Ash Angel

Although he agreed to the Chief's request to retreat with his men, Derrick did not actually leave the "Giant King’s Court." He simply remained before the Decaying Forest, still a considerable distance from the Afternoon Town camp.

After emerging from the area bathed in the Twilight light, Colin Iliad encountered his familiar teammates. He could see their obvious joy and excitement, followed by wariness.

Looking at the lights and weapons blocking his way, and the Exploration Team almost instinctively forming ranks, Colin Iliad felt no sadness; instead, he felt a vague sense of peace and pride.

They naturally had ways to verify each other's identities. After confirming their identities, Colin didn't look behind him, but instead spoke calmly and slowly with a gentle smile:

"Let's go back to camp first."

So, on the first night after that door was opened, they sat together around the Afternoon Town, listening to everything that had happened in the Secret Chamber, amidst the aroma of roasting Mushroom.

"... That's it," the campfire cast a familiar orange glow on Colin Iliad's face, a smile playing on his lips, his voice calm. "We made our way back and met Derrick, who was guarding the entrance to the Decaying Forest..."

"Have you decided on your departure date?" On the walls of "Sefirah Castle," during a casual chat at the Tarot Club, "The World" Gehrman Sparrow asked "The Sun" Derrick. "I haven't left yet; I can use the ' Staff of Stars ' to give you a ride."

This was the most immediate change after pushing open that door. Before it opened, Klein had tried to leave the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" using the "Staff of Stars," which, of course, was futile. After this failed attempt, he had to face the reality.

"No, no need," said "The Sun" Derrick, beaming with joy. "We've already discussed it, and everyone agrees that we should walk that path ourselves—it's something we've been looking forward to for many years."

"Alright," "World" didn't press the matter, he calmly nodded, "' Pure White ' Miss, then I'll tell you that your Chief might be able to seek help from ' Angel of Fate ' Ouroboros, which might be helpful for his injuries."

"I understand," Derrick nodded vigorously. "I will tell the Chief... Mr. 'World,' I have some questions I'd like to ask about the outside world..."

On a mountain peak in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," Neph knelt before the phantom image of Cross.

The benches were finally gone, which was probably a good thing, because Neph couldn't guarantee she could face Adam with a calm mind. She collected her thoughts, lowered her eyes, and held the stone slab above her head.

"You should already know what happened; this is the first ' Blasphemy Slate ' left in that room..."

"Let it go," the "True Creator" said calmly. "You seem somewhat disappointed."

"Ah," Neph, her head still bowed, but with unusual honesty, "Because this might be my last chance—before you truly merge with Him, I still have a chance to punch Him."

She made no attempt to hide her emotions. Although she fully understood Adam's reasons for acting, and although a thought told her that perhaps the "True Creator" wasn't entirely innocent in this matter, her anger was ultimately directed only at Adam's birth.

If I had to give a reason...

She sighed and continued:

"After all, if I punched you, you might hit me back. Even if you didn't, your other followers wouldn't let me off the hook. But if it were Him, not only would He not mind, He would ask me if I wanted another punch..."

"... You seem to know quite a bit about my other self," the voice of the "True Creator" finally rang out after a pause, "If you're angry about that..."

"I don't know," Neph shook her head, "I'm just a little... I knew He was like this all along, and I knew He would do this, although when it actually happened, I couldn't completely remain unmoved, but..."

Neph gave a bitter laugh, and said with a hint of helplessness, "What can I do? He won't care about anything, and you..."

Please remember our domain name.

>p/<: Her courage and emotions had transformed into many points, and she paused.

>p/<"... The whole thing isn't finished, is it? Even if you try your best to resolve your doubts and difficulties, I don't mean to. I don't mind if that ceremony is ' Pure White ' and belongs to..."

>p/<. Have I been thinking too much about this? I'm afraid that after I'm born, I'll be finished saying something like that. This is already a blatant sarcasm. The true reason for my birth is the combination of "the true creation of all things," and the food-related accident.

>p/<. Limited by a certain degree of participation, but not entirely without merit, or perhaps "the true nature of things," this event in which the God of Combat of War deceived her...

>p/<... He thought he would definitely be able to conceal the truth, but if it were another factor, the result of that factor might completely eliminate the influence of the other factor. I believe that he has not told me the truth, and... but it is not the same as the other factor, although he knows that the other factor is not the same as the other factor, he has not only hindered the other factor, but also... He has silently caused many things to happen.

>p/<? He should have done what he did, but he was already a person of character when he was still writing, it was not pure, like the "abandoned god" after leaving the Moon City and the city of silver, I don't know, this part of the activity lacks psychology... it seems that it is also the most necessary sacrifice, that is to say, there is no meaning to the expression of emotions, I am too unrealistic to show such emotions, is he rational? Is this also a mentality, is it true that Enlake, speaking back and forth.

>p/<... Ah, the most suitable place and the most suitable time is indeed the most suitable, especially when the battle is just over, ah, it's really not wrong, Lord, this Muyabai put the Moon City and the city of silver white, speaking

>p/<: Her thoughts returned, and she opened her mouth again, saying, "The true nature of things is real." She let herself drift away, her attention unfocused, as several thoughts swirled in her mind.

>p/<". After the war, He is, at that time, I will tell everything when Asia"

>p/<. The opportunity to stop the obstruction was not yet realized; it was not intended to be.

Although the figure on the hanging shelf is a figurative representation of a real person, it is not a clear and distinct human figure like those depicted in mythology. It is a cross-shaped figure, not a real person.

She couldn't discern the other person's expression.

I really want to see what He's thinking... What if I use the excuse that I'm not skilled enough at wielding Authority...?

Silently suppressing this suicidal thought, Neph replied sincerely, "I never thought you would explain it to me."

The scene fell silent again. Neph waited for several minutes, and just as she began to wonder if she had missed some signal to leave, she heard that familiar voice:

"Come forward."

... Am I not close enough?

Neph hesitated for a moment, then looked up, estimated the distance between herself and the illusory Cross. After a few seconds of hesitation, she stood up, took a few steps forward, and knelt at the foot of the Cross.

The upside-down God looked down at her and began to recount a very long-ago event:

"I still remember when you Oldest One stood before the Moon City people, you said that the name Neph was given to you by your master?"

Neph choked slightly. She found it difficult to fathom the "True Creator's" intentions, but her intuition and reason told her that the other party was unlikely to be looking for trouble.

So...

A guess popped into her head, Neph calmly explained:

When I first encountered English, my English Teacher gave me the English name Neph.

"However, according to what she told me at the time, the name didn't come from English, but from Latin, and it meant 'snow.'"

"As for what I said in front of the Moon City people back then... well, I can't exactly reveal my Chinese name here, can I? To be honest, I seriously doubt they could even pronounce it..."

The pronunciation difference between the Jotun and Chinese is enormous, and Neph's suspicions were not unfounded. She genuinely believed that even if she pronounced her Chinese name correctly, the Moon City people might not be able to.

However, perhaps the "Clown's " ability to control his muscles would also give him a distinct advantage in pronunciation...

She paused, then added:

"Besides, this kind of thing... if it's from the main source, it definitely has more prestige than other sources, especially since I was only half-truthful anyway..."

She roughly explained her thought process, and the "True Creator" listened quietly, finally speaking:

"And what about the Pure White part?"

"That's just too much of a coincidence," Neph replied sincerely. "There are so many things that remind me of that Pathway, and once I start thinking about a problem from the perspective of one or two similar Pathway, I keep looking for similarities between Pathway..."

"You don't intend to inherit the name Pure White, do you?" the "True Creator" asked, as if confirming.

"You wouldn't want that either, would you?" Neph shook her head. "Not to mention this is a world where names have symbolic meaning, even in my homeland's culture, inheriting an ominous name is not a good thing."

"Pure White..." He spoke slowly, "I don't know if He was tempted or truly corrupted; to the Primordial being, perhaps it made no difference. However, regardless, from the moment He made His choice, He probably had no way back."

Neph kept her head down and remained silent. This was not the occasion for her to speak; she was to be a quiet listener. But the "True Creator" did not continue speaking. He looked at Neph, who was still kneeling, and asked again:

"Have you decided what to call it?"

"No," Neph answered truthfully, "Either too tacky or too formal—I can never think of a name that's just right."

She paused, then finally looked up, tentatively asking with a hint of expectation, "Amon said you're very good at and enjoy naming things..."

However, does Amon not know that He actually copied the name from Subordinate Deity...? Uh, if I'm not satisfied with His copy, can I refuse...?

Her eyes still held that tentative, flickering light, naturally lacking the mortal's reverence for the God. But for her, now Angel, such a gaze no longer seemed strange. The "True Creator" spoke emotionlessly:

"Ember."

It is the remnant of a burned object, and also a survivor of a disaster.

"It is both Remembrance and letting go; it is something that has passed yet to pass, proof of what has vanished, and at the same time, it does not possess the warmth of a flame."

"How about you call yourself Ash Angel?"

This sounds much more normal than "End Angel" or anything like that, and most importantly...

>p/<: Unable to bear it any longer, Funa smiled broadly.

>p/<. It was just that I said you shouldn't have, but -- I already know you've already done it for me.

>p/<"...'The ashes of the ledger' were called, and I am the only one who holds onto them."

>p/<. I refused to speak, but how could I refuse you? I'm worried about you, so I refused. I spoke calmly and peacefully, quite "the real thing," and I'm satisfied with this name.

>p/<?...

>p/<: She asked cautiously, swallowing the water down her throat, her expression frozen in place.

>p/<... You asked if I had ever been there... Master"

>p/<. The strange thing is that I, who am silent and cannot hear, can see Him, and I, who have spiritual heart and authority, am another half of you, who know me."

>p/<"? Is that a sound from my heart? Can I hear you... you then?"

>p/<: She told the earth that it should naturally be considered "the true nature of things".

>p/<. You've reminded me, haven't you? It seems like He, is it or isn't, when Asia is...

>p/<. I've been too honest with you, but perhaps no one, no ordinary person, has the ability to see through it all. Your thoughts and feelings are written on this blank sheet of paper."

>p/<". Hidden intentions, are you like me, or is there any intention behind them?

>p/<: The sentence was filled in again with "the real thing" which is the opposite of what could be said. There was nothing more to say. Funa's lips twitched slightly.

>p/<. The judgment you make that leads to your actions and emotions is only possible for us, for example, when Asia is, you can clearly read out your heart, but this does not mean what you read, of course.

, at the beginning of

We suspected this was a disguise you used to lull us into a false sense of security, but...

No, that's too insulting... Neph grinned, then quickly said:

"Thank you for confirming my Lie. Now I don't have to be so nervous when I introduce myself anymore."

"At least you gave me a title and a name..."

She tried extremely hard to stop the conversation from going any further, and "The True Creator" stopped, just as she wished:

"Adam will only return here after you have driven the people of Moon City and City of Silver away from this land."

"Then you will come to me again, take the Uniqueness of the ' Death God ' Pathway, and give it to Amanises."

"As for your next Ritual..."

His voice paused, Neph suddenly sat up, bringing up something she hadn't told Klein:

>p/<". Your teaching is needed, I also need to know, there is a situation... Master"

>p/<: She opened her mouth and said, "Why don't you know?" She paused.

>p/<... Compared to it... that ritual, but, the ritual of the god became myself, and I finally saw it."

>p/<... The fate of the deceased, the next stage of life, I begged for it."

>p/<"? What's the bottom line? What's the common way to find the dead? Is death part of my fate? Should I say that? No? Is death part of me? I..."