My blade pierced the Demon King's heart.
Black blood burst out, splashing across the ruined floor.
His body convulsed once—then crashed down with a sound that echoed far too loudly for a victory.
For a moment, the world was silent.
"We… we did it."
Ryan's voice trembled as he spoke.
"Sera, we finally completed it."
I turned to look at him.
Then my legs gave out.
I collapsed onto the ground, blood spilling from my mouth, warmth spreading across my chest. My vision blurred, the sky above melting into darkness.
That was when I felt it.
A pressure.
No—
killing intent.
The Demon King laughed.
Blades rained down from above.
Countless swords formed in midair, aimed directly at me.
"You idiots," the Demon King spat, his voice hoarse yet triumphant.
"Did you really think you would live?"
"This is your end."
I couldn't move.
My body refused to respond.
I didn't even have the strength to raise my hand.
Then—
"SERA!"
Ryan ran toward me.
"No—stop!" I screamed. "Move! Get away!"
He didn't listen.
He threw himself over me, spreading his arms wide.
The blades fell.
One after another, they pierced his body.
Blood rained down with them.
I tried to push him away, my hands shaking, my strength useless.
"Move… Ryan—!"
He didn't budge.
I felt his weight grow heavier.
His breathing slowed.
Then he looked at me.
And smiled.
"You're really beautiful," he said softly.
The rain of blades stopped.
His body trembled once—then collapsed onto mine.
I gently lowered him to the ground.
He was covered in blood.
Too much blood.
"Ryan… wake up."
My voice cracked.
"You idiot. Wake up. You can't die like this."
He lifted his trembling hand and placed it against my cheek.
"I love you."
Then his eyes lost focus.
Just like that—
He was gone.
I stared at him.
I didn't realize when the tears started falling.
Sadness burned into my chest.
Then anger followed.
Cold. Absolute.
I picked up my sword.
Without hesitation, I sliced the Demon King's neck.
His head rolled across the floor.
Silence.
Then—
A message appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations.]
[You have cleared the Final Quest.]
[Reward: Eligibility to ascend to Godhood.]
Before I could react, light swallowed my vision.
[Transporting to the Hall of Gods.]
Light swallowed everything.
When my vision returned, I was no longer standing on stone soaked with blood.
I was in the Hall of Gods.
The floor was endless glass, reflecting countless worlds layered beneath my feet. Above me, stars rotated slowly, not bound by any sky. Thrones floated in a circular formation—some occupied, some empty, all watching.
No faces.
Only presences.
A voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.
[Final scenario cleared.]
[Candidate - Sera]
Another message followed, colder than the first.
[Choice Available.]
1. Ascend to Godhood
→ Enter the Observation Dimension
→ Gain Authority and Domain
→ Bound by the God System
2. Return as a Normal Human
→ Freed from all Scenarios
→ No further interference by the System
→ World will continue without you
I laughed.
It came out broken.
A normal life?
After everything?
I looked down at my hands.
Still trembling.
Still stained with blood that no longer existed.
Ryan's smile flashed through my mind.
My chest tightened.
Gods watched worlds burn.
They sponsored.
They observed.
They did nothing.
If gods existed…
Then they were also guilty.
"I choose godhood," I said.
My voice didn't shake.
But my heart did.
Not because of revenge.
Not because of hatred.
But because of something heavier.
Regret.
A regret so deep it crushed every other emotion beneath it.
I didn't want power.
I wanted another chance.
I wanted to go back—
to the moment before the blades fell,
before the System laughed,
before I learned what it meant to survive alone.
[Choice Confirmed.]
[Initiating Ascension.]
The blue light surrounding my body—the faint glow of a Player—flickered.
Then faded.
Completely.
For the first time since the System descended,
I felt its grip loosen.
Golden light poured down from above, wrapping around me slowly, reverently. It didn't burn.
It weighed.
Each second felt like eternity pressing itself into my existence and my soul.
I felt something detach.
Mortality.
Limitation.
Fear of time.
Something new replaced it.
Awareness.
I could feel timelines.
Countless branching paths, layered and overlapping, flowing like rivers I could almost touch.
[Player Status Window: Terminated.]
The interface shattered.
In its place, a new window formed—simpler, heavier, undeniable.
[God Window]
Name: Sera
Nickname: Goddess of Time
Domain: Time
Existence Points (EP): 100
Authorities :
• Return to the Past
• Time Loop
The Hall remained silent.
No applause.
No praise.
Only observation.
I stood there, newly ascended, surrounded by gods who had watched my world collapse.
Yet the strongest feeling in my chest wasn't triumph.
It was a single, desperate thought—
If I have time…
I can fix this.
And somewhere beyond the Hall, beyond the System, beyond even the gods—
Time began to move differently for me.
The moment my Domain stabilized—
The Hall reacted.
The stars above slowed.
Several thrones shifted.
Whispers spread through the Observation Dimension, not spoken with mouths but with intent.
"Time…"
"A dangerous authority."
"She didn't inherit it."
"She chose it."
A presence leaned forward.
Not hostile.
Not kind.
Merely ancient.
"Goddess of Time,"
the voice echoed, layered upon itself.
"Do you understand what you have become?"
"I understand enough," I replied.
That was a lie.
The god continued anyway.
"Gods do not rule worlds," the presence said.
"We observe them."
Images unfolded before me—
countless gods watching countless civilizations rise and fall.
"Your duty is simple," another voice added.
"Maintain balance."
"Ensure the Scenarios proceed."
"Prevent collapse caused by irregular variables."
A pause.
"Do not save individuals."
My fingers clenched.
"And our responsibilities?" I asked.
"To sponsor."
"To tempt."
"To guide through probability, not intervention."
Another pause—longer.
"And to accept outcomes."
I understood then.
"What about limits?" I asked quietly.
The Hall darkened.
"You are bound by Existence Points," the first god replied.
A window expanded before me.
[Existence Points Explained]
• EP represents your right to exist as a god
• Using Authorities consumes EP
• When EP reaches zero, godhood collapses
I swallowed.
"How do gods gain EP?"
"Through observation," a voice answered.
"Through sponsorship."
"Through faith."
"Through avatar, the bigger influence they create the more EP we gain"
Silence returned to the Hall.
I looked down at my God Window.
Existence Points: 100
Authority - return to past
I thought of Ryan.
Of the blades.
Of the smile he gave me while dying.
Golden light trembled around me.
"Then we will withdraw," the presence said.
"You may act within your Authority."
One by one—
The thrones faded.
The stars resumed their motion.
The Hall emptied.
I was alone.
For the first time since becoming a god—
No one was watching.
I opened my interface.
[God Window]
Name: Sera
Domain: Time
Existence Points: 100
I didn't hesitate.
[Authority Activated: Return to the Past]
Target: Worldline Origin
Regression Duration: 10 Years
Cost: 100 EP
Warning:
→ Godhood will collapse
→ Observation Privileges revoked
→ Records may be erased
"I don't care," I whispered.
Not to the System.
Not to the gods.
To myself.
[Confirm?]
I pressed YES.
Pain unlike anything I had felt tore through my existence.
Not physical.
Conceptual.
Time folded inward, crushing my awareness, peeling layers of divinity away like skin.
I felt my Domain fracture.
I felt my Authority dissolve.
Golden light shattered.
[Existence Points: 0]
Darkness.
Then—
A sensation.
Cold air.
Gravity.
A heartbeat.
I gasped.
I opened my eyes.
The sky was clear.
No monsters.
No System messages.
Just a quiet world—
Ten years before the end.
Ten years before everything went wrong.
I clenched my fists.
"This time," I whispered, breath shaking,
"I won't let anyone die."
Somewhere far away—
The System had not yet arrived.
And time—
For the first time—
Was on my side.