Everyone is Guilty

“In the world I promised them, they do not exist. Therefore... I will not tolerate any remaining followers...” Li Yue placed her hand on the Bishop's forehead.

“It seems that of all the records, only that one was true.” The Bishop laughed self-deprecatingly. “It turns out the answer we’ve been seeking was found long ago; we simply never believed it, nor were we willing to believe...”

“That one?”

“The mural we discovered among the underwater ruins... but it doesn't matter now.” He spread his arms, quietly awaiting his end.

“this is my end.” He murmured softly. Li Yue didn't know which passage he was reciting from the Sacred Book they had written themselves. These things were essentially written by gods; Li Yue had never written such things herself. She merely felt a sense of poignancy at the man's piety, but the more pious one was, the more they needed to vanish...

“What is your name?”

“The Martyr, Isaiah.” He whispered softly. His form began to slowly turn to ash, along with the massive divine statue behind him, crumbling into dust and being wiped from this world.

“Whether gods or humans, in the end, it is always ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Li Yue sighed softly. “No one needs to remember us. Our merits and failures—all will vanish from the history of the world. Perhaps only... a few songs will remain.”

Li Yue gazed at the statue that was becoming increasingly clear in her memories. She could even recall the melodies she used to play. These things she wanted to forget at all costs were the very things she could never escape. Everything turned into wind and shadow, chasing after her. All gods had their followers, and all followers carved statues for them.

Which meant that in the near future, she would have to sweep away every last trace of them from this world. So resolute, so cruel, so full of regret...

“Forget it... there is no need to... rush things now. Let everything take its natural course...” Li Yue looked around. The walls, once covered in ancient script, were now riddled with cracks and on the verge of collapse. Every trace of the divine in this cathedral had turned to dust under Li Yue's Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust magic. Perhaps before long, this century-old building would disappear entirely.

“Right... where did Clo go? Why can't I sense her presence anymore?” Li Yue frowned, her expression appearing somewhat anxious. “Is there... hm?”

“Why is there a lingering scent of Chronos... has her magic appeared in ‘this moment’?” Li Yue bit her lip and began to meticulously search her memories for every single existence.

“Do not dwell on memories; for every old friend you remember, you add another layer of sorrow.” Li Yue remembered those words clearly, yet she seemed eternally trapped in her recollections. Losing those memories had been painful, but now that she remembered everything, the agony had only intensified.

If death could end this suffering, she would have no lingering attachments. But she was the God of Death, forever unable to truly die—at least for now, there was no existence capable of killing her. She had to kill the remaining gods, and as for new gods... after the Twilight, no new gods had been born. Even “Destruction” showed no signs of awakening.

A flash of a girl appeared in her mind—an ordinary, beautiful human girl. But that image had been subconsciously ignored by her. Now, the memories that were beginning to clear started to overlap with her current ones.

“How is it possible... how could there be... magic to return to the past?” Li Yue shook her head. “Impossible... it can't be real...”

“The important thing now... is to find her first. As for the reinforcements from the Church, anyone who stands in my way... must die.” Li Yue expanded the range of her domain, clearly sensing the presence of every living being and magical aura in the vicinity.

The “Reversal” spell also manifested within this domain. Everything began to turn into projections, playing back scenes from the past. As a bystander, Li Yue followed the footsteps of the demon hunter into this magnificent and quiet cathedral.

She watched everything around her, her face devoid of emotion.

Everything around her... consisted of the guilty...