Above the clouds, a colossal floating island drifted in silence.
Endless golden flowers bloomed across its surface, a miracle wrought by a god.
It was also the sanctum prepared by a newborn deity for ascension.
No… not he.
They.
Here, They would complete the final ritual and ascend to Sequence 0, becoming a true god.
This would become Their kingdom in the heavens.
A sanctuary for mortals.
A home for believers.
Amid the boundless sea of golden blossoms, a breathtaking woman danced with joy.
She wore a flowing golden dress, her long hair radiant like the sun itself. Every movement shimmered with divine beauty.
Smiling brightly, she walked toward the black-robed deity.
Though the final ritual had yet to be completed, there was no doubt. They were already a god.
The uniqueness of Their Sequence was firmly in Their grasp.
What remained was merely the last step.
The woman opened her arms and embraced her god.
She buried her dazzling face, beautiful enough to eclipse the entire sea of flowers, into Their chest.
Before outsiders, before believers, she was valiant and awe-inspiring.
But in front of her god,
she shed everything.
No armor. No burdens.
Only a girl in love.
Holding her god, she spoke in a soft, tender voice that no one else could ever hear.
"Promise me. Once the ritual is complete, you will be my god, and I will be your king. We will be the happiest couple in the entire world. The kind that even gods and their kings envy."
God and King
not merely lovers, but the very foundation of this world.
God was law.
King was humanity.
They were closer than lovers because they were truly inseparable.
A god could not exist without Their king.
And a king could not live without their god.
As she spoke, the girl reached up, trying to remove the deity's hood.
She wanted to etch every detail of Their face into her memory and treasure it forever.
But halfway through, her hand was gently caught.
The black-robed god looked down at her and said softly,
"Not yet. You cannot see my face, not yet."
The golden-haired girl pouted slightly, a hint of playful dissatisfaction on her face, but quickly brightened again.
"Then let's finish the ritual. Once I become your king and you become my god, you will have no reason to refuse me anymore."
The god nodded.
"Yes, the final ritual must be carried out."
Then, after a brief pause,
"But there is something I need to apologize for."
She tilted her head in confusion.
"Why would you apologize? What we have surpasses everything. You never need to apologize to me."
Silence fell.
The god gently raised a hand and caressed her cheek, eyes filled with quiet sorrow.
"The final ascension ritual of the Justice Sequence is very simple."
"And very cruel."
"It requires no madness. No elaborate sacrifices."
Their hand moved to her forehead.
With a single touch,
even as a Sequence 1 angel, she was completely immobilized.
"The ritual from angel to god is nothing more than a grand deception."
"And death."
No further explanation was needed.
For a moment, shock flickered across her face.
Then only boundless gentleness remained.
Though her body could not move, though she could not speak, her expression conveyed everything.
Just as she had said,
what they shared surpassed everything.
He did not need to apologize.
Even if everything between them had been a lie.
Even if her very existence was merely meant to become the final step of his ascension.
Even so,
she accepted it.
Seeing her like this, even the god hesitated.
After a long moment, They released her physical restraints, but kept her divinity firmly sealed.
The girl noticed.
But she made no attempt to resist.
Instead, she raised her hand once more toward the hood.
This time,
the god did not stop her.
Yet, halfway through, she withdrew her hand with a faint, regretful smile.
Then she leaned back, using the arm around her waist as support, falling into a fragile, beautiful pose in her god's embrace.
"Please ascend."
The god slowly raised Their hand.
The girl closed her eyes in peace.
She had no regrets.
Even if everything had been a lie,
she was grateful.
Grateful that this god had chosen someone who once had nothing,
and given her everything she never deserved.
And now,
it was her turn to give everything back.
The expected pain came.
A terrifying force tore through her chest, so overwhelming that even her soul seemed on the verge of being ripped apart.
But time passed.
And death never came.
Instead,
what filled her was an unimaginable, overwhelming power.
The power of uniqueness.
The power of divinity.
Yes,
it was a grand deception.
And a death.
But the one deceived was the girl.
And the one who offered death
was her god.
Her eyes snapped open in disbelief.
What she saw
was the figure before her, his chest hollowed out, existence itself missing.
He had given her everything.
And could no longer hold on.
They collapsed together.
But this time,
he fell into her arms.
Their positions reversed.
The girl,
no, the goddess,
clutched him in panic, trembling.
She poured divine power into him frantically, desperately trying to stop his fading existence.
But it was futile.
He had been the final step of her ascension.
Now that she had received everything,
his death was inevitable.
Realizing this,
she broke.
Tears streamed endlessly as she held him tightly.
"No… no, this can't be real."
"I won't accept this. I refuse."
She could accept any betrayal,
but never his death.
Never his leaving.
He gently raised his hand and touched her face one last time.
"There's no need to cry. Everything is as it should be."
"Isn't it?"
She sobbed uncontrollably.
"It's not. It's not good at all. Why… why would you do this?"
He smiled faintly.
And in her arms,
he quietly faded into nothingness.
Leaving behind only the golden-haired goddess,
alone,
weeping in the endless sea of flowers.
The girl became a god.
And the goddess
lost her king.