Everything had burned away.
Within the Domain of Destiny, the vast, infinite tapestry was no more. Now, only a dark void remained.
Fortunately, this realm—which should have been a vacuum of nothingness—still retained the concept of "ground," allowing the three of them to keep their footing for the moment.
"The Weaver of Fate is dead, and the sacrifice for the Circle of Usurpation has been fully accepted." Pandora lifted an object that had appeared in her hand at some point; rather than a ring, it looked more like a shield.
"All the destiny here has been incinerated. What happens now?" Melusine asked, her brow furrowed.
"The concept of fate has existed since the primordial age, born alongside the human race and the human soul," Rama explained on her behalf.
"The goddess we just defeated was responsible for weaving the threads of fate, creating that grand tapestry, but she was not the one who actually manufactured the threads."
As his words fell, a fabric of pure white—distinct from the previous multi-colored, kaleidoscopic threads—suddenly manifested beneath their feet, stretching infinitely into the distant horizon.
"The Weaver who sent me to the mortal realm and her masterwork have been destroyed. However, the tapestry made from the threads of fate will continue to exist. Eventually, another God of Destiny will become the new Weaver and begin a new work."
His voice carried a hint of resignation, but it was overshadowed by a sense of liberation.
"Though, perhaps that kind of future won't come to pass after all." He turned his gaze toward Melusine.
"If Melusine becomes a goddess like the Weaver of Fate, things are going to get properly messy, won't they?" It was impossible for Pandora to be entirely without worry.
The Weaver had been overthrown by Melusine, but who could possibly overthrow Melusine?
Was it even possible for this planet to give birth to an existence more powerful than her?
Still, that was a problem for another day.
Shaking off her heavy thoughts, Pandora flashed a smile once more. "Well then... Melusine, are you ready?"
--+--
"Melusine, you're back."
On the floating island drifting through the cosmos, Athena had reverted to her child form.
Her expressionless face made her emotions even harder to read than in her adult state, but after being together for so long, Melusine could tell she was in a bit of a foul mood.
Freshly returned from the Domain of Destiny, Melusine scanned her surroundings and guessed the reason for Athena's gloom.
"You're that Campione from America."
Seeing the dangerous glint in Melusine's eyes, Annie immediately grew tense.
She didn't harbor any delusions about winning—a "Fool" isn't actually an idiot, after all—but if Melusine wanted a fight, she would still choose to grit her teeth and face it.
She might not be an idiot, but she was still a Campione.
Seeing Melusine's misunderstanding, Athena felt a flicker of warmth at the concern, but she didn't forget to explain: "Guinevere committed suicide."
"Hmm?"
Only then did Melusine remember Guinevere existed.
Following Athena's gaze, she saw a blonde girl kneeling on the ground. Her hands were clasped in prayer before her, but her body was devoid of life.
Neither of them believed she had chosen suicide to escape Melusine's punishment.
Setting aside the fact that Melusine wasn't the type to enjoy torturing people before killing them, death itself wasn't something Guinevere feared.
The more likely reason was that she had forced Rama awake using her Words of Power against his own wishes. Even if Rama didn't hold a grudge, she likely couldn't live with her own act of betrayal.
However... even knowing this, Athena still felt a lingering resentment that the girl hadn't lived to fulfill her promise to Melusine.
Realizing this, Melusine's mood brightened slightly.
She waved it off with indifference. "Forget it. I didn't want to kill her just for the sake of killing her anyway. Since she chose to atone with her life, regardless of the reason, my goal has been achieved."
"As expected of my child, to be so merciful."
At those words, a smile finally graced Athena's usually stoic face.
With their level of power, they could easily summon the Holy Grail, resurrect Guinevere, and kill her all over again. But since Melusine didn't care, Athena wasn't going to press the issue.
To the side, Annie felt like she was sitting on a bed of needles. She wanted to leave, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to.
"What... do you plan to do?" Annie finally couldn't help but ask. "The King of the End has been slain by your hand, hasn't he? What are your intentions now?"
"Intentions?"
Melusine didn't actually care much about this American Campione, but since she asked, it was a good opportunity to use her to relay a message to the world.
She shifted back into her knightly persona. "I have no designs on you, nor this world. If I must say something, I am simply resting in this back garden."
As the avatar of the planet's Ley Lines, her calling Earth her "back garden" was factually accurate.
"However, should this planet require a verdict to be passed upon the Campiones in the future, I will not hesitate to act as judge," Melusine declared.
Her statement was brief, but it was enough for Annie—and the rest of the world—to catch her drift.
To put it simply: the Campiones finally had a supervisor.
In the end, it was just that blunt.
From that day forward, Melusine lived a quiet life with Athena, almost like a pair of shut-ins.
If one didn't know she possessed the power to reshape the heavens and earth, she could easily pass for an ordinary NEET.
The world breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling almost sentimental.
From the current state of affairs, this Dragon of the Ley Lines—this Will of the Planet—was far easier to talk to and get along with than any Campione.
As long as people remained respectful, she didn't even require any resources.
With Uncle Pluto always being elusive and Kusanagi Godou maintaining his low-profile high schooler act, the world suddenly found itself in a state where no Campiones were actively ruling.
While everyone enjoyed the fresh air of freedom, there was an underlying sense of being... unaccustomed to it.
Melusine had no time for the complicated thoughts of people who had been psychologically conditioned by years of divine tyranny.
She had suddenly become a corporate slave.
The world of Campione involved parallel universes.
The job of the King of the End sometimes extended beyond one's own universe to help cull Campiones in others—depending on whether a universe called out for aid and whether the King of the End accepted.
Having taken over the role entirely and striving to be number one on the "approval rating" charts, Melusine worked hard for a week. And then...
After working this long, she decided to check out the distant chat group instead.
[Amber: Is the situation very serious right now?]
[Seia: It's... relatively serious.]
What's this? New people again?
Thinking about how she was about to slack off anyway, Melusine decided to go help the newcomer and score some favors; otherwise, no one would ever take her side in an argument.
[Melusine: What happened? If you need help, I can go.]
[Seia: Well... help is certainly needed, but you probably won't be able to do much.]
[Melusine: Huh? Theoretically, even if I go to another world, I can connect to the planet's Ley Lines. If it's a life form birthed by the planet itself, there's almost no chance they can defeat me.]
[Seia: Hmm... I'm not sure if he was born from the planet, but I guess it's close enough?]
[Melusine: Just give me the name.]
[Seia: God.]
[Melusine: ?]
--+--
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.