beautiful and powerful Melusine on our side!"
The God of Destiny remained impassive in the face of the taunt, her misty eyes fixed solely on Melusine.
"The Pulse of the Star, Albion. Our positions are not in opposition," the deity spoke.
"Realizing you can't win, so you're trying to talk your way out of it?" Pandora's voice was uncharacteristically cold, her usual bubbly energy replaced by a biting cynicism.
It was only natural.
They had been adversaries for thousands of years.
To Pandora, the God of Destiny's current state was pathetic.
When things were calm or when she held the advantage, she sat up here in silence, looking down on all life and pulling strings with casual arrogance.
Only now, with her door kicked down, did she suddenly find her voice.
Both Rama and Pandora knew well that the God of Destiny was not a combat-oriented deity.
Rama may have been empowered by her to the point of easily slaughtering Campiones, but in terms of raw individual strength, she would likely struggle against a single Godslayer.
And Melusine? She was a monster far more terrifying than any Campione, or even the King of the End.
None of the God of Destiny's cards could be played against her.
Ignoring Pandora, the deity continued, "Your goal is the preservation of the planet and the ley lines. My goal is the balance of the world. There is no conflict between us."
Fearing Melusine might not follow, she explained further, "The existence of Campiones is a blight upon the world. Whether it is the destruction of the Earth or the erosion of the ley lines, they must be corrected and stopped. Rather than me, your true enemy should be the Usurping Witch who creates them."
Pandora nearly laughed at the sheer audacity. "If you stopped manipulating and 'guiding' the fates of all living things, I wouldn't have to keep creating Campiones."
But that was an impossibility. If the God of Destiny did not control and weave fate, her existence would lose all meaning—even if that meaning was one she had invented for herself.
"The God of Destiny only needs to sit on high and look down on everyone," Pandora remarked. "Just as Prince Rama said, instead of calling you a Goddess of Fate, it's more accurate to call you the 'Pusher of Destiny'!"
The 'Pusher of Destiny'—a title Rama had blurted out, and one Pandora immediately found fitting.
Melusine felt much the same. In the world of commerce or elsewhere, the concept of an 'Invisible Hand' might be abstract or obscure.
But here, in the realm of fate, that 'hand' was all too literal. Everything had been pushed according to the script the Goddess desired.
However, the God of Destiny clearly couldn't grasp any other way of being.
As a being meant to manipulate fate, what else was she supposed to do?
If someone like Eblana were standing here, perhaps they could have sat down for tea, shared a friendly chat, and then sent the Goddess on her way.
But Melusine wasn't interested in any of that.
Words were useless.
Before the God of Destiny could even process a response, Melusine was already in her space.
The searing heat of Arondight flashed across the Goddess's throat. Her form, along with every single thread in the vast domain of fate, erupted into a roaring inferno.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.