I am Hiroy.
And as of yesterday, my life stopped belonging to me.
The goddess Kokono herself revealed the truth.
I wasn't reincarnated by chance.
I wasn't dragged into this world because of some accident or divine mistake.
I was chosen.
A dependent of the World Goddess.
At first, I thought she was joking.
Then she flattened me over a hundred times in a row without taking a single step.
That cleared things up pretty quickly.
Even now, remembering it makes my pride ache.
I'd attacked from behind.
Used enhancement magic.
Tried feints.
Weapon transformations.
Everything.
And every single time…
I ended up staring at the sky before I even realized she'd moved.
That was when I truly understood the difference between us.
Kokono wasn't merely powerful.
She existed on a completely different level.
According to her, there are ten supreme gods who stand above the countless lesser deities governing worlds, dimensions, timelines, and realms beyond mortal understanding.
And among those ten…
Two stood at the very top.
Kokono.
And the Destruction Goddess.
The thought alone was terrifying.
Kokono casually explained that she governed over thousands of universes the same way someone from Earth would browse television channels.
Watching civilizations rise and fall.
Observing heroes.
Villains.
Wars.
Love stories.
Entire realities.
And somehow…
one day, I could inherit part of that authority.
Omnipotence.
The kind of power I used to only hear about in comics and anime.
Unbeatable.
Absolute.
But right now?
I'm nowhere close.
Not even remotely.
Which only motivates me more.
I clenched my hand tighter around my weapon as I walked through the scorching wastelands ahead.
My scythe shifted slightly in response to my thoughts.
Create Weapon.
One of my core abilities.
A weapon manifestation skill capable of tracing, adapting, and reshaping itself depending on what I needed most during combat.
I still didn't fully understand its limits.
A few weeks ago, I fought a carnivorous horse monster.
Even now, that sentence sounded ridiculous.
The thing was nearly fifty times stronger and faster than any horse back on Earth. Thankfully it was still immature and hadn't mastered wind magic yet.
During that fight, my scythe transformed into a spiked metallic chain coated in paralytic poison.
A form I'd never imagined consciously.
That was when realization hit me.
Magic wasn't limited to simple elements.
Magic was imagination.
Concepts.
Interpretation.
The stronger the imagination…
the stronger the spell.
Which made me wonder.
Does Shiro have something similar?
I exhaled quietly.
Thinking about him always complicated my emotions.
Before Kokono sent me away, I'd asked her directly if Shiro was another dependent of the World Goddess.
She said no.
And for some reason…
that answer unsettled me more than if she'd said yes.
Especially when I remembered the color of Shiro's magic.
That deep violet darkness.
And the way Kokono briefly avoided answering when I asked about the Destruction Goddess afterward.
I shook my head.
No point overthinking it.
Right now, I had my own mission.
Ahead of me stretched a massive dead plain beneath an unbearable sun.
Only hours ago, I'd crossed through the neighboring High Elf Forest, a land so overflowing with life that the trees themselves glowed faintly with mana.
And right beside it…
this wasteland existed.
Dry.
Cracked.
Lifeless.
According to legend, an ancient civilization once thrived here. A magical empire centuries ahead of modern kingdoms.
Then they attempted to manipulate spirit authority.
And in doing so…
angered a low-ranking Earth Spirit.
The result?
An entire continent reduced to ash and sand.
My mission was simple.
Subjugate the spirit.
Restore the land.
I stepped off Shura's back slowly.
The Pegasus snorted proudly while folding her wings.
Golden magic erupted around me instantly.
BOOOOM.
A pillar of radiant mana spiraled skyward as sand blasted outward in every direction.
Behind me, excited voices immediately started up.
"Oooo! Hiroy's magic power really is pretty," Lani chirped happily while hovering beside Shura.
The fairy's tiny wings sparkled beneath the sunlight.
"Hmph. Obviously," Syrah declared proudly.
The massive lioness puffed out her chest arrogantly.
"No one's magic is more beautiful than Master's."
Frana rolled her eyes.
"You say that like it's your magic."
Syrah's golden eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What did you say, human?"
Frana froze instantly.
The pressure alone made the air heavier.
Unlike ordinary summons, Syrah belonged to the Heavenly Beast Domain.
To beastfolk races…
she was practically divine.
"Now now," Lilith interrupted calmly.
The beastwoman smiled gently while stepping between them.
"No fighting before breakfast."
Syrah clicked her tongue but relaxed.
A few moments later—
the ground shook violently.
A massive shadow rose ahead.
Then glowing green light erupted from the earth itself.
A gigantic humanoid figure emerged beside a colossal tree.
Its body looked carved from roots and stone.
The Earth Spirit.
Without hesitation, the massive tree behind it exploded into motion.
Branches whipped toward me at lethal speeds.
My scythe instantly transformed.
Metal twisted outward into a circular shield lined with spinning chainsaw-like blades.
CLANG.
I slid sideways, dodging the first branch before vaulting over another.
The spirit's attacks were powerful…
but slow.
The moment it overextended—
I moved.
My shield spun violently through the air, engulfed in sunrise-colored flames.
The spinning blades carved directly through multiple branches before severing one of the spirit's massive arms.
The creature roared furiously.
"You earth beings really hate fire, huh?" I grinned.
"Good thing I reached advanced fire magic recently."
I disappeared beneath a burst of enhancement magic.
Space rippled around my legs.
Then—
BOOOOM.
My kick distorted the air itself, tearing through dimensional space beside the spirit.
Its second arm exploded apart instantly.
The spirit staggered backward.
Then regenerated both arms moments later.
Sharp leaves erupted toward me like a storm of blades.
I extended my hand calmly.
My weapon flew back toward me automatically, trailing spiraling fire behind it.
"ERUPT," I declared.
"Sunset Volcano."
The earth detonated.
A gigantic pillar of magma erupted upward, devouring the incoming leaves instantly.
The sky darkened beneath clouds of ash.
The spirit glared at me with pure hatred.
Then dozens of massive rock golems emerged from the surrounding wasteland.
I whistled softly.
"So this is low-ranking spirit power?"
Honestly…
it was impressive.
Probably middle-tier by monster standards.
Still nowhere near dragon-class creatures though.
I hurled my weapon again.
This time the spinning flames expanded massively, carving through entire lines of golems before detonating behind them.
"Rock-a-bye…"
I snapped my fingers.
"EXPLOSION."
The lingering flames erupted simultaneously.
BOOOOM.
Every remaining golem shattered into molten rubble.
I smiled smugly.
"With that, this should be over."
Then I vanished.
The spirit panicked instantly, attempting to retreat underground.
Too slow.
I appeared behind it, grabbed its arm, and slammed the massive creature face-first into the earth hard enough to create a crater.
The impact shook the wasteland.
"Since my mana output is greater than yours," I said calmly, "I never really needed to fight you."
Golden light shimmered faintly in my eyes.
"Now speak."
The spirit's expression went blank immediately.
Then it answered in a deep, distorted voice.
"Your challenge is not over…"
"I was sent here…"
"…by another dependent."
Silence followed.
Then I smiled slowly.
"So the game's already started."
Interesting.
I released the unconscious spirit before extending my hand toward the wasteland.
Massive golden mana erupted outward.
"COPY MAGIC," I declared.
"SPIRIT GENESIS: GREAT ELVEN FOREST."
The earth trembled violently.
At first, only tiny sprouts appeared from the cracked sands.
Then roots erupted outward in every direction.
Silver-barked trees rose rapidly toward the sky.
Glowing blue rivers formed through the dead plains as spiritual mana spread like flowing light across the land itself.
Flowers bloomed instantly.
The dry air became cool.
Alive.
Even the mana signature felt identical to the neighboring High Elf Forest.
Lani's tiny eyes widened.
"T-this feels exactly like the Forest of Spirits near Lakeway…"
Lilith stared silently at the growing woodland.
"…That forest was destroyed recently."
I blinked.
"Destroyed?"
The girls exchanged uneasy glances.
Frana spoke quietly.
"There were rumors…"
"A dark-haired mage burned part of the Spirit Forest during an incident involving demons."
Something in my chest tightened unexpectedly.
Dark purple magic.
The Destruction Goddess.
Shiro.
No…
Surely not.
I pushed the thought away immediately.
Shiro wasn't cruel.
Reckless sometimes?
Absolutely.
Emotionally unstable?
Definitely.
But not evil.
Never evil.
I stared at the growing forest silently as silver leaves danced through the air.
Then I smiled faintly.
"Then maybe this place can become a new beginning for the people who lost theirs."
Behind me, Kokono silently watched through layers of reality.
And somewhere far away…
another goddess watched too.
Smiling quietly as fate slowly began pulling two brothers toward inevitable collision.