Chapter 601

Shekinah had long been accustomed to all of this, accustomed to defining her own existence within these polarized and grand concepts.

However, it's cute...

This word, brimming with the warmth of human life and carrying a touch of intimacy and gentleness, is being used to describe something for the first time in my life.

Out of place, utterly absurd.

I can't understand it.

Shekinah racked her brains trying to think of what it meant to be "cute," but she simply couldn't associate her utterly defeated and ugly appearance, which she almost completely rejected herself, with "cuteness."

The conclusion is no.

Not at all.

Incorrect evaluation.

So, Shekinah could only raise her head blankly and stare at the silver-haired youth in front of her.

That being said, the word "cute" made Shekinah's heart involuntarily twitch.

Novia's smile widened.

He seemed to have seen through all her reactions at that moment, and had anticipated them all.

"Of course," he said matter-of-factly.

"A god who thought himself omnipotent and always right, after trying all the things he considered 'correct,' finally discovered that he was completely wrong from beginning to end."

Noah extended a finger and gently traced an invisible path in the air.

"The immense gap between this Perfection self-perception and the abyss of Perfection reality; and the bewildered, aggrieved, and helpless expression on your face right now, as if asking 'Why did things turn out like this?'... Isn't that endearing?"

If these words were spoken by someone else, they would undoubtedly be a relentless attack filled with extreme Pride and malicious mockery.

However,

The seemingly condescending judgment that came from Novia's mouth did not make Shekinah feel the slightest bit humiliated or belittled.

"But..."

Shekinah hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

Countless words, countless excuses, countless self-denials, were stuck in that broken throat.

But... I lost.

They suffered a crushing defeat.

I lost everything, I lost my dignity, I lost the entire meaning of my existence.

How could someone like me be worthy of...?

What right do I have to be described by you... with such words...?

Novia did not give her the chance to continue wallowing in self-doubt.

He waved his hand slightly, interrupting all of Shekinah's unspoken words.

"Alright."

"Let's leave those irrelevant self-evaluations behind."

Novia's expression softened slightly.

"Let's get down to business, Shekinah."

"According to the Gnostic tradition, I will be here to declare the final victor in the contest between the 'Demiurge' and the 'Sophia'."

His tone remained as relaxed as ever.

In this struggle, you have been utterly defeated.

Cold.

Objective.

It is devoid of any emotional coloring, which makes it all the more real and all the more cruel.

"Your world has been usurped by your 'son'."

"Your will is being manipulated by your 'child'."

"Your power is being used by your 'son'."

With each word Novia spoke, Shekinah's body trembled involuntarily.

"In the end," Novia's voice was very calm, "You were ruthlessly abandoned, losing everything you had, including your dignity as a 'god'."

Yes.

Yes, that's it.

I lost.

Everything I had was taken away.

I ruined everything with my own hands.

But--

After listing all of Shekinah's failures one by one, as if presenting evidence in court, Novia smiled again.

"... And that, Shekinah —is precisely the reason you won."

"... Eh?"

Shekinah made an incomprehensible sound.

Is utter defeat the same as victory?

How absurd, how contradictory, how... illogical!

"The essence of the Demiurge is Order, Perfection, and self-righteousness."

Novia began to explain.

"Its victory was destined from the moment of its birth. Because it would never admit to any mistakes. In a system that only allows 'correctness' to exist, a system it wrote itself, it would naturally always be the winner. A Perfection straight line from start to finish will not deviate from its course, and therefore, it will not see any scenery along the way. It is a Perfection crystal, flawless and pure, and therefore, it can no longer refract any new brilliance."

"But, Shekinah, your essence is Wisdom."

True Wisdom is not about being always right, always powerful, or always invincible.

"It lies in... whether one can recognize one's own 'mistakes'."

Novia held up one finger.

"You have fallen. You have failed. You have been betrayed by your own creation, and ultimately, you have fallen into despair, a complete denial of your own existence."

"You, with your utter defeat, have vividly demonstrated your 'Perfection'."

"And this Perfection, this possibility of recognizing one's own mistakes, this bewilderment that allows one to 'think' about why one failed even in despair..."

Novia's lips curled into a slight smile.

"That is the most fundamental difference between you and that 'False God' who is only stuck in his ways and forever claims to be right."

"In the arena of 'gods,' you lost miserably."

"But in the realm of 'Wisdom,' you've won."

"Wrong..."

The voice was desolate, with a slight hoarseness.

As the source of Wisdom, Shekinah was able to discern the contradictions and inappropriateness in Novia's words.

These words are less a judgment based on facts and more an excuse forcibly imposed upon oneself to comfort oneself.

She didn't know whether his words stemmed from pity for her current miserable state, or from some kind of deliberate act that she could never understand.

All she knew was that she couldn't just accept this "victory" so easily.

So, Shekinah let the most primal, and only remaining emotion in her heart transform into words of rebuttal.

"I just... want to see you again."

There was no longer any authority or madness in Shekinah's voice.

"At that time, where and when I saw you... it was just... so incredibly impressive..."

"I... I am not ashamed of the fact that I wanted to create something Demiurge, nor do I regret anything I did."

Shekinah reached out her hand, her hand trembling slightly with hesitation.

It was as if they had used up all the courage they had possessed until now.

I just want to touch you one more time.

His fingertips gently caressed Novia's cheek.

"You..."

"My downfall, my Sin, are but trivial matters. They should not, and absolutely must not, tarnish your brilliance in the slightest."

You are not wrong, and you never will be wrong.

"If... if something really has been defiled..."

"That must be, and can only be, because of my mistake."

He took all the sins upon himself without reservation.

This is her proudest way of expressing "love" as "Shekinah".

Novia looked at Shekinah's appearance, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and casually added.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"Actually... you could have come back then."

"... What?" Shekinah was taken aback, unable to immediately grasp the meaning of those words.

Upon hearing this, Novia seemed somewhat helpless and let out a soft sigh.

"This kind of thing keeps happening, it doesn't feel good... I mean, when Lilith did that kind of thing to me back then, you could have come along too."

"--!!!"

These words instantly unleashed the most painful memories—suppressed, forgotten, and buried deep within the Root existence—that swept over my entire being.

Come on? Let's come together...?

"Come...?"

His voice trembled violently from the extreme emotional turmoil.

"How dare I go! How dare I be worthy of going!"

"I saw your expression! Your eyes! I saw it all clearly!"

"It was filled with resistance! Filled with indifference! Filled with an absolute 'Don't come near' attitude!"

"I saw it! I really saw it!"

"So! That's why I had no choice but to run away! That's why I, who made a mistake, had no choice but to fall into depravity! That's why... that's why I'm like this!"

"Isn't all of this... my fault?!"

Despite Shekinah's heart-wrenching self-blame and accusations, Novia's expression remained unchanged.

Let her vent all her emotions without reservation.

After a long silence that seemed to freeze time itself, he tilted his head slightly.

It seemed as if he was recalling something trivial.

Then,

He answered in an extremely flat tone, as if saying, "Ah, the weather is indeed nice today."

"Oh, that."

"I did it on purpose."

"... Eh?"

Shekinah stood there blankly, mouth agape, uttering a cute single syllable.