The divine power that had descended upon him was separated from him, and Ahidâs golden hair turned dark blue again.
As the power extracted from him returned to its owner, light gathered around Arcana, then her magic body was replaced with her original divine body.
ââŚMy divine power is leaving meâŚ? My⌠My divine poweeeeeerâŚ! My body was immortalâŚ! Why did it fail meâŚ?! Please give me a divine messageâŚ!â (Ahid)
With both of his arms and legs severed, Ahid fell on his back on the spot; helpless.
I casually walked to his side.
â<Wavy Body Possibility Manifestation Veneziara> is a spell that makes possibilities come true.â (Anos)
ââŚPossibilities⌠come trueâŚ? What are you talking aboutâŚ?â (Ahid)
âDonât you understand? In this state, with Leviangilma in its sheath, there exists the possibility of me pulling out the sword, and the possibility of me not pulling out the sword.
By casting <Wavy Body Possibility Manifestation Veneziara>, Iâve made both of these possibilities a reality.â (Anos)
I brandished the Sword of the Almighty Leviangilma in front of Ahid.
It was still in its sheath.
âAs long as I keep Leviangilma in its sheath, I havenât drawn it. If itâs in its sheath, I will never perish. Conversely, the fact that I havenât perished proves that I havenât drawn this sword.â (Anos)
ââŚIf you did not draw it, then you should have been unable to harm my immortal divine bodyâŚâ Ahid stated, dumbfounded.
âThen you should understand already. The fact that your immortal divine body was damaged means that Leviangilma has been drawn. While still in its sheath, of course.â (Anos)
Ahid furrowed his brow, showing his incomprehension.
âThe Almighty has created a sword that no one can draw. If the Almighty were to draw the sword, he wouldâve failed to create a sword that no one can draw. But if the Almighty canât draw the sword, he canât be called almighty. So what would the Almighty do, then?â (Anos)
I told the answer to Ahid, whose expression was growing more distorted.
âHereâs the answer. The Almighty canât draw this sword. But at the same time, he can draw it. He draws the sword that no one else can draw, but without being able to draw it. See? Itâs simple logic. To be almighty, one must be able to both draw it and not draw it at the same time.â (Anos)
ââŚWhat incomprehensible nonsense are you spoutingâŚ? There is no way you can do that⌠It is a contradictionâŚâ (Ahid)
I smiled at Ahidâs bewilderment.
âThatâs the point of <Wavy Body Possibility Manifestation Veneziara>. To draw and not to draw. Contradictory as they may be, they can both come true at the same time, even if itâs only as possibilities.â (Anos)
I may or may not draw this sword.
It was natural for both possibilities to exist at the same time.
âAnd both possibilities turned real at the same time. Contradictory manifestations of <Wavy Body Possibility Manifestation Veneziara> can come true at the same time. Because real or not, theyâre just possibilities.â (Anos)
Ahid looked as if his mind had gone blank.
ââŚBut they should contradict themselves the moment they come true⌠If you have not drawn it, then my body should not be harmed⌠If you have drawn it, then you should perish, otherwise this logic makes no senseâŚ!â (Ahid)
âThatâs right, this logic makes no sense. Because the judgment of the Sword of the Almighty was invented by someone who isnât almighty. The logic itself of one who isnât almighty doesnât apply to one who is. Itâs because the latter is almighty that itâs wrong to assume that heâs governed by logic.â (Anos)
Unable to find his words to comment on that, Ahidâs face contorted in sheer confusion.
ââŚYou are wrongâŚâ (Ahid)
âHahaha! You donât understand, Ahid? Thatâs fine. If I had to give you a simple explanation, it would be that one who isnât almighty canât understand the answer given by an almighty one.â (Anos)
For a moment, he stared at me, flabbergasted.
âWhich means you just admitted yourself that this is what I am to you.â (Anos)
I pointed at the sinister-looking collar attached to him.
âYour immortal divine body is gone. Itâs time for the nightmare to begin.â (Anos)
ââŚAhâŚ! UghâŚ! GuhâŚ!â (Ahid)
<Shackle Collar Dream and Reality Nedneliaz>.
The collarâs spell activated, and he fell into a nightmare.
âWhat youâre about to see is the dream of a world where youâre continuously betrayed by the gods. Go around the country and spread the word that the Almighty Radiance Equis doesnât exist. But never kill anyone, and donât kill yourself either. Otherwise, youâll never wake up from your dream again. If things go well, time will turn back, and youâll be betrayed by the gods all over again. If you repeat this a thousand times and abandon your faith, you can come back to reality.â (Anos)
I laughed sadistically and put a curse on him.
âAnd finally, Iâll show you a nightmare youâll never wake up from.â
Ahidâs eyes lost their light.
He mustâve departed for the dream world created by his collar.
âNowâŚâ (Anos)
The sound of footsteps echoed.
I said something to the small goddess who slowly walked my way.
âAre you satisfied with my answer on the Sword of the Almighty?â (Anos)
âNo one is almighty.â (Arcana)
Her pure eyes turned straight to me.
âSaving everybody is impossible.â Arcana proceeded.
âThatâs what I believed.â (Arcana)
When Arcana raised her hand, the Pledge Jewel ring that Ahid was wearing flew into it.
âYou are more righteous than me. You win this holy war. You may now kill me and obtain my order.â Arcana said without showing any sign of hesitation.
As if she werenât afraid to perish.
âIf you say Iâve won, let me ask you something before we finish this.â (Anos)
Arcana nodded.
âAs the winner, you have that right. If itâs within my knowledge, Iâll answer.â (Arcana)
âBack in the main auditorium of the Hero Academy, you went out of your way to ask me your question about whether the almighty one could create a sword that no one could draw. That wasnât on Ahidâs orders, was it?â (Anos)
âCorrect, it wasnât.â (Arcana)
âWhy were you looking for an answer to that?â (Anos)
Arcana even went so far as to create Leviangilma to judge whether or not I could answer that question during this Selection Judgment.
If I couldnât answer it, she wouldâve imposed that judgment on someone else.
âItâs not a question worth fighting over.â (Anos)
She thought for a while before answering.
âI am a god, yet Iâm the one who has sinned.â Arcana said as if making a confession.
âFor I have forgotten my divine name.â (Arcana)