Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 515: [When Fallen Fall] [11] [Goddess of Fate]

The hall was vast, long, and deep.

It felt as if the space itself bent inward, forcing anyone who entered to acknowledge how small they truly were.

Azrael walked forward without hesitation.

The circular chamber was already occupied.

Figures sat along the curved tiers, some in human form, others barely bothering to hide what they truly were.

Gods.

Things that had outlived names.

The moment Azrael stepped into the center, the murmurs faded.

Inna followed a step behind him, her gaze firmly on his back.

Azrael silently stood at the centre of them all, unfazed by their gaze.

His eyes took in all the people who were present.

And just as he expected, his brothers didn’t show up, nor did the Primordial Beings.

----

They said the Gods were created from the remains of the Creator God.

The flesh, blood, and bones.

Once a mortal got hold of any part of the Creator God... he could eat them to become a God.

The concepts that the Creator God set for himself were also applied to them.

Of course, the Primordial Beings were special, as they ate most of the Creator God.

And of course, the Paradox Apostates were special as well.

Azrael finally opened his mouth to speak.

"We are late," he said calmly. "Or perhaps... deliberately absent."

No one answered him.

A low hum spread through the chamber, not sound, but pressure.

The kind that pressed against the soul rather than the ears.

One of the figures leaned forward. Its face shifted between forms, never settling.

"The Primordials do not answer summons anymore," it said. "And your brothers chose silence."

Azrael nodded slightly, as if he had already accepted that answer.

"So this judgment falls to those who remain," he replied.

Another voice cut in, sharp and mocking.

"Judgment?"

A god with molten eyes laughed softly. "You speak as if you still stand above us."

Azrael’s gaze shifted to him.

"I do," he said simply. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Azrael ignored the god who tried to mock him.

"As we saw from the battle between Baal and Elyon," Azrael spoke, his voice echoing, "how a simple pity between those two took the lives of a hundred million mortals."

Azrael let the silence stretch before continuing.

"The land was burned," he said. "The seas were poisoned. Entire bloodlines vanished without ever knowing why they were chosen."

A few gods shifted in their seats.

One of them spoke, voice low. "That conflict was... unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Azrael repeated quietly.

He took a single step forward.

"It was careless," he said. "And it proved what I have been warning you about for centuries."

Another god stood, with a pale yellow face.

"Baal and Elyon acted without consensus," he argued. "That does not condemn us all."

Azrael looked at him.

"It does," he replied. "Because none of you stopped them."

The chamber grew colder.

Inna felt it clearly now, they did not liked his words.

"You speak as if mortals are blameless," a robed figure said. "They pray for our wars and then beg for miracles... They feed us with belief."

Azrael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And we answer by turning their world into a battlefield," he said. "Tell me, does that make us saviors, or parasites?"

One god scoffed. "Careful, Wise One. Your words tread close to heresy."

Azrael did not react.

"I am not here to accuse," he said. "I am here to end this cycle."

He raised his hand, and an image formed in the air.

A barrier, a seal... that covered Lumina while creating another world around it.

"You propose separation," someone said slowly. "A sealed boundary."

Azrael nodded his head. "...Yes."

A tense pause followed.

"And what of faith?" a voice asked. "What of remembrance?"

His blank gaze fell on the man who questioned him.

"If a god cannot exist without suffering beneath them," he said, "then perhaps they should not exist at all."

That did it.

Several figures stood at once, power flaring openly now.

"You would doom us!"

"You would erase the old order!"

Azrael was about to speak, but—

Swish!!!

A sword taller than two metres dug into the ground just beside him.

Azrael closed his eyes and opened them again.

A young god, no older than a thousand years, stood up, his face sharp with anger.

"Why should we listen to you!?" he barked as he jumped down onto the platform, landing hard. "After all, you are just a puny little demigod."

"State your name," Azrael said.

The god hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Kael," he answered. "God of Conquest."

Azrael nodded once. "Have you thought this through?"

"What can a demigod do?" he asked with a smirk. "Cry and run back to his Primordial lover?"

"...."

Azrael silently stared at him as he walked and stood in front of him.

"I challenge you," Kael spoke. "Right here! Right now—"

Before he could complete his sentence, a right hook hit his jaw.

Kael’s head snapped to the side.

His body lifted off the ground, enough for Azrael to grab his leg.

He flexed his muscles and slammed him into the ground.

Boom!!

The floor cracked beneath Kael’s body.

"It seems you all have forgotten who I am," Azrael spoke, dragging Kael’s body towards the sword. "So, let me remind you."

Azrael flung Kael’s body onto the sword with a force that made his body jerk.

The sharp edge of the broadsword cut Kael’s body in half.

The upper body flew and slammed into the wall.

The lower half remained in Azrael’s hand.

And a god died... just like that.

"I am Azrael Vhaladim," Azrael spoke, dropping the bloody body. "And I do not like when someone stands against me."

The council of Gods turned completely silent as Azrael looked at them.

"Gods and Mortals will live separately," he spoke, cleaning the blood from his face with his thumb. "And that’s my judgment."

No one dared to speak against him.

Azrael turned and walked away. "You are dismissed."

The world twisted around him as he reached a different place along with Innana.

He drew in a deep breath, taking in the scenery in front of him.

Inna appeared beside him as the world settled.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

"This will not go well," Inna mumbled softly. "They will surely go to Satan to complain."

Azrael looked ahead, eyes calm despite Inna’s words.

"I know," Azrael nodded his head. "And I also know Satan will stand against it."

"And how are you going to convince him?" Inna asked, tilting her head.

Azrael turned to look at her. "I can’t convince him," he replied. "So all I can do is fight."

"...."

Inna’s eyes widened slightly as she gasped internally.

Azrael turned to look at the scenery once again as silence settled between them.

"...Is it necessary?" Inna asked softly. "What you are planning."

Azrael did not answer right away.

The wind passed over the empty land, brushing against his wings and making the feathers shift softly.

"Those selfish gods are initiating wars between Mortals for thousands of years, Inna."

Azrael spoke softly as he looked at her.

"They are using fear to make the Mortals pray to them... for their own gains."

Azrael let out a bitter smile. "They all have the blood of billions on their hands."

Azrael lowered his gaze, the smile fading as quickly as it had appeared.

"They call it balance," he continued. "But it’s nothing more than control."

Inna listened quietly, her hands clenched at her sides.

"...If I do nothing," Azrael said, "this world will repeat the same history until there is nothing left to repeat."

Inna swallowed. "And you think separation will fix it?"

"It won’t fix everything," he replied honestly. "Mortals will still kill each other. They will still suffer, but their suffering will be their own."

"...I see," Inna mumbled softly, nodding her head gently.

Azrael glanced at her, noticing the tiredness on her face.

"That reminds me," Azrael suddenly asked. "How is El?"

Inna’s eyes widened instantly. "I left him alone!"

"Again?"

"Ahhh."

Inna didn’t respond as she rushed towards her own home.

"...."

Azrael looked at her before he shook his head in defeat.

Left alone, he stared at the view from the top of the hill.

He stayed still for a long time until—

"You are doing everything in your power to stop me, aren’t you?"

...A voice interrupted him.

Azrael slowly turned around as he looked at... her.

A being who was present there, yet at the same time wasn’t.

She wore a vintage black oversized gown that covered her curves completely.

Her face was barely visible through the translucent veil as she smiled at him.

"Are you even real?" Azrael asked softly. "Or are you just an imagination of my mind?"

"I can see your fate, Azrael," she responded instead of answering. "This will not end well for any of you."

"And who are you to say that?" Azrael looked at her. "A worthless life?"

"You don’t talk to a goddess like that," she said, walking closer. "Especially not with the Goddess of Fate."

Azrael chuckled softly but didn’t take her words for granted.

"All you are is just my imagination," Azrael replied, turning towards the scenery. "Nothing more."

The self-proclaimed Goddess of Fate walked and stood by his side.

"You deny me because it is easier," she said calmly. "Not because it is true."

Azrael kept his eyes on the horizon.

"If you are real," he replied, "then why don’t you alter my fate so I succeed?"

The goddess smiled brightly. "Why don’t you do it yourself?"

"My offer still stands." She extended her hand towards him. "...Why don’t you take my powers?"

"...."

Since the death of the Creator God, there was one more thing that loomed over Lumina.

There were beings who wanted the World of Lumina.

...Beings that were termed as Outer Gods.