They all call me an Outer God.

Lilia smiled and suddenly deactivated her transformation, reverting to her original form.

"Answer me, who am I?"

"Who am I?" This was a question that Ria had asked more than one person. He thought he wouldn't be surprised by any answer he heard, but then, the being in the darkness paused for a moment and posed another question to him.

[What you really want to know is your past, present, or future self?]

"Is there any difference?" Ria was full of questions.

【No】

Ria: "..."

Logically speaking, the past is you, the present is you, and the future is you; no matter how things change, you will always be you.

So who do you think you are now? A fallen witch, the lord of trade, a faceless god, or something else entirely?

"Please don't distort the topic, great Mother Goddess."

Ria is struggling against an unknown contamination: "You know perfectly well that this isn't what I want to ask. What I want is the truth that you've been so painstakingly covering up."

"A truth about me, what role am I in your script, why did you go to such lengths to stuff my soul into a god, and why was it me who survived?"

“Hephaestus and his ilk said that once I died, my divine essence would be an ownerless and mindless thing, belonging entirely to them. To be honest, if they wanted to, they could have killed me with their own means, but they didn’t.”

"They seem to be having a great time playing along with this whole show, so much so that they think I can't see what they're afraid of. I've used your authority to tease them like this, and they're not even that angry. It seems that my role is much more important than I thought."

Ria chuckled softly, and from the void, it seemed as if billions of golden eyes opened, gazing at the sovereign high above in the darkness: "So, please allow me to ask the question of who I am one more time."

At that moment, the ruler even felt a pang of regret, regretting that he shouldn't have cast his gaze in this direction.

It's normal that Hephaestus and his ilk didn't kill Ria; rather than saying they didn't want to, it's more accurate to say they were afraid to.

The black goat changed its mind, and the black and white lines faded rapidly, about to disappear. At that moment, Lia, standing on the giant tentacle, suddenly sneered.

"Are you trying to break the contract? Now that I have summoned your gaze, it means our trade has begun. You can't just leave as easily as you please—"

As he spoke, the golden light in Ria's eyes suddenly dimmed, and he stretched out his hand toward the sky, whereupon a scale suddenly appeared.

The black feather, acting as a weight, landed lightly on the right side of the scale. The left side was empty. Logically, the feather should have almost no weight and should not have been able to weigh down the scale. However, it fell down without any obstruction.

It was at this moment that the black and white eyes were replaced by gold, and the void above the sky was filled with golden pupils. The tentacles on the ground became more and more ferocious, and they rushed towards Ria like madmen, wrapping him up and forming a cocoon-like thing.

Not long after, the black cocoon broke open.

Ria, clad in a black robe with gold patterns, emerged from among them. The edges of the robe fluttered like black flames, emanating a terrifying aura. Anything he touched quickly withered away, turning into black gold.

At this moment, Ria had become completely one with Swarth; he was the true Mist, the true Lord of Trade—

"I wonder if I have the means to keep you here?"

Even though it was only meme three, and even though it was very likely that it would die if it faced the Mother Goddess head-on, the dark figure still attacked the Supreme Mother Goddess without hesitation. A strong wind arose, and Ria's staff instantly transformed into a longsword and then split, forming 1,500 Damocles Swords that emitted golden light and floated in the sky.

The sword tip points straight into nothingness.

The dark shadow on the ground spread its arms, like the most devout believer, yet also like the most unrestrained traitor.

"You no longer have the option to leave."

From the void, the divine essence cast its gaze upon this place.

"You have only two choices." "Kill me, or tell me the truth."

"However, you may only have to choose the second option, because the first one should be a decision I make myself."

As he spoke, the Sword of Damocles hovered above Ria's head.

"Of course I know that my actions are nothing more than those of you supreme beings, but even clowns should have their own dignity."

I will count to three. If you do not make a choice, the sword above my head will automatically fall to the ground, while the other swords will arrive at your side regardless of time or space.

"At that time, you can deal with the divine spark above your head yourselves. Whether it self-destructs or what happens at that moment is beyond my control."

As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly felt the pressure descending upon him growing heavier and heavier. It was obvious that the one above the darkness was angry at this moment. Koria couldn't care less about that. All the so-called pollution would be absorbed by the cloak and become its nourishment.

While Ria appears to be threatening, he is actually stalling for time. The more pollution he takes on, the more his abilities will improve, meaning it's a sure-fire way to make money.

Because the two were too powerful, Ria had already faintly heard the sound of space tearing apart. He knew that he had made the right bet. Although the building was powerful as a mysterious object, it could not withstand such a powerful memory image.

Moreover, who can guarantee that what's above is just an image, and not a true god appearing across memory and time?

"three……"

The mockery in Lia's eyes deepened.

"two."

"one!"

With a "whoosh," the Sword of Damocles crashed down, carrying immense power to slay him. But at that moment, just as the sword was a fingertip away from Ria, it was suddenly shattered into nothingness.

The same fate befell the remaining 1,499 greatswords.

As this action occurred, the black and white lines became even dimmer, almost disappearing completely.

【…】

Ria seemed to hear a sigh, as if some being had finally given in.

He said slowly—

The you of the past, the you of the present, and the you of the future are all you.

The past is you, the present is you, and the future is you.

[Lia Kercha, huh... I guess I'm still not good at dealing with people. Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore.]

Since you're willing to listen, let me tell you a true story.

After the ruler conveyed this message to Ria, Ria's consciousness also sank at that moment, and her vision changed.

He found himself in a coffee shop, dressed as a waiter, carrying a tray with two steaming cups of coffee.

Not far away, a woman dressed in a business suit sat quietly in her seat, her jet-black hair reaching the floor.

He looked up quietly and smiled as he waved to Ria.

"Hello, my name is Shub Nicholas." (End of Chapter)