Chapter 128: Bonds Forged in the Holy Empire
"……."
Han Siu was bewildered.
He looked around, lifting his head.
A small sanctuary built of pink marble that made him question its very material.
He was inside it.
This place, said to be the most important in the Holy Bishura Empire, lived up to its nickname by sitting right in the heart of the capital. He'd never imagined he'd set foot here. It appeared somewhat ordinary at first glance, but a closer look revealed incredibly delicate and beautiful architecture.
But something else struck Siu even more vividly.
Immense holy power…
The sanctuary brimmed with holy power so dense it felt like a compressed holy site. It was only natural.
This was the sanctuary where one could have an audience with the Goddess.
Still a bit dazed, Siu recalled how he'd ended up here.
It had started with his meeting with the Pope.
The pinnacle of the Holy Bishura Empire, the female Pope he'd briefly encountered at the New Year's party. Thanks to her holy power, her seventies didn't show—she looked remarkably hale. Of course, she didn't pass for a beauty in her thirties or forties; at a glance, she clearly bore the marks of old age. She was just far more vigorous than her years suggested.
The Pope had welcomed him with a radiant smile.
She'd told him that verification of the Holy Sword would be handled by other institutions or departments later, and that the truly important matter was something else. After a light conversation, a handmaiden had escorted him here.
At first, the tight security around the sanctuary made him wonder if it was a prison. They'd cleared a 500-meter radius of land and surrounded it with iron fences, backed by numerous guards. It was impressive enough to draw a gasp.
Eventually, he'd been left to proceed alone to the inner sanctum.
"To think I'd end up in a place like this… I've really come a long way."
It was hard to believe these achievements had come in less than a year.
Siu toured the sanctuary's interior before plopping down on the floor. Unfortunately, the floor was the only place to sit—no chairs in sight. Not even an altar, which made him doubt if meetings with the Goddess truly happened here.
Wasn't the Goddess supposed to be asleep? Recovering her strength… That's what I heard started the war, right?
"……?"
Suddenly, Siu's vision darkened, and the world tilted.
It felt like it rotated ninety degrees before a warm sensation touched his left arm.
In that instant, he realized: his vision had darkened because his eyelids grew heavy and closed, and the world hadn't tilted—he had slumped sideways. The cause was simple: an overwhelming wave of drowsiness, like narcolepsy.
When he opened his eyes again, a girl stood before him.
"…Goddess?"
"Oh, you're quick on the uptake. This'll make talking easier."
"Uh, wha?"
He hadn't meant to say it aloud, but it was true. Siu's eyes went wide.
He couldn't believe this pink long-haired girl was really the Goddess. She looked a bit younger and smaller than Elaine—a beautiful girl radiating friendliness rather than divinity.
Is she really the Goddess?
"Yep, the real deal."
"Eek."
"Surprised I read your mind? Hehe, sorry. I figured it'd help you believe."
"……."
There wasn't much room for doubt, really.
The sudden sleepiness in the sanctuary where one meets the Goddess.
And waking to see a woman with pink hair? Obviously the Goddess.
Now that it was real, a few questions bubbled up in his mind.
"Yep yep. I like how fast you catch on. I'll answer them one by one."
"…Very well."
Siu nodded, and the Goddess smiled in satisfaction.
"For starters, this isn't my main body. Before falling asleep, I split off a tiny fragment of my power to create this avatar. I'm really weak like this—probably lose to you in a fight right now? An avatar's job is maintaining consciousness and relaying messages, not combat."
"I see…."
"That's why the hero summoning system exists—because of this avatar. The goddesses handle most of it, but I built the foundation and framework. If I'd fully slept, hero summoning would've been impossible."
One simple question resolved.
Even if the Goddess had delegated some power and authority to her follower goddesses—kidnapped and stripped bare from another dimension—it was odd they'd safely summon countless people. Apparently, it was the same in his first timeline.
"Yep, exactly."
"…Pardon?"
"Same as your first timeline."
"……!!"
"Ahaha, you're shocked, huh?"
The Goddess appeared from somewhere, perched on an invisible chair, bursting into laughter.
She understood "first timeline." Her reaction confirmed one of Siu's hypotheses from novels and books at the Hero Academy: his regression was just a side effect of whatever caused it.
And the prime suspect for that cause? The Goddess.
"Eek, you're sharp. Didn't think you'd piece it together that fast."
"…So it really was…?"
"Ahaha. Yep, me. I'm the true regressor—and the cause of the regression."
"……."
His mouth snapped shut.
The Goddess spoke so lightly and breezily that it almost downplayed the shock, but it was staggering.
A goddess regressing? Unheard of.
"Before the world ended, I gathered all my power and rewound it. Tough work, let me tell you. That's why I've interfered less than in the first timeline. Instead, I spread my power thin to nudge better outcomes."
"Then my regression…."
"Probably a little glitch in the process. I spotted and fixed it right away—no more regressions. No more regressors."
"I see…."
Listening to her felt strange.
In the end, it was coincidence. His regression meant nothing special—no chosen one nonsense. But knowing it was pure chance eased his mind.
No obligations or burdens weighed on him. He could just enjoy the world, prevent the final war, and then live freely. With his status by then, anything would be possible.
"Mm. Not purely coincidence, though. There were conditions, sort of?"
"……?"
"The world changed drastically from what you knew. Know why?"
"That's…."
The Goddess's smiling lips drooped. Her cold expression evoked vengeance. Beautiful on her pretty face, but chilling too.
"You know the original history and myths?"
"Roughly…."
"Yeah, figured. Back then, I suffered terribly. They didn't kidnap me—I was invaded, trapped across worlds. I built this one, but it was hell."
"……."
"When I got back, I was furious. So I ravaged them—goddesses and male gods alike. The dimensional rifts? Not intentional. A mistake."
"R-right…."
"Tch, you don't buy it. Anyway, that's my story. Why tell you? I was bored. Needed to vent, no one suitable. Can't mingle much with my follower goddesses, or the demon gods catch on."
Her one-sided tale drew a wry smile from him.
Tragic for her, but hearing the myths' underbelly was entertaining. Absurd, sure, but livelier than dry history.
"So you let history flow as close to the first timeline as possible?"
"Yep. My rewind was imperfect—can't touch key events, some futures are fixed. Better to keep it similar so I can prepare."
"Then…."
"Sorry, no. Haven't stopped it yet. More limited than I thought. That's why I chose you."
"…As a Saint?"
"Yep, as a Saint. Can't offer much support, but you're perfect for this world."
"……."
"I said it earlier—not pure chance. Your innate yang qi and sexual prowess pierced the regression barrier. Luck played in, but your talents too. I believe in you."
From cheerful smiles to icy stares, now she was deadly serious. Siu tensed, shoulders and back rigid. Duty suddenly felt heavier.
"You want to stop the end too, right? Allies, then. A pact against doom?"
"An alliance with the Goddess… No one would believe it."
"Hehe, who needs to? A Saint after centuries ends the game."
The Goddess smirked.
Back to her initial grin.
Siu had seen few expressions, but thought she was prettiest smiling. He knew she read his mind, yet thought it anyway. She just smiled, unmentioned.
"Ahh, feels good. Mind's at ease. Thanks to you, I can focus on recovery a few more years."
"By any chance…."
"Yep. I'll rest this avatar too. All yours now. Do what you want—just stop the world's end. Got it? I'll bless the Holy Sword extra."
"Understood."
"Time to send you back. Demon gods might be sniffing around."
"Pardon? Then…."
"Bye-bye."
"Ah? W-wait…!"
He shot up.
"Ah…."
No sign of the Goddess anywhere.
The sanctuary where he'd dozed at her call.
And beside him, the summoned Holy Sword now gleamed more brilliantly than before.