The Great Sword is not the Main Body!
Chapter 180 – The End of the World (2)

“What nonsense is this guy spouting from our first meeting?”

The moment Serr spotted Laila, she had prepared to attack, but now her face twisted in irritation as she held back.

“Why are you all staring at me like that? I have no parents. Don’t get strange ideas.”

“Huh? No, I mean… you don’t have any…? Um, what? Strange ideas? No, I wasn’t…”

“Enough. My parentage is irrelevant at this point.”

Caught completely off-guard by Serr’s unexpected response, Rubia stumbled over her words awkwardly.
Serr clicked her tongue at Rubia’s reaction before shifting her gaze back to Laila.

[Hahaha! You’re quite right. Just because you’re my descendant doesn’t mean I’m your parent.]

Laila, completely unconcerned with Serr’s sharp glare, leisurely perched herself atop Yggdrasil.

[But surely you all know that we who are called Beasts of the End aren’t ordinary monsters? Don’t look at me that way. I also wish to converse with you.]

This was an entirely different atmosphere from the other Beasts of the End we had encountered.
Faced with Laila’s peculiar demeanor, we couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

[Haven’t you already spoken with the others? If you’re ignoring me because I’m just a decrepit old woman who can’t hold a conversation, I might feel a little hurt…]

As Laila’s expression drooped with mock sadness, the leaves of Yggdrasil surrounding her sagged in response.

“Don’t be deceived. Besides, to maintain Noah’s [Thirst], we need to continue fighting—”

[Ah, yes. I nearly forgot about that. Don’t worry about it.]

Snap — Cutting Serr off mid-sentence, Laila flicked her fingers. Instantly, a single flower sprouted from the ground and attached itself to my body, completely eliminating the compulsion of [Thirst] I had been barely suppressing.

[Fufu. Now we can talk comfortably, can’t we?]

“…Eh?”

“Hmph.”

“What just happened…?”

The flower that had appeared without warning and its extraordinary power left us speechless.

And then, again,

Snap — As Laila’s fingers flicked once more.

[Krrh, up close, you’re even more beautiful young women. Each with your own distinctive flavor. Splendid, truly splendid…]

In an instant, our bodies were transported directly in front of Laila.

“Noah!”

At Rubia’s cry, scorching divine power enveloped the area. The countless spirits that suddenly surrounded us released destructive energy.

I too gripped Frey and—

Crack

[If I startled you, I apologize. It’s been so long since I’ve encountered beings other than that lizard. It’s unfortunate I can’t observe you up close, but I suppose it can’t be helped.]

I couldn’t complete my swing.
I couldn’t even properly draw my weapon.

Before our actions could continue, Laila’s unknown power had erased everything.

After performing this inconceivable feat that was difficult to believe even as I witnessed it, Laila calmly smiled as if it were nothing.

[I have no intention of fighting you at present. After all, testing you isn’t my role. Therefore, I shall swear upon Yggdrasil, which forms the core of my being.]

Her voice grew slightly heavier.
Her words came forth like a solemn declaration.

Energy flowed from Laila’s lips into Yggdrasil. The tree responded. Its roots undulated. New branches sprouted. Fresh leaves unfurled. The lush foliage, now even denser than before, swayed violently.

[I, Laila, shall not act against you until our conversation concludes. Furthermore, if your answers please me, I shall grant you the right to determine my fate.]

Boom — A massive shockwave emanated from Yggdrasil. An absolute domain without any apparent weakness or gap spread throughout the area.

“…A contract?”

[Hooh. As expected of my descendant. Yes, this is a contract of my own creation. Tell me, which do you find more impressive—your contract or mine?]

Serr’s body trembled slightly.
With an expression of disbelief, she surveyed her surroundings.

“What exactly… are you?”

[Fufu. My identity? I’ve been called many things over the ages.]

The Progenitor. The High Elf.
The Fountain of Life. The World-Connecting Tree.
The Pioneer. The Primordial Mage.
The Guardian. The Savior.

The Beginning.

[Though I’ve now lost my true name and fallen to the status of a mere beast, I once lived a rather illustrious life. Does that answer your question, descendant? If so, I’d like you to come a little closer.]

Still speaking in that tranquil tone, Laila made a magnificent flower garden bloom across our path.

[Ask me anything you wish to know. You who have reached this place deserve to learn the truth of this world. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I will explain it. You have earned that right.]

Rustle, rustle — The flower petals swayed gently, as if enticing us forward. The Milky Way reflected upon their surfaces, creating a dreamlike landscape unlike anything we had seen before—a surreal view that loosened the tension in the air.

“Let’s go.”

As I stood mesmerized by the scenery, Rubia’s confident voice brought me back to reality.

“I think it’ll be fine. And… there are things I want to ask.”

“…Alright.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, I took Rubia’s hand.
Serr, still glaring at Laila with narrowed eyes, bit her lip before nodding.

“As irritating as this is, I too have questions… I’ll follow Rubia’s decision.”

As if reading Rubia’s thoughts about how to cross the flower field, Laila smiled softly and gestured.

[Thank you for your trust, priestess. You may walk across these flowers. They will neither wilt nor break.]

“…I understand.”

Step — Rubia took the first step forward.
Still holding her hand, I followed alongside her.

A strange sensation tickled my toes—soft, springy, velvety—unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
With each step, a fresh fragrance burst forth.

Almost like those fabric softeners where the scent intensifies when rubbed…

And so, slowly, we traversed the vast Milky Way until we reached the chairs Laila had prepared for us.

These chairs, like the flower field we had crossed, were made from the same soft, springy, velvety blossoms.

[It has been so long since I’ve conversed with such lovely young women. Fufu, I must admit I’m quite nervous.]

Laila ran both hands over her face, took a brief deep breath, then extended her hand.

[Let’s begin with a handshake.]

First was Rubia.

Without hesitation, she accepted the handshake. As their hands met, she trembled almost imperceptibly.

Next was Serr.

She aggressively thrust out her hand, gripped Laila’s tightly, then immediately jerked away while grinding her teeth.

Last was me.

After a moment’s hesitation, I gently grasped Laila’s fingertips.

In that instant, unknown memories flooded into my mind.

A being without reason.
A being without purpose.
A being that had existed since the beginning of time.
A being that was once infinitely perfect.

But now transformed into something entirely different.

The Sun God.

The Original Sin of ‘Lilith.’

A fragment she had torn away before her destruction.

The image of that fragment.

Rubia.

It etched itself into my mind with perfect clarity.

[This is the truth of the being you pursue.]

Her expression remained serene.

[What do you think? You seem quite shocked. If you don’t fully understand, I can explain it in words. Feel free to ask anything.]

No—with an expression of complete detachment and transcendence, Laila smiled as she tidied her long, flowing hair.

“The Sun God… no, what is that being’s name?”

An unknowable entity.

A formless ‘god’ that flowed in from the ‘outside.’

That which cannot exist.

The nameless one.

[It has none. That being lost its true name, and with it, its existence.]

Laila’s gaze shifted to Rubia.

[For a god, a true name is of utmost importance. It contains the entirety of their being. But the ‘nameless one’ that consumed Lilith lost its true name. Or rather, it was made to lose it.]

By the Sun God, Lilith.
To stop this unknowable entity until the very end, she sacrificed everything, embedding her true name into the fragment she tore away. She poured everything she was into it.

[And then, she hid it. Concealed its existence. Deceived fate. But eventually, it was found.]

Through countless cycles of world destruction.
Through an endless loop of termination and rebirth.

The inevitable species destined to protect the divine fragment.
Those who inherited Lilith’s faint remaining will, who had no choice but to grow stronger.

They sought out the most likely vessels.

The shortest-lived.
The species with the shallowest history.
The weakest of all.

Humans.

“Why… of all the races, why did the weakest—humans—have to shoulder this fate?”

With a trembling exhale, Rubia spoke, her voice containing a hint of resentment.

[I don’t know. But I believe it relates to her Original Sin. Hmm… based on the wisdom accumulated throughout my long life, I do have a theory. Would you care to hear it?]

Letting her silken hair cascade down, Laila gave me an enigmatic smile.

[I suspect Lilith harbored an unnecessary emotion toward humans. An emotion that a perfect being should never possess.]

That emotion was…

[Perhaps love. Perhaps compassion. Perhaps a momentary impulse. We may never know for certain.]

Her gaze, which had been fixed on me, shifted back to Rubia, filled with profound curiosity.

[But I wonder about the emotions of the one who inherited this legacy. Are those feelings fabricated—false creations? Or are they genuine? That is what I find most intriguing.]