Lillith stared at him, incredulous.
"A-Are you crazy? Of course gods exist! I'm standing right here in front of you."
"Crazy? Lillith, what if you are all just... a species that rules the world?" Jay's sharp gaze pierced through and swept away the goddess's warm, confused expression.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Huh?"
"You aren't like this... Even in your past life, you always thought of those you loved." Lillith's voice began to falter.
"Lillith, don't jump to conclusions. I love you! I... I care a lot."
The confusion plastered across the goddess's face upon hearing the reincarnated youth's words mingled with a pang of chest pain, followed by a wave of profound relief. The beautiful deity's face flushed red, and she covered it with her pale hands.
"Ahhh!"
Jay, even after noticing the effect of his words, maintained a neutral expression. Averting his eyes, he noticed more bodies beyond the mystical fox he had killed: there were two other mangled corpses nearby.
Bodies with strange cuts, a mystical fox, and stains on Lillith's hair... Why does so much have to happen at the same time? Well... getting out of Lillith's lap... I have other concerns.
His expression suddenly turned somber.
I... will never bring this topic up with her again.
Suddenly, Jay felt his entire body grow heavy. Sharp pains began to form in his back, like pulsing protrusions beneath his skin. Ignoring the discomfort, he looked at Lillith, who still seemed to be in ecstasy.
"Uh... Lillith?"
"Huh?... Yes, yes, Jay! W-What is it?"
"Well, I'll be going, then... bye!" Offering a brief wave, he turned his back and walked away.
"Hey, Jay! Wait! You should rest a bit more!" the goddess called out, rising as she reached her arm toward him.
Her words were in vain.
As he took more steps, something caught his attention: the return of the birds' singing. A beautiful melody washed over Jay's ears, driving away the oppressive silence of the forest.
After walking a bit further, he came across the body of another colossus. This time, however, the corpse was fresh. Dark blood still trickled slowly down its gray skin.
Approaching it, Jay touched the giant's thick hide, feeling the residual warmth fading away.
It's still alive, he concluded.
At that very moment, the dying colossus directed a gaze at Jay, charged with pure killer instinct.
Acting on pure reflex, Jay gestured with his right hand in the shape of a pistol. Ice began to condense rapidly around his fingers, shaping itself into a frosty gun.
Still immersed in his own thoughts, he fired before processing his own action.
Bang!
The sound echoed, sending the birds fluttering into the air in a flock. Jay remained motionless, staring at the now-lifeless body. Blood slowly slid down the giant's forehead, pierced by the ice projectile.
Still standing over the enemy, he finally came to his senses.
Huh?! When did I...
A faint icy mist escaped from the tip of the ice pistol, which was still pointed at the colossus's head. There were splatters of fresh blood on his childlike face.
Sometimes I forget that in this world... I'm still just a child...
His expression turned indifferent. Climbing onto the giant corpse's stomach, he jumped down to the ground to continue his trek, dissolving the weapon into cold particles.
A slow, persistent frost began to bloom over his fingertips. The pain, which before had been only a nagging sting, quickly intensified, becoming almost unbearable.
His muscles protested. His legs gave out and began to tremble violently, accompanied by sudden, severe nausea. Bringing a hand to his mouth, Jay yielded to the weakness and collapsed to his knees.
Oh, this is bad. Very bad. I can't collapse here!
Suddenly, heavy footsteps that shook the earth echoed nearby. And just as quickly, they stopped.
Jay felt a sharp, relentless gaze piercing his back. Lifting his head with difficulty, he confronted a ten-meter-tall colossus. The monster wielded a sword made of sharp bone and wore tattered black rags, drenched in sweat and the blood of others.
The same vision as always... he thought, gritting his teeth as he forced his arms against the ground to push himself up.
However, his strength failed him, and Jay began to fall backward. In a final act of desperation, he raised his right arm toward the enemy. The ice slowly growing on his fingers expanded violently, burning his skin like arctic fire.
The giant's pupil dilated at the bluish glow. Gripping the hilt of the bone blade firmly, he swung it in a deadly arc.
In the exact same millisecond, a colossal spike with a bluish tip erupted from the ground, right beneath the giant's feet.
The sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing echoed in unison.
When the dust settled, Jay looked to his side. His right arm lay separated from the rest of his body, stretched out on the dirty grass.
A throat-shredding scream escaped his throat.
An agonizing pain, impossible to describe in words, overwhelmed his nervous system. Unable to contain the suffering, he rolled from side to side on the damp earth.
Meanwhile, in front of him, the colossus's body had been completely obliterated by the ice spike. The giant was now nothing more than an unrecognizable mass of flesh, exposed bone, and a massive pool of blood.
Jay agonized on the ground for nearly an hour. Even the regeneration process of his arm caused excruciating pain.
This... this isn't normal... he thought, squeezing his eyes shut. I didn't feel this agony before. What is happening to me? Is the Roh diverting the necessary elemental energy? Or is it the aftereffects of the fight against the fox?
"Sh... it...!"
A severe dizziness began to cloud his mind.
"A... again..."
And once more, his vision went completely dark.
A familiar female voice began to echo in his ears. Distant, yet persistent. Alongside it, urban noises—the rumble of car and motorcycle engines—began to fill the background of his consciousness.
"Sir?" the voice persisted, sounding closer and closer.
Opening his eyes, Jay found himself back. He was sitting on the usual bench, gazing at the urban landscape he knew so well.
Right in front of him stood a teenage girl. She wore a school uniform consisting of a white shirt with a tie and a medium-length black skirt. Her blonde hair had neatly styled blue highlights.
With her hands on her hips, she stared at him with a visibly judgmental look.
"Sir, why do you keep staring at me like that?"
Ah... I remember this scene well. Very, very well. That was my last and only truly human act in my entire past life...