On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 96: Yu Il-Shin Seeks Happy Endings

A black aura as thick as tar dripped from the crack in the sky.

Wriggle wriggle!

It coalesced out of thin air like an amorphous slime, soon turning into a giant, hideous face of a woman.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Passersby looked up toward the sky in surprise.

-Kyaaaaah!

The face roared ferociously. It bore the destructive malice of what had once been a great malevolent god, who terrorized all living things.

“Huh?!”

“Eeek!”

At the dawning realization, the citizens weakly fell to the ground, their faces turning grim.

“I-is that an SSS-rank crack?”

S-rank Hunter Ko Sa-Deuk stood and watched in horror as the evil god descended.

Shiver—

Even Lilith, who tearfully cradled Ko Sa-Deuk’s head, trembled pitifully. It could be said that I was the only one unfazed by everything that was going on.

“What did you just call me? A puny Low-tier God?” I was more annoyed than scared.

My innate power appraised her.

-----

[Seductive Nights] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A female. Around for 690,000 years.

Special note: Formerly a god, but now is just a fallen being.

-----

Apparently, she was just a fallen being—a dreg.

“Yet you dare mock me?!”

Roooooar!

My frenzy and bloodlust, which had subsided briefly, returned with vengeance. As if I’d let that dreg of a god disrespect me! I raised my sword.

“Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sword.”

Even though Demon Lord wasn’t around and I hadn’t shared skill with Sword Demon, I didn’t care.

Tzz!

Demonic aura surged through my sword. “Die. Demon Lord’s Descent.”

Within my body, a sword qi manifested, before soaring into the sky. It flew toward the wretched evil god screaming in the night sky.

Slaaaaap!

-Kyaaak...!

Punch! Baaaam!

Seductive Nights exploded into a million pieces.

Hiccup—

I watched the explosion, smiling in satisfaction. But in the next moment, black aura began seeping out of the crack again.

Wriggle wriggle!

Like before, it melded into a head. As it glared menacingly at me, it let out a low, beastly growl.

-Insignificant Low-tier God! I may be like this, but I’m still impervious to your attacks! A high-ranking god! That was who I used to be! One that you wouldn’t even dare to look at!

Then, my stalkers responded.

[Infinite Abundance is worried as Seductive Nights was indeed a notorious malevolent god before getting defeated by the God of Destroyer.]

It seemed that this Seductive Nights wasn’t bluffing.

[Silently Crawling Nightmare asks if you need her help.]

Wow, she sounds so god-like. How unusual. I had beaten her to pulp once, and couldn’t be bothered to do it again. I nodded lightly.

[Silently Crawling Nightmare says that she needs a sacrifice to gain causality for her descent.]

Nightmare replied.

Sacrifice? How many?

[Silently Crawling Nightmare smiles brightly, saying that around ten million humans from Earth should suffice.]

Yeah, I shouldn’t have expected anything from you. Crazy as I was from the malevolent god title, I had no intention of fulfilling her request.

[All-Cutting Heavenly Sword tells you that instead of dealing with that garbage, just kill the old bug.]

Old bug? I glanced briefly at Ko Sa-Deuk, who was still vomiting blood.

Ding!

-----

[Ko Sa-Deuk]

A male. Around for 61 years.

Special note: A medium for Seductive Nights’ descent onto Earth

-----

Was this what All-Cutting was referring to? By killing Ko Sa-Deuk, their causality would be broken, preventing the evil god’s descent.

[All-Cutting Heavenly Sword nodded, letting out a sinister laugh.]

I raised my index finger.

Looking at me pleadingly, Lilith vigorously shook her head.

“Keke.” I merely laughed menacingly as I struck my finger down “Crushing Forefinger of God!”

Crackle!

-Kyaaaak!

As if a gigantic hammer had fallen, Seductive Nights let out a scream as she was being crushed.

I never liked Heavenly Sword’s idea. Why waste my divine power to stop a worthless god, and for my familiar's man? The familiar was mine, and so was everything it possessed.

“No.”

This was a pride issue. Also, I love happy endings, both as a writer and a reader.

Wriggle wriggle!

The pulverized Seductive Nights began regenerating again. I switched the target to the crack from which it emerged.

“Close.”

Considering that my power could toggle something on or off, it should be able to do the trick.

Baaaam!

Divine power surged from my body, closing the crack. It’s working! Just a bit more and... However, claws suddenly emerged from behind it, forcing it open once more.

Crack! Crack!

-Kyaaak!

A horrid skeletal creature, resembling a giant womb, began squeezing itself out through the crack. That was the one I had seen in Lilith’s past, Seductive Nights!

I tried stopping her, but she repelled me with her power. Black blood trickled from the corners of my mouth.

-You knave! Even in my fallen state, no Low-tier God can stop my descent!

Annoying, but true. Our difference in power was too palpable. The malevolent god’s power alone wasn’t enough to stop her descent. However, I was both a malevolent and a benevolent god.

“Equip Benevolent God title, Benevolent Savior.” As I equipped the title, a dazzling light burst from my body, creating an angelic halo above my head.

Unlike when I purified the Yaksha soldiers earlier, the once-white halo was now a strange mix of black and white.

This was the second time I’d equipped both titles. The first one was when I defeated the fire apostle using the Demon Lord’s Pratāpana.

“Ugh!”

Baaam!

Like water and oil, two clashing powers swirled inside me like a vortex, as if trying to dominate each other.

Crunch crunch!

I could hear my bones breaking all over. Quick! I had to unleash all my powers on Seductive Nights before they could destroy me!

“Crushing Forefinger of God!”

Slowly, Seductive Nights crumbled, as if she was put under a heavy-duty press machine.

-Ughhh! H-how did such powers... come from a Low-tier God...! This can’t possibly...!

“Shut up.”

I turned to the half-crushed being, humiliating her in return. “Get lost from my world, scum.”

-Kyaaaaak!

Swoosh!

Now utterly crushed, Seductive Nights was sucked back into the crack. Both disappeared soon after, as if nothing ever happened.

“Haa, haa! Remove all titles!” I felt tremendous pain, as if my entire body was going to break.

Ssss—

I reverted back to my human form, the sensation of omnipotence I felt earlier vanishing. A sense of loss washed over me, like a bird losing its wings. Still, this felt much better. Before, it felt like I wasn’t myself, as if I was in a mental block.

“Y-you... no—what the hell are you...?” the dying old man looked at me, confused.

Instead of answering, I pointed my ring finger at him. His face was etched with fear.

“Healing Ring Finger of God.”

Then, a blinding white light enveloped Ko Sa-Deuk.

[Calculating the causality rate of the healing target: Ko Sa-Deuk...]

[A member of an 8th-ranked lower race. Has potential for transcendence. Might affect the rules between gods and the world.]

Ding!

[You paid 100 Gcoins for the healing.]

Just like that, Ko Sa-Deuk’s wounds disappeared without a trace. “U-unbelievable! Just how...? Even an S-rank healer can’t heal such grievous wounds...”

Lilith leaped toward Ko Sa-Deuk, who was still stunned.

“Aang! Aang!” Lilith frantically rubbed her face against Ko Sa-Deuk, tears of joy and relief streaming down her face.

“W-what? You!” Ko Sa-Deuk reflexively grabbed Lilith, thinking she was a morbid creature. Had he tightened his already firm grip even slightly, she would have been crushed to death. But then, he saw her tearful eyes.

“You... you...! There’s no way, but... are you...?” Ko Sa-Deuk’s voice wavered.

Amidst the confusion, I told him the truth. “Yes. Although her appearance has changed, she is still your wife, Lilith.”

“W-what?” Ko Sa-Deuk was stunned, looking at Lilith in disbelief. “L-Lilith? Is that really you? Really?”

Lilith nodded repeatedly.

“Lily! Lily! You’re finally back! Waaaah! I’ve been waiting for you for so long!”

“Aaaang!”

The couple, parted by death for decades, was finally reunited. A small, cute angel and an old man weathered by the passage of time. Yet to me, who learned of their beginning, they still appeared as a beautiful woman and cheeky young boy.

This was the happy ending I wanted.

Seeing them hugging each other and crying like children made me proud.

Ding!

But then, a message popped up.

[Yu Il-Shin has renamed the angel soldier to Lilith.]

[Angel Soldier Lilith is evolving into Archangel Lilith.]

“What?”

-Yes. Although her appearance has changed, she is still your wife, Lilith.

Did the system think I was bestowing her a name?!

Baaaam! Tzzz!

No, wait!

Immediately, I lost a massive amount of energy. At the same time, a dazzling light began surging from Lilith.

“Ugh!”

Stagger!

My legs buckled. Stopping the evil god’s descent had taken a toll on me, and Lilith’s accidental evolution only added to it! My world spun as I collapsed to the ground.

Plop!

“Huh?! Grandson-in-law! Wake up!”

Amidst my fading consciousness, I could hear Ko Sa-Deuk’s panicked cries.

He still hasn’t given up?! I don’t want to marry a virgin ghost, thank you!

Ding!

God-Maker reacted as I whited out.

[The quest, Mid-tier God Promotion, is currently in progress.]

[To promote to a Mid-tier Benevolent God, you need to have 10 billion followers, or over 100 intelligent beings of S-rank or higher with potential for transcendence.]

[Congratulations. Archangel Lilith and Ko Sa-Deuk have become new followers of Yu Il-Shin.]

[Followers of intelligent beings at S-rank and above with potential for transcendence: 12/100]