Then That Means Dead!
6: Life or Death Unknown?
Then That Means Dead!
Watching Ares, hot-blooded and completely discarding his brain as he grabbed his weapon and charged forward in a surge of momentum— Tian’el, descended upon Haruhime, was somewhat speechless.
He merely stepped forward subtly, flickering in an instant to appear before the God of War.
Ares’ pupils contracted.
He immediately swung his spear in a sweeping arc, the shaft tearing through the air with a sonic boom—yet it struck nothing but emptiness.
In the blink of an eye, the fox-girl had teleported behind him.
Her fist, faintly wrapped in starlight, landed lightly upon the back of his neck.
Bang!!
An invisible shockwave exploded outward.
Ares’ eyes rolled back as his knees slammed heavily into the ground.
Even the war spear in his hand slipped free, spinning as it flew dozens of feet away.
“You…” The last thing the God of War saw was a deep and shadowy portal unfolding behind the delicate young girl— Beyond that gateway, an immense world both unfamiliar yet strangely resonant burst into view.
Within it stood a majestic divine figure clad in dark robes and crowned in gold, equisite ornaments hanging at his waist, casting down his gaze.
Infinite pressure crushed downward.
Ares lost consciousness completely, even the divine intent buried in the depths of his soul frozen solid, unable to stir.
“Done.” Tian’el lifted his foot and gave a casual kick, sending the God of War directly into the Vast Expanse, leaving not a single trace behind.
In truth, carrying out this matter had proven far easier than he had imagined.
He had originally considered whether some accident might occur midway.
In the end, he had overthought it.
Upon reflection, however, such an outcome was entirely normal.
The gods of this world were transcendent beings born from Heaven itself, favored by the unseen source of the world.
From the moment of their birth, they were eternal—ageless and undying.
A thousand years ago, when they descended from the heavens to the mortal world, the reason had in fact been rather flamboyant—so ostentatious it almost felt absurd.
After spending hundreds of millions of years in Heaven, life had become unbearably dull.
Even if killed, they would resurrect within the origin of Heaven after ten thousand years.
Some gods even entertained themselves through suicide.
Thus, growing ever more bored, the gods chose to interfere with the lower world as a game, acting with their own amusement as priority.
They experienced all aspects of mortal life—food, hobbies, friendships, art, even illness—savoring every moment without fatigue.
Of course, because divine power was far too overwhelming, in order to better experience mortal life, the gods agreed to seal their own divinity after descending.
Unless under special circumstances, they were not permitted to display divine might.
Otherwise, they would be forcibly returned to the upper realm.
Under normal conditions, the gods of this world behaved little differently from ordinary people.
They needed to grant divine blood to the residents of the lower world to establish Familias and rely on their followers’ support.
In Orario, the central metropolis where the gods gathered in great numbers, those unable to find suitable followers—or whose Familias were too weak—could even be reduced to working for mortals just to avoid starvation.
As the chief god who ruled the Kingdom of Rakia, Ares’ status was naturally not low.
But in his sealed state, his strength…
relying on martial skill, he might handle some high-level adventurers.
Against Haruhime under Tian’el’s control, however, he stood no chance.
The only variable that could have influenced the outcome was this—the gods’ seals were not mandatory.
Once a god realized they were in mortal danger, Ares could have released all his authority at any time.
Therefore, if Tian’el wished to avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to end the battle swiftly before Ares could unseal himself.
The course of events proved that the plan had been executed smoothly.
What remained now was to see how this world would react.
At that thought, Tian’el narrowed his eyes, his expression turning slightly peculiar as he looked toward the sky.
Unexpected, yet reasonable—the entire heaven and earth began to erupt with an unprecedented anomaly.
The gods of this world—whether those still stationed in Heaven, those who had descended and formed Familias, or even the rulers of the Evilus branded as evil gods—all simultaneously sensed the wail of the world’s origin.
And thus, instinctively, they understood the situation: Since the dawn of creation, the first true divine fall of this world had occurred on this utterly ordinary day.
…
Noon in Orario.
Crimson-black clouds suddenly churned and billowed, layer upon layer, pressing down upon the top of Babel Tower.
The sun was completely obscured.
Daylight collapsed into dusk.
Violent winds screamed through the streets, carrying sand and dust.
A thick, dark-red liquid—viscous as blood and heavy with the scent of rust—poured from the sky, splattering across stone-paved roads, leaving countless adventurers stunned and bewildered.
Yet even more panicked than them were the gods, who could perceive through the turbulence of law exactly what had transpired.
“Ares…
can a god truly fall?” Within the underground altar of the Guild, the founding deity of Orario—who had been praying to the Dungeon—suddenly opened his eyes.
The benevolence hidden within his wrinkles was torn apart by shock for the first time.
“Impossible!
Gods are immortal.
Even if they kill themselves, they revive within the origin of Heaven.
What exactly happened on Ares’ side?” At the Loki Familia’s residence, the Trickster God—who had been harassing female members—shuddered violently, utterly unable to comprehend such a phenomenon of divine death.
Back in Heaven, she had not refrained from attempting to stir up major incidents herself.
The problem was—it simply could not be done!
“Ottar, dispatch men to Rakia immediately.
I want to know whether Ares is dead or alive!” At the summit of Babel Tower, the gray-haired goddess reached out to catch the blood rain falling from the clouds.
A grave expression abruptly appeared upon her exquisite face.
In the hundreds of millions of years since her birth, she had never witnessed something so inconceivable.
But if deicide had already happened once, then it could naturally happen a second time—or a third.
They had to determine the exact cause.
Otherwise, none of the gods who had descended to the mortal world could rest at ease.
…
In a certain rural village, Zeus, who had been boasting to his grandson, rushed out of his cottage without regard for dignity.
“Ares?
That idiot brat is completely gone?
Who did it!” …
In Heaven, a group of idle gods trembled amidst the turbulence of the origin.
Hestia, curled up inside her temple reading, shrank back.
“So scary.
The lower world is terrifying!
Can gods really be completely killed?” “Hiss…
in a few more years, my turn to descend should come up.
Maybe I should just give up on it?” …
The blood rain covering the entire continent lasted for a full thirty minutes.
Only after the turbulence of laws related to war subsided did the clouds disperse and the sun once again hang high in the sky.
But by then, the lands, rivers, and even the seas of every nation across the continent had been dyed dark red.
The air everywhere was thick with the unpleasant scent of rust.
Within the military camp of Rakia’s royal capital, Sanjouno Haruhime tiptoed around a pool of crimson water.
Her ear tips trembled slightly, and she covered her nose with one small hand in discomfort.
“Lord God…
is this what you meant by a ‘small disturbance’?” “Heh~ I did not expect this world to value an ordinary god so highly.
This is clearly excessive indulgence.” Moreover, Ares had merely been exiled from this world, cut off from contact—his life and death uncertain.
How had it instantly turned into a full funeral procession and burial already?