I'm not a hero, but I didn't say I couldn't beat you.

"I thought about it as early as when I knew they were preparing to resurrect the gods in this way."

Audrey sat under the tree, looking at the endless waves in the distance, and said.

"What if we really resurrected a god, but he is no longer the god we expected?"

"If the [world] we resurrect will eventually destroy our world, then what have we done?"

"If... we are going to bring disaster, then I think we should at least not be like our predecessors who only left problems, like the gods of the past."

"So, I left a backdoor. While hiding your existence, I hope to quietly bury a backdoor at this first gathering, the first ceremony about the resurrection of the gods. If it really appears If there is an accident, then you will become an insurance, a possibility, a possibility that in the worst case, after all of us believers have disappeared because of the faith link with the gods, we can still intervene in the gods."

"So, when I was in that gathering and saw the gods dying and spreading destruction while resurrecting, I was actually a little lucky."

"Fortunately, at least before the disaster expanded, we knew that all this was wrong; fortunately, our choice to stay behind was the right one, and -"

Audrey pointed at No. 15 and said.

"Congratulate yourself for keeping you."

Audrey closed her eyes, sighed, and then opened them again.

"But... it's a pity that even though I calculated so much, I still missed a lot of places. For example, I thought that after [Gaia's Legacy] was revived, the federation would react quickly due to the disaster of expansion. , and figure it all out. Maybe on their own, maybe through you."

"Although I have long noticed that there are some problems at the top. In some decisions, they are no longer the safe solutions in the past, but more radical. But after all, I did not realize that there are external forces affecting us. [Gaia The fluctuations caused by the birth of "Legacy" cannot go unnoticed by the Federation. Even if our group is silent for a period of time, I am afraid it will attract their attention. However, none of this happened."

"At that time, I did not hesitate to dedicate my consciousness and the virtual personality fragments saved from you to the gods through the cocoon of life transformation. Therefore, I retained the independence of my consciousness, but soon Alas, when we were all consumed by Him, He fell into a deep sleep.”

"And so am I."

"It wasn't until not long ago that I woke up from the endless darkness. Maybe it was because of external stimulation, maybe the mastermind behind all this finally started to implement his plan, or maybe it was you who had established a weak connection with Him. It happened to be at this time Waking up is like a pebble falling into a calm lake, causing a ripple."

Audrey retracted her eyes and gently brushed the grass at her feet.

And when I woke up, it was here.

"Isn't this place... built by you?"

"No, it's not me. It's the only remaining pure land that He built to protect me."

Audrey smiled softly and stroked the hair of the sleeping white-haired girl lying on her lap.

"she is…………"

"Well, you guessed it right, she is Gaia, or is it Tiamat? Her name and her various forms exist in too many myths and legends, but, in short, she is our [world] The god we believe in, the existence we pursue.”

"She is [the world]."

"!!!"

No. 15, who was frightened by the shocking facts, almost screamed out, but was afraid of waking up the sleeping girl, so he suppressed his voice in the end.

"Yeah, it's incredible, isn't it!"

Audrey combed the other person's long hair, which was a little messy due to sleep, and said slowly.

"Everyone would find it incredible that the god we worship turned out to be a little girl in the end. I thought so at first, but later I understood."

"He just chose... the appearance that is closest to the children. Because she is so gentle, she cannot bear to see her children's consciousness being consumed due to falling into the whirlpool of chaotic thinking for a long time. I was exhausted, so I did not hesitate to tear apart my remaining consciousness and build such a small piece of pure land for her."

"Because she was unwilling to fight with her children, she allowed them to ask for miracles from her, even though she knew that all this was just drinking poison to quench her thirst."

"Because she hoped that the children could continue to live, and hoped that they would no longer struggle with the disasters caused by her subconscious reactions gradually heading towards the abyss... She smiled and entrusted her power to them, gave her blessings, and left. Here, never look back.”

"What kind of world god is this? This is clearly...a loving mother who only knows how to give..."

Audrey sighed and said.

"It's a pity that even such a wish will not be realized. He is once again forced to return to reality, and once again forced to hurt her children. But He who has entrusted his power has done everything No more. She cannot and cannot appear again in the true sense. She can only let the walking corpse named [Gaia's Legacy] walk on the earth with hatred endowed by malice."

"It's pitiful, right? Even now, she is trying to fight against that malice, trying to hinder His progress, but... the effect is very little."

"What do you want me to do?"

NO.15 asked without thinking.

"I do not know."

However, when faced with the question from No. 15, Audrey shook her head and said.

"I'm not a prophet. I can't even control what happens ten years after my death."

Audrey looked at No. 15, stretched out her hand, and pointed at himself.

"How to do it, how to do it, what to do, it all depends on you. Whether you fight to the death or turn around and leave, this is your choice. No one has ever asked you to do something, and you also It has never been that [hero] shadow, I hope you can make your own choice."

"…………"

"Then what if—"

After a long silence, NO.15 asked again.

"What if I want to save you? Audrey——"

"help me?"

"Well, since your consciousness is still intact here, then-"

"Hahahahaha, thank you, thank you for wanting to save me. I have received your thoughts, but -"

Audrey smiled and then pointed at herself.

"I am already a dead person. I have been dead for more than ten years. I should have told you back then that there is no resurrection after death."

"But there are exceptions, aren't there? Isn't that why miracles happen?"

NO.15 excitedly grabbed the other person's hand. Under the sleeve, the traces of being a witness to a miracle were still floating on the surface of her skin.

"No, it's different. I'm not a complete consciousness, but just fragments and echoes of consciousness. In a sense, I rely on your virtual personality to maintain my existence. You can feel it now, right? Your memory is slowly recovering, you see, you even remembered the marks on my hands."

"...Is it really...impossible?"

NO.15 lowered his head, not wanting the other party to see his expression.

"Maybe it's still possible, but..."

Audrey looked at [Gaia] and said softly.

"Even if there are differences in concepts, I am her believer after all, and she is the god I serve. It is impossible for me to abandon my god and leave alone. So, don't be sad."

Audrey gently stroked NO.15's cheek and wiped away his tears.

"It's just a belated goodbye. But at least we got a chance to say goodbye, right?"