Following the events of that day, Akumo returned to Orario. He arrived at a temple located in the deepest reaches of the city to report on the occurrences at Elsos.
"You have returned, Akumo."
"I have, Fels."
"I am glad you are safe. Truly."
"I appreciate the concern."
Akumo signaled his return with a faint smile toward the figure standing before him.
Step, step—
"Ouranos was also deeply moved by the path you pioneered."
"It wasn't a feat I achieved alone."
"Gods may manifest anew, but partings are never without pain."
"...."
"He asked me to convey his gratitude to you. For bolstering the will of everyone there and for preventing a final farewell."
Fels walked alongside him down the corridor toward Ouranos's throne. Relaying the deity's words, Fels seemed to radiate an aura akin to a smile, perhaps recalling the resonance felt during the report of Akumo's adventure.
"Was there any answer regarding those black monsters?"
"....As you suspected, they are the 'Gods' Nemesis.'"
"The Black Dragon, Antares, and even the Irregulars from the Dungeon? All of them?"
"Indeed. They are specialized monsters that possess an absolute advantage over any power derived from the Gods."
Akumo fell into deep thought at Fels's explanation.
The realization settled in—the quest to subjugate the monsters known as the Gods' Nemesis was far from over. Moreover, he sensed that such Irregulars would only become more prevalent as one descended toward the bottom floor of the Dungeon.
"Well, I suppose it is simply the path I must take?"
"Is this the narrative of heroes?"
"Something like that."
'Antares was formidable, but.... he was pale compared to the despair the Black Dragon radiated.'
Observing Akumo's pensive state, Fels felt a flicker of concern. The brilliant adventure he had just completed was a feat worthy of eternal praise.
Yet, he was still but a single man. She worried whether the weight of his contemplation and the terror inherent in his journey might one day cause him to break.
"Even now, just thinking about the Black Dragon brings a cold sweat to my palms."
".....Are you not afraid?"
"I am. Terribly so."
'However....'
"If my actions can protect someone, then I have to at least try."
Despite the fear, he would move forward once more.
Akumo departed from the temple, with Fels seeing him off. Once he was gone, the atmosphere changed.
Step, step—
"Ouranos. And Loki."
"Oh? Am I not to be greeted as well?"
".....Freya."
"Why did you send him back so soon? I would have liked for Akumo to join the conversation."
"He requires rest. I will not impose a greater burden upon him unnecessarily."
For some reason, Fels looked at Freya with guarded eyes. The Charm radiating from the Goddess of Beauty was pulsing with an intensity Fels had never witnessed before.
"I apologize. I saw a light so blinding I simply couldn't restrain myself...."
"....I assume you saw that spectacle as well?"
"Of course."
'Artemis's Arcanum illuminating the night sky.... and that brilliant radiance that overcame it...!!'
Freya let out a heated breath, reliving the vision of that day.
Even before a massive crescent moon forged from a deity's Arcanum, he had not lost his luster. Instead, he had conjured his own moon to strike down the Gods' Nemesis.
Witnessing that feat, Freya—along with every other God watching the night sky—knew the truth. The mortal who performed such an act had already transcended the framework of a 'child' of the lower world.
'If only that boy belonged to my Familia....'
"Ah...!! Just imagining it is delightful....♡"
"Calling him a 'boy' feels like an insult now...."
'My Ods....♡'
The desire for a partner—a desire Freya thought she had discarded years ago—was surging once again.
The hero who forced her to contemplate the nature of love, the one who saved the world with his own light by slaying a monster that devoured a God.... That was proof enough. His soul was not one that could be bound by the trivial lines separating Heaven and the Lower World.
"Wipe that drool off yer face, ye damn lecher."
"Loki~ and aren't you letting your old personality slip through?"
"Whatever. Akumo is a member o' my Familia, pure and simple."
"And if he were to request a Conversion of his own accord?"
"I'd kill the lot o' ye."
Watching Freya writhe in the ecstasy of Akumo's light, Loki directed a frigid gaze toward her. It was a potent warning not to touch what was hers, and a silent declaration that she, too, had been so moved by his light that she would set aside her usual playful persona.
"You've been charmed by it as well, haven't you? By that light...♡"
".....Shut yer trap."
'There's no way that lad would fall for a lecher's Charm anyway....'
"Just the thought o' ye touchin' him makes me feel sick."
Despite the hostility, Freya remained undeterred. She kept her eyes fixed on the crystal ball displaying the records of that day, making no effort to hide her flushed face or her sweet, heavy breathing.
"The boy is supporting me as well, isn't he?"
"Interpret it however ye like, ye love-starved degenerate...!"
"Is that so? Do you think he'd actually like you if you started rampaging like you did back in Heaven?"
"....!"
Loki's eyes snapped wide at Freya's provocation, staring her down with murderous intent. Freya merely smiled back, her attention half-glued to the crystal ball.
This volatile atmosphere was only quelled by an intervention.
"Both of you, cease this bickering."
".....Ouranos."
"The matter we are about to discuss is a grave secret that must not leave this room. Listen closely, all of you."
"~♪"
"Fine then."
Ouranos signaled Fels to hold up the crystal ball.
"You are both aware that while Gods do not die, certain mortals are subject to reincarnation."
"I already figured Akumo was one o' them, didn't I?"
"It is similar, yet different."
Whirrrrrrrr—!!!!!!!
"What you are about to see are the records engraved within his soul."
'It is the history of their pioneering.'
There were certain individuals.
They were wiser than all others, and stronger than all others.
They were the Kings of the World, the Call of the Beginning.
There were certain individuals.
Those who pioneered a chaotic world at the bidding of the Gods used divine artifacts to elevate their own status.
And soon, they wrote their own legends.
There were certain individuals.
They pacified eras and embraced power of every kind.
To them, the distinction between good and evil was irrelevant.
For no matter the nature of the power, it could never corrupt them.
They ushered in the dawn of a radiant age.
There were certain individuals.
Those who inherited the Age of Heroes, and those who endured eras of upheaval.
Most of them met with tragedy.
Yet, they continued to forge ahead.
Even after losing everything, they ascended to the pinnacle once more.
Truly, they were worthy of the name Hero.
"Ah....♡"
'So this was it....'
"It's so beautiful..."
'A being who stood at the summit across countless eras, pioneering his own path regardless of power, regardless of good or evil.'
"Ods...♡"
Freya was filled with a sense of bliss so profound she felt she might melt. The brilliant chronicles were flashing through her mind.
"....Well, I'll be...."
'I knew he wasn't some stale, boring brat...'
"But this is beyond my wildest dreams...!"
Loki laughed, her body trembling from the resonance surging in her chest.
Just like the days she spent causing mischief in Heaven, the story unfolding before her eyes was thrilling.
Sometimes, like a tale for a trickster.
Sometimes, like a tale for a pioneer, a hero.
For the sake of their own values, they fought, they deceived, and they survived.
The strength that blossomed in that process was the only absolute truth.
Regardless of race, regardless of age, regardless of conviction. Regardless of good or evil.
"What a hell of a story...."
It wasn't merely the fragments of the tale that startled the Goddesses.
Flash—!
""♡!!?""
Shudder—!!
"Kh...!! Was that for real just now?"
"That sensation of being seen through... it's chillingly wonderful♡"
Amidst a galaxy of stars, they saw a single soul shining with absolute confidence.
As they felt that soul looking back at them, both Goddesses could not help but feel a deep, overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
"If I see any more, I won't be able to hold back...."
"Ye've got that right.... that was a lot to take in at once...."
Freya and Loki were forced to stop reading the records to cool their overheated minds. Seeing this, Ouranos gestured, causing the light in the crystal ball to fade.
Crrr-crack!!
"It broke."
"Well, after showin' us somethin' like that, it's only natural."
"Still, I'm quite satisfied~"
As if they had experienced something wonderful, the Gods present gathered their composure with smiles on their lips.
Fels wondered what exactly they had seen within the light of the crystal ball, but she could not read the countless stories contained within.
"Don't try to look too deep, child."
"Freya..."
"If a child who wasn't ready had seen that, they would have likely suffered quite a lot."
Fels was even more confused by the fact that Freya's voice contained neither triumph nor provocation. Ultimately, she pushed the question aside.
For the hero she had witnessed was, even now, continuing to write his heroic tale.