"So this is the truth of the world..."
Aomori, unclothed and radiating a purple glow, scanned his surroundings. The previous darkness was gone, replaced by a drifting, ethereal white mist. The earth, the desert, the forest, and the sky had all vanished; as far as the eye could see, there was only dense white fog.
Within the mist floated spheres of light of varying colors and sizes. These spheres were entwined with countless unknown runes. He reached out to touch the nearest dark-black sphere, sensing a familiar surge of rejection and resistance from it.
"The Witch of Envy..."
A flash of understanding dawned upon Aomori as he looked toward the other spheres in the distance. "Roswaal, Beatrice, Elsa, Ram, Rem..."
Among them, the sphere representing Reinhard was the brightest and largest, covered in the most complex and numerous runes.
"Is it the soul, or is it fate?"
With this question in mind, Aomori's body drifted downward, passing through layers of white mist. After a long time, his eyes lit up as he spotted a small, shimmering golden sapling.
"This is..." Aomori sensed an indescribable weight and solemnity from the sapling, as if he were facing an entire world.
"This is the core of the world, the World Tree," a red-haired knight appeared behind Aomori, explaining to him. "It is still growing. When it matures into a towering tree, this world will become even more stable."
Aomori turned and, seeing the man's appearance, asked in confusion, "Reinhard?"
It wasn't the Reinhard of his youth, but his adult self.
"I am not him; I am merely borrowing his appearance. I have never had a physical form, but the children have given me a name: Od Lagna."
"Od Lagna? The source of the world?" Aomori had seen the name in many books.
"You could say that, but the actual source of the world is that." Od Laguna looked at the World Tree sapling with a gentle smile. "I am more like a manager."
"A manager? You don't manage the Witch of Envy and the others; you manage outsiders like me, don't you?" Aomori asked.
"Correct." Od Lagna nodded with a smile. "As long as their actions do not harm the World Tree sapling, I will not intervene. The same applies to you."
"Have you seen many outsiders like me?"
"Since I gained consciousness, you are the second. The first outsider protected the World Tree sapling and is our benefactor. However, he did not stay long and left quickly. I didn't even have the chance to thank him properly."
"What was his name? Perhaps I'll encounter him later and can express your gratitude."
Od Laguna glanced at Aomori and said softly, "His name is Ging. Ging Freecss."
"???!" Hearing that name, a massive wave of shock surged through Aomori's heart. 'Can characters from anime actually leave their own worlds?'
"You know him?"
"I've... heard of him, but never met him." Aomori pondered for a moment, then asked, "You said he protected the World Tree sapling. Who was the enemy? Was there internal chaos?"
"No. Compared to external threats, internal chaos is insignificant."
"What are these external threats?"
"Well, you will find out in the future. Now, you've just made a breakthrough and shouldn't stay in this state for too long. You should return."
With that, Od Lagna gave a gentle wave. Aomori felt an infinite repulsive force act upon his body. Before he could react, his vision blurred, and he found himself back inside the Witch's Shrine.
His head throbbed with a splitting pain, as if he had pulled two consecutive all-nighters. Aomori couldn't help but press his fingers to his temples.
'Overused my Spirit... I've consumed quite a bit of energy and stamina too. Is entering that state really that taxing?'
He glanced at the Witch of Envy within the Sealing Stone and noticed that the surrounding darkness was no longer as restless as before.
"What... did you... just do... to me..." The Witch of Envy's voice was filled with confusion.
'I don't think I did anything? Wait, maybe back then...' Aomori recalled touching the large sphere that represented her. 'I didn't get a chance to ask Od Lagna what the spheres actually signify.'
He lowered his arms, steadied himself, and said, "Sorry, I can't let you out yet, otherwise this world will fall into chaos. Stay here and wait for your knight to come save you."
"Until we meet again." Aomori bowed slightly and flashed away.
A long time passed before a faint, nearly imperceptible voice drifted from the black mist:
"Mm..."
…
After leaving the Witch's Shrine, Aomori immediately released Pidgeot and Darkrai. He climbed onto Pidgeot's back and said, "Darkrai, I'll be relying on you for a while."
Darkrai nodded and transformed into a shadow, slipping into Aomori's own shadow.
"Let's go, Pidgeot. Find a man who looks like a clown; he should be nearby."
"No problem!" Pidgeot's keen eyes scanned the distance and quickly found the target. With a light flap of its wings, it crossed several kilometers in an instant and arrived at Roswaal's side.
Roswaal was currently in combat with a scantily clad girl. Seeing a giant golden bird suddenly swoop down beside him, he was startled. "A flying Witchbeast? No, wait... a spirit."
"Roswaal, get on!" Aomori shouted.
"Understood." Seeing Aomori, Roswaal couldn't help but feel relieved. He dodged Shaula's attack and hurriedly flew onto Pidgeot's back.
"Goodbye, big scorpion!"
"Hey! Don't run away!" Shaula shouted crossly.
Unfortunately, Pidgeot was too fast. She could only watch as the two of them disappeared from sight.
"Whew, at least the seal is fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to see Master." Shaula muttered to herself and returned to the Pleiades Watchtower.
…
"Did you... succeed?"
As the scenery on both sides blurred past, Roswaal gripped the firm feathers beneath him and stared at Aomori, asking the question.
"Yes, I succeeded," Aomori said casually. "But I exchanged a few blows with the Witch of Envy and sustained some injuries. Once I recover, I will fulfill the contract and resurrect your sensei."
"Finally..." Roswaal took a deep breath and nodded. "No problem. Go and recover. If you have any requirements, feel free to ask."
"Actually, there is one thing. Go to Beatrice and explain everything to her. Since her mother is being resurrected, I'm sure she'd want to witness it firsthand."
"...Fine. I will make it clear to her."
…
Upon returning to the Sanctuary, Aomori "commandeered" a small wooden hut and summoned his two guardians to serve by his side. With no safety concerns, he closed his eyes, a white light glowing on his body as he entered a state of deep meditation. He needed to replenish his nearly exhausted soul.
After a full day and night, Aomori opened his eyes, a purple light flashing briefly through them.
"I've finally recovered most of it. Thanks to Od Lagna's warning, or I would have been lost there."
The total exhaustion of soul meant the soul would lose its nourishing environment and begin to wither; he might not have even found his way back to his physical body, becoming a wandering ghost. In short, he owed a great favor.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Aomori opened the system to check for changes.
"A new title appeared."
[Awakened: The beginning of the transcendent. Possesses the True Sight, capable of perceiving the truth of the world and sensing and manipulating rules. When equipped: Soul Strength +3.]
"Awakened? Is this only the beginning?" Aomori frowned. "I thought I was already standing at the peak of many worlds, that I was something special. Turns out I was just seeing the world through a keyhole."
The mysteries of the world had only revealed a small corner to him. Aomori equipped the [Awakened] title but didn't feel anything unusual. Soul Strength was a newly revealed hidden attribute, and he had no idea what his original total was. After some thought, he decided not to remove it. For the current Aomori, a few points of conventional attribute bonuses were no longer of much use.
After resolving the system issues, Aomori hopped off the bed and pushed open the door, only to see a small twin-tailed loli looking at him anxiously.
"...Can you really bring Mother back to life?"
"What, don't trust me?" Aomori nodded to Roswaal behind her, habitually took her small hand, and led her forward, saying with a smile, "Before I resurrect your mother, let me give you some peace of mind first."
"Hmm?" Beatrice tilted her head in confusion. "Where are you taking Betty?"
"To the place you've dreamed of many times."
"Betty doesn't dream..." She lowered her head and bit her lip. She had already realized where Aomori was taking her.
Sure enough, Aomori led her into what appeared to be a set of abandoned ruins, where they met a group of girls who all looked identical. Beatrice's gaze swept past them and fixed on a massive crystal stone, inside of which was another young girl.
"Ryuzu..." she called out sadly.
"Since I forcibly dismantled the Sanctuary's barrier earlier, this original core no longer serves a purpose. It's time to set her free."
"Is it possible? Really? Can Betty really see Ryuzu again?" Beatrice took the initiative to grab Aomori's hand, speaking nervously.
In her eyes, the butterfly patterns seemed ready to fly away, as if she were terrified of hearing an unexpected answer.
"It wasn't possible before, but it is now." Aomori gently patted Beatrice's head, let go, and walked to the crystal. He suddenly widened his eyes, and a purple light instantly swept through the surroundings.
In his vision, the crystal vanished, leaving only many tiny points of light scattered everywhere. Four hundred years ago, Ryuzu had sacrificed herself to serve as the core of the Sanctuary's barrier, and her soul had scattered across the land. Fortunately, the core crystal had ample energy, preventing her soul from withering.
Thus, what Aomori needed to do was gather these scattered soul fragments and reconstruct her soul.
"Whether it's the soul or fate, they both represent that person's existence." He extended his soul tentacles, identifying the soul fragments belonging to Ryuzu and drawing them together into a single mass.
Once finished, Aomori immediately exited the [True Sight] state and breathed a long sigh of relief. This time he had deliberately controlled the duration, so the consumption wasn't too high.
"One last step." Aomori opened his hands of psychokinesis, took the translucent Ryuzu floating in mid-air, and pressed her into her body within the crystal.
"Wake up, Ryuzu."
Under Beatrice's tense gaze, Ryuzu's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. The crystal shattered with a bang, and she fell into Beatrice's arms, their gazes locking onto one another.
"Beatrice, long time no see. I must have slept for a very long time."
"It hasn't been that long... That's a lie, it's been so, so long. Four hundred years have passed. Do you know how I spent those four hundred years? I almost forgot what you looked like..."
"I'm sorry. I won't leave you again."
"Ryuzu, wahhh..."
Watching the two embrace tightly, Aomori and the Ryuzu clones left the ruins together.
"Thank you," Roswaal, who had been waiting outside, bowed his head and spoke sincerely. "Ryuzu's sacrifice has always been a pain in our hearts."
"No need for thanks. After all, I am a hero," Aomori waved his hand and walked away.
"A hero? Truly a fitting title," Roswaal remarked with emotion. He looked toward the ruins and murmured, "Sensei, only you are left. Soon we can be together again and live a happy life..."
…
A few days later, under the watchful eyes of Roswaal, Beatrice, and Ryuzu, Aomori entered the deepest part of the tomb, where Echidna's physical body was kept. Maintained by a magic circle, her body showed no signs of decay, preserved exactly as it was at the moment of her death.
"Oh, you have the confidence already? As expected of the man I have high hopes for." Echidna's soul manifested on its own. She looked at herself in the crystal coffin and curled her lip in distaste. "You don't expect me to go back into that body, do you? A four-hundred-year-old hag… I don't want it!"
"..." Aomori struggled to maintain his smile and asked, "Then what kind of body do you want?"
"Something younger, naturally." Echidna gave a pure smile. "I created the child Ryuzu during my lifetime. If Roswaal hasn't been lazy, there should be quite a few clones by now, right?"
"The bodies of those children are constructed from Mana. You just need to 'stuff' my soul inside. It's much simpler than trying to restore life to my old corpse."
Indeed, as she said, this method would be much easier. Aomori's previous plan had been to mimic the [Divine Protection of the Phoenix] on Reinhard and engrave the corresponding runes. After several days of observation, he had confirmed that those runes were the manifestation of Divine Protections and Authorities. The so-called "sensing and manipulating rules" was achieved through these runes.
However, Aomori was still working to understand the specific meanings of the runes. Finding the one representing the [Divine Protection of the Phoenix] among Reinhard's many protections was no easy task.
So, Aomori went along with it and agreed. "Fine, if that's what you want."
"Mm-hmm-hmm..." Echidna hummed a happy tune. For someone with such a strong desire for knowledge, being trapped in the Castle of Dreams for so long had been incredibly painful.
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]