Riku's mind drifted back to the light at the top of the staircase.
That light… is he God!?
"You're probably wondering, 'How could mere mortals decide something so important?'" Bragi said, slowly spreading his arms.
"The answer is simple… though I doubt you'll like it. So prepare yourselves."
Bragi allowed a few moments of silence to pass.
"Ready?"
A disturbing smile appeared on his face.
"Obviously, through a tournament between you mortals, where essentially… you will have to kill one another until only one of you remains!"
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Disbelief froze millions of people in place before the words of the god of poetry.
Then suddenly, the entire space exploded into protests, screams, and panic.
Bragi slowly nodded, observing the mortals' reactions with almost sympathetic eyes.
"I understand that you may consider this unfair…" he said calmly.
"But unfortunately for you, participating in this tournament is not optional."
The mortals began shouting at Bragi even more furiously.
"This is insane… I was finally about to graduate!"
"And I had just confessed to the girl I like…"
"I want to see my parents again!"
Standing nearby, Riku heard those voices and lowered his head, instinctively touching his neck as heavy thoughts filled his mind.
Bragi inhaled deeply before raising his voice.
"That's enough complaining! You would all do better to accept reality as soon as possible!"
His shout once again forced silence over the entire Divine Space.
"Now I will explain how things work, so listen carefully… because I will not repeat myself a second time."
Bragi slowly crossed his arms.
"Every deity here is competing to become the next Supreme God. However, I think it should be obvious that we gods cannot fight directly on the battlefield…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"After all, if a god dies, it's not exactly possible to create another one, is it?" he joked.
Nobody laughed.
"And that is where you come in."
Bragi stepped even closer to the mortals.
"There are approximately eight hundred million mortals gathered here. Each deity will receive a certain number of subordinates to represent them throughout the tournament."
The deity paused briefly before continuing.
"Of course, not all of us possess the same number of representatives. The amount depends on how famous a deity is among mortals. The most well-known gods may possess over one hundred and fifty million subordinates… while the lesser-known ones may only have a hundred. Ten…"
He raised one finger.
"Or even just a single one."
Among the crowd, a boy timidly raised his hand.
Bragi noticed him immediately.
"Oh? We have a question! Go ahead, young mortal."
"Excuse me…" the boy said hesitantly.
"You said only one person would remain in the end. But if the last survivors all belonged to the same deity… wouldn't that deity still win?"
"Excellent question!" Bragi exclaimed.
For a moment, however, his face became darker.
"The answer, unfortunately for you, is rather cruel. We require a single victor. Only one."
Bragi calmly scanned the crowd.
"So if two or more subordinates of the same deity survive until the end… they will be forced to kill one another."
Several people gasped.
"This is because the final survivor will receive a reward."
The light above the thrones seemed to intensify slightly.
"The one who survives will ascend into a demigod and live within the Divine Space alongside the new Supreme God."
Bragi slowly opened his arms.
"You will become superior beings. You will live beside the gods for eternity… as a reward for all your hard work."
Different reactions spread through the crowd, but it was obvious that nobody was truly convinced.
"I would like to move on to another important point, but first… please accept the contract that will appear before you."
Suddenly, glowing text appeared before Riku's eyes, startling him.
[Ascension Protocol – Activation Pending]
His heart nearly stopped.
He hadn't touched anything.
He hadn't chosen anything.
A contract…? This feels more like an obligation…
[Accept]
There were no other options.
The notification vanished before he could even react.
Suddenly, an unbearable pain exploded inside Riku's head, barely allowing him to stay standing.
Damn… this pain is worse than death!
"Excellent!" Bragi exclaimed while clapping his hands. "You are now connected to the Divine System!"
"What's happening to us!?" the tall boy next to Riku shouted while writhing on the ground.
"I don't know!"
Then, just as suddenly, the pain disappeared.
Riku slowly stood back up.
Moments later, another glowing screen appeared before him, displaying various values.
"What you see before your eyes are your stats: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Vision, and Dexterity. You'll be able to improve them throughout your journey… assuming you actually live long enough to see those improvements."
Murmurs spread among the mortals as everyone stared at the floating screens.
Numbers. Labels. Unfamiliar terms.
Riku looked at them without fully understanding.
He didn't feel any different.
No sudden strength.
No obvious change.
And yet, something told him he couldn't ignore them.
"These statistics represent your current condition. Nothing more."
Some people seemed relieved by those words.
"They do not represent your limits. They do not determine what you can become… they only show where you begin."
"Like a video game," a girl in front of Riku muttered.
"Exactly!" Bragi replied. "We designed it that way to give you a familiar visual advantage. A level-based system… the higher your level, the stronger you become."
Riku scanned through his stats and noticed one category in particular:
Skills.
"As some of you may have already noticed, there is an Skills section. During the tournament, each of you will be able to unlock various abilities useful both in combat and in everyday survival. Skills are divided into two categories: Basic and Unique."
Bragi gesticulated.
"Basic skills, as you may imagine, can be unlocked by anyone through leveling up. Unique skills, however, can only be obtained by specific individuals who meet certain requirements."
Riku placed a hand on his chin and thought carefully.
So theoretically, at certain levels we'll receive choices between various basic skills… while Unique skills are probably granted according to our stats or conditions…
"Speaking of skills… there is actually an even rarer category."
Bragi's expression suddenly became more serious.
"These are skills that only one subordinate per divine faction can possess at any given time. For example, if a subordinate of a deity unlocks one of these skills, all other members of the same party will automatically lose the skill to obtain it… at least for as long as the subordinate is alive."
That statement immediately captured everyone's attention.
"These skills can only be unlocked through a personal trial, different for every individual. Not even we gods know the nature of those trials, so that we cannot assist you in completing them. Only the Supreme God knows."
Bragi paused briefly.
"That should help you understand just how important these skills are… they can completely alter the course of the tournament in an instant. And more importantly, the longer someone keeps one of these skills, the more it will evolve alongside them day after day."
"These rules are starting to get complicated for me…" the tall boy beside Riku admitted.
Riku looked at him sympathetically.
"Yeah… you're definitely not the only one."
"Now, let's move on to another small topic: weapons. Each of you will receive a weapon of your choosing. However, if you are fortunate enough—and if your deity deems you worthy—you may obtain a Divine Weapon."
Bragi smiled faintly.
"Divine Weapons are unique. Weapons that shaped history itself or hold immense significance to the gods. But above all…"
Bragi chuckled softly, unsettling Riku and the others.
"…they are far from ordinary weapons."
This guy sounds less trustworthy with every sentence…
"Now for another important topic: the location where the tournament will take place. We thought it would be cruel to rip you away from your lives and your Earth completely, so… we created a planet similar to it!"
Bragi clapped his hands.
"So take a look at your new home!"
Riku looked around, expecting something to appear.
Uh… where's the planet?
"Where are you looking? It's appearing right in front of you!"
Bragi urged everyone to look behind him.
Before the mortals, space itself began to change.
The darkness folded inward, as if something were tearing it apart from within.
Riku felt his stomach tighten.
A glowing fracture opened within the void.
And beyond it… there was a world.
Massive mountains.
Endless oceans.
Forests that seemed to stretch forever.
A surreal sky crossed by slowly moving symbols.
Riku stood motionless.
It didn't feel real.
But it didn't feel like a dream either.
"That," Bragi said calmly, "is Aetherion."
"Wow…"
Riku stared in shock at the beauty of the young planet created solely for them.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Though I'm sorry to inform you… you won't be alone there. Others will live alongside you."
Riku froze the moment he heard those words.
He doesn't give us a single moment to breathe…
"Alongside you will exist other beings. Or, as humans have chosen to call them… mythical creatures! And I assure you, they will make your lives far more difficult!"
Bragi explained cheerfully, but one boy immediately snapped.
"Why would you do something like that!? Isn't forcing us to kill each other already enough!?"
"That's a fair point," Bragi replied lightly. "Let's say we did it for two reasons. The first is practical: increasing your opportunities to level up. The second…"
Bragi tilted his head slightly.
"…is simply because we will be watching you every single day. And if things became repetitive, there would be no entertainment. So we chose this solution instead!"
Many mortals looked disturbed by that answer.
"You gods are addicted to entertainment…" Riku muttered quietly.
"Exactly, young man!" Bragi answered immediately.
He heard me!?
"But we do not mean that in a negative sense or for mere personal amusement. We are not addicted to entertainment itself… we are addicted to you mortals!"
Addicted…?
"You see, we are eternal beings. We do not age, and we remain trapped in the same place forever, watching over existence itself. But thanks to you, the burden of that monotonous and sorrowful existence has become lighter. Every single day, you are our entertainment—with your… human ways."
Riku's eyes widened slightly.
"The way you experience emotions, the way you act… it is absolutely fascinating in every sense! Don't you agree?"
Bragi turned toward the other deities, who welcomed his words enthusiastically.
"I believe many of you have also noticed another interesting detail: the age range of the selected mortals. Practically speaking, the logic is the same as with the gods; we obviously could not throw all of humanity into a death tournament until only one remained. That would have meant humanity's extinction…"
Bragi raised one finger.
"So we came up with an idea: what if we selected only a small portion of them? And thus, we decided to recruit only boys and girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one… because you are humanity's finest entertainment!"
The deity's gaze practically burned with excitement.
"Your emotions are more intense than those of older humans. Your desire to discover yourselves, learn new things, experience love and adventure… the way you act impulsively when pushed into extreme situations…"
Bragi paused briefly.
"To us, you are the beating heart of humanity!"
Some mortals remained silent, unable to even respond.
"And that is exactly why we impose no rules upon you. You are free to do whatever you wish! You may create alliances, build friendships, or even find your soulmate! We will remain here for days, weeks, years… perhaps even longer. We will wait for you."
For the first time, Bragi's voice sounded almost sincere.
"All of this exists to give you the freedom to live and be yourselves. Not only for our pleasure… but for yours as well."
The mortals listened, yet doubt still lingered heavily in the air.
"I still haven't convinced you…"
Suddenly, Bragi sprinted back up the staircase, shocking everyone.
"The rest is up to you! The journey awaiting you will be filled with danger and hardships of every kind. But what we are offering you is a second chance to become someone important! A second chance to prove your worth!"
Bragi's voice echoed across the dark expanse.
"History is calling you. So for the final time… I ask you to fight for US! For us gods who have granted you this SECOND CHANCE!"
The atmosphere ignited instantly.
"Cry for US! Rejoice for US! Die for US! Improve day after day! Learn to show no mercy before your enemies! From this moment onward, every action you take may alter the fate of existence itself!"
This time, Bragi successfully stirred countless mortals.
Amid the roaring excitement, Riku seemed trapped within a single thought.
Second chance…
Memories resurfaced of the moment he had nearly ended his own life.
Can I… really have one?
The shouting continued endlessly while Bragi finally looked satisfied.
"My work here is finished… now your own deities will guide you along this path! You will have five minutes to speak with them. You may choose your future weapon and ask whatever questions come to mind."
Bragi pointed toward the mortals.
"Everything now depends on you! As you humans like to say… good luck, and may the best one win!"
Bragi snapped his fingers.
And everything was swallowed by darkness once again.