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Jin raised his eyes once again towards Ayula.
Jin looked closer for inspection and noticed that hundreds of golden threads of authority extending from Ayula's entire body were connected to Jin's light left behind for Lani.
And he felt that Ayula no longer possessed the same strength as before. Jin had a gut feeling about what choice Ayula had made.
"Lady Ayula, could it be..."
[I could no longer maintain my existence from the moment I decided to save these two. It's too dangerous for a god like me to intervene so extensively in the human world without any consequences,] Ayula replied.
Death.
Ayula had sacrificed herself to save Dante and Hedo. When Paellito's sword struck the two, Ayula had summoned them to her own realm.
Many immortals in the world could use summoning or spatial jumps without significant limitations. However, it was an entirely different matter when a god did such a thing to save someone.
Dante and Hedo only realized the sacrifice Ayula had made after hearing their conversation.
"La-Lady Ayula!? Are you saying you chose to die to save us?"
[Yes, Sword Emperor Dante Hairan.]
"I am... I am a knight of the Empire! Knights always fight for their beliefs and are willing to die for them. But you, a god, gave up your life for someone like me and Sir Hedo?"
Dante’s joy of being able to see Jin and his comrades again was instantly overshadowed by the shock of Ayula's sacrifice. Dante was almost shouting as he spoke.
"If I and Sir Hedo were to disappear, someone else would have eventually taken our place. But what will happen to the Holy Kingdom if you disappear, and the order you oversee, Lady Ayula? I... I didn't know that God could leave all this behind and save me..."
[Do you dislike it that much?]
"Yes. If I could...!"
[Haha, there's no going back now. So don't be so upset, Sword Emperor. Well, your argument looks adorable, but think about how I would feel if you hated it so much?]
"I... I share the same sentiment as the Sword Emperor, Lady Ayula. Of course, I've never trusted you as much as the others, and even the lives of my young lady and comrades are more precious to me than yours. Nevertheless, the choice you made... I don’t know about the Sword Emperor, but I wonder if my life is really worth more than yours. May I ask if you could have avoided your death if you had only saved the Sword Emperor?"
[Yes, I could have avoided it. I would still exist as a god if I had saved only the Sword Emperor.]
"Then, dare I say, you should have saved only the Sword Emperor..."
Jin remained silent, unsure of what to say.
[Jin, Dante, Hedo. Children, listen. I helped you and saved you because I was convinced that you have more to do in this world than I do in the future.]
"How could we possibly have more to do than you, Lady Ayula?"
[Sword Emperor, I am a god.]
Ayula locked eyes with Dante.
[And gods refer to immortals bound by fate. So, despite most gods having much more power than mortals, they cannot transcend fate.]
-[Unlike mortals, immortals are bound by fate. That's the weight of immortality.]
Jin recalled what Ameris had said to him on the day he first met her.
[A little while ago, you asked what would happen to the Holy Kingdom and the order of peace I oversee if I were to disappear. I will give you the answer. The Holy Kingdom will rise again with the power of humans. And they will pray for peace every day as always even if I no longer hear their prayers.]
Ayula's voice quivered for a moment in the part about not being able to hear those prayers anymore. The god was grieving.
[But does that mean the concept of peace itself will disappear from the world? No, it won't. I used to believe that, and so did everyone else. But not anymore. Even if I disappear, someone like you, who has fought so fiercely for peace, will continue to guard it. In some ways, you have fought more passionately for peace than I have. simply existed only in the name of peace.]
Ayula gently moved her wings to caress the heads of the three.
[So, it is worth sacrificing immortals like me a hundred or a thousand times for people like you at this moment.]
Dante shed tears, and Ayula's remaining authority shone brightly in his tears. Ayula laughed as if she found it commendable.
[This would have explained my choice. And I don't have much time left now. I hope you can help me achieve what I've decided to do until the end.]
Dante and Hedo no longer spoke of Ayula's sacrifice. It would only waste Ayula's remaining time.
"We'll help with anything, anything."
"What should we do?"
[First, Dante and Hedo, there's nothing else for you two to do right now. Soon, Lani will awaken due to Jin's decision, so you should focus on your recovery. You'll have plenty to do once you've recovered.]
"Jin's decision...?"
Jin knew what that meant.
"Now it's my turn to make a choice like Sir Ron did in the past, right Lady Ayula?"
Ayula nodded.
Just as Ron had saved Jin with the Light of Genesis knight when he was on the brink of death during the Sword Emperor Castle War, now it was Jin's turn to save Lani.
[I couldn't save Lani while trying to save those two. In that moment of sadness, I sensed that you left the Light of Genesis knight for her.]
Jin thought that the light remained on its own when Lani became transparent.
However, it was undoubtedly something Jin had left behind. As soon as he ascended to the Genesis knight, what he unconsciously desired the most was the survival of his comrades, and the light was left for Lani who was by his side.
[You know, Jin. You can still retrieve this light and reclaim it for yourself if you want.]
"By doing that, the power of the Genesis knight I gained will become whole again."
[Yes, but you won't make that choice.]
"Of course not. I will save my friend."
Objectively speaking, Lani was merely a Holy Queen with exceptionally strong divine power.
She possessed tremendous healing abilities, but it couldn't be said that she had more value than breaking the completeness of the Genesis knight power that Jin had obtained.
But in Jin's opinion, saving Lani was more valuable.
He clearly needed people, not strength, to transcend the fate that would await him and the world in the future.
"I can always regain my power. Furthermore, I am still the Genesis knight even if I lose that much. My choice would remain the same even if I were to lose everything."
Ayula envisioned a scenario where Jin retained the power of the Genesis knight without saving Lani.
She is not Az-Mil, and Az-Mil also could not see the future of the Genesis knight perfectly. But, she undoubtedly believes that Jin would end up like corrupted Paellito if do so.
However, it's hard to imagine Jin ending up like that.
[Haha, honestly, I was a bit worried about what you might say. Wouldn't everything fall apart if you make a different decision? So, I said in advance that I was able to save Lani thanks to you. Of course, it's not that I didn't trust you.]
"You were conscious of the unique demonic nature of the Genesis knight, weren't you?"
The demonic nature.
Ayula had been concerned not about Jin but about the demonic nature that Jin would now carry.
[Perhaps you will overcome even that. Now that I think about it, I can't even imagine you becoming a monster because of demonic nature.]
Jin approached the light that was connected to Ayula's authority. The light pulsed like a heartbeat.
Ayula didn't need to give any specific instructions to Jin. He could naturally manipulate the light just as a newborn life could breathe and move without being told.
Jin gently grasped the light with both hands, and the light gathered upward between his palms.
The light soon took on a human form and became Lani.
Lani had no consciousness; she was simply in a deep slumber. Ayula gently embraced Lani.
[She will awaken tomorrow. I can bid farewell to this child as well since I won’t disappear by then.]
Resurrection is only possible with the tears of Numerus.
Right now, Ayula was substituting for those tears with her remaining body, will, and the Light of Genesis knight that Jin had handed over.
The group looked up at Ayula, who had noticeably darkened since Lani's resurrection.
Lani would be very sad.
However, she wouldn't be overwhelmed by grief. She is the one who would rebuild the Holy Kingdom again and fight to protect peace.
"Now, I have one last thing to do before I leave."
Ayula spoke as she landed on the ground. Her voice no longer resonated like the divine being; she had completely lost her divine status.
"Jin."
"Yes, please speak, Lady Ayula."
"What do you fear most?"
Jin answered without hesitation despite the sudden question
"I fear that despite gaining such immense power, incidents like what happened in the Holy Kingdom today might occur again. I'm scared that I won't be able to protect the people I should and prevent the deaths of those I love."
Failing to protect the people he cared about and not being able to prevent their deaths—that was still the thing that scared Jin the most.
Jin would surely succumb to demonic nature if such an incident occurred again.
"It is inevitable that further tragedy will follow if such huge battles continue. You're probably more afraid of that because you understand it better than anyone."
"Yes."
"I will show you a way to alleviate that suffering, even just a little."
Jin's pupils dilated.
"W-what... is there a way?"
"Why are you so surprised? You've always agonized over the deaths of innocent and powerless people. YYou have endured it without a moment of rest every time you fought, and that determination was intimately involved in shaping your authority of the Genesis knight you've obtained."
"Ah...!"
"I just checked one of the characteristics of authority you get after reaching the Genesis knight before losing my divine status. One of them is... regeneration."
Amazing