The One Who Came First in His Heart

"It's surprising to hear you say that."

"Aw, that hurts. I'm a Goddess, you know. In movies and shows, we're always portrayed as holy beings~"

After Mo Bai and the Goddess traded barbs, they looked at each other again.

"So, what question would you like to ask, Goddess?"

Mo Bai now knew that to use the power of the katana he had obtained through his Future-Seeking Body, he needed the Goddess's permission.

Given how the battle was going, he could deal with the threat Mahoraga posed even without the katana.

The problem was that his real body was still inside the arena within Aleph-1.

If the arena vanished the moment Mahoraga died, he risked being absorbed and annihilated by Aleph-1's true body.

That thing's true form was an actual Black Hole. He had no intention of gambling on his chances of surviving inside it.

He needed a power he could fall back on.

More importantly...

Rover and Aemeath were struggling against the black mecha Aleph-1 had made from the Tunneler's remains.

If he gained the right to use the katana and returned, he could help them both.

"Oh~ Even now, you're thinking about your companions. What a touching bond. My question is simple, then~"

As though she could see what he was thinking, the Goddess finished speaking, and Mo Bai straightened his back without realizing it.

The solemn scene looked less like a confrontation between a mortal and a god, though, and more like a job interview.

It was a little ridiculous.

But Mo Bai still had a question on his mind.

Was the Goddess before him omniscient and omnipotent?

After all, he had briefly felt her power when he touched the katana.

Even that small fraction had left him feeling utterly outmatched, unable to fight back.

And she could