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It was a white space.

Both the ceiling and the floor were white, with no distinguishable border between them, a white space with not a single shadow in it.

A white girl descended before his eyes who stood there.

“Helloo.”
“Who’s there?”

She was a beautiful girl—with white hair and skin, yet only her eyes were red like rubies. And yet, he couldn’t fully perceive her form.

He could see the individual parts of her looks, but not together.

“Who are you…”
“Me? Oh, I’m a god.”

The girl responded with a tone that held no dignity.

He could recognize that voice as beautiful, but he couldn’t remember what that voice sounded like. Only the sense remained in his memory.

“Why can’t I recognize you…”
“That’s because I’m hindering your perception. Seeing my true face is dangerous in various ways.”

Learning that it was the doing of this white girl, he decided to accept it and move on for now.

“Is this the afterlife?”
“More accurately, it’s something just before that. Well, you are thoroughly and utterly dead, though.”
“So I’ll be returning to the circle of the souls again?”
“That’s how it is.”

The girl replied with a shrug, but that convinced him.

According to his final memories, he had certainly died.

“Reincarnation…huh. Fine, then. I’ll never forget this anger even in the next life.”
“That would be impossible, Mr. Kufar.”
“What?”

Having been referred to by name, he finally remembered his name.

“Right, Kufar… That’s my name. But why…Can’t I remember?”

His thoughts were scattering as if there was a fog over them, and he was trying to keep them in place by force.

But even that was getting harder to do as time passed.

“Why do you say it’s impossible? My wrath comes from my soul. It’s been carved there. Even if I’m reborn, it will never disappear.”
“That will be impossible. After all, your soul is going to be purified after this.”
“Purified…?”
“Yes. It’s your doing. You rebooted the Víðópnir System of the World Tree, did you not?”

The ability to gather the souls of the dead that the broken World Tree possessed. It drew the souls into the world tree, purified them, and once again returned them to the world as life.

However, that was an ability it had lost at one point. It was due to that that people could use magic to bring the dead back to life.

The soul could only return to the dead body because it wasn’t absorbed by the World Tree. But now that the soul gathering had restarted, it was no longer possible for the souls to return to their bodies.

And he was the one who restored the orb in charge of that process.

Thus, he, a soul that couldn’t revive, would be collected by the World Tree and be purified there. And thoroughly at that.

“Impossible, how can my wrath disappear! Like I can allow such a—”
“Whether you allow it or not doesn’t matter. This is the reality. You will disappear. Along with your wrath, memories, and attachments. Everything will be purified to the roots, returning you into a pure form.”
“N-no—noo! I want to be reborn as myself!!”

His body was scattering like mist. He forcefully brought it back together and held his head as he looked up.

Looking at such Kufar, the girl—God of Destruction Yuuri, shook her head in sadness.

“I should have erased your memories during the previous reincarnation. If I did that, it wouldn’t have resulted in such damages.”
“Don’t joke with me! Are you going to deny me too?! Me, and my life?!”
“Are you not the one who wasted that life of yours? You shouldn’t have messed with the World Tree.”
“Noo! F̲u̲c̲k̲ this! Dammit…damn it all!!”

He tried to approach the God of Destruction, but he couldn’t even take a step.

It was taking his all just to keep his scattering body together.

Since he couldn’t move his legs, he decided to reach out for her instead, but his fingertips started turning into a mist so he quickly withdrew it.

However, there was a lump of mist that prevented him from doing that.

“L-Let me go! Don’t touch me!!”
“Don’t you remember? That mist is Miss Lizith.”
“L-Lizith… Ha-haha… Did you come to take revenge on me…to erase me?!”
“No, she just wants to be with you. Isn’t it admirable?”
“Together… But I still! I still haven’t accomplished what I have to…”

Kufar felt fear that unless he curled his body he would be erased in one go.

He was grateful for Lizith’s feelings. Even though he threw her into the pits of despair, she still accepted him and wanted to stay together, which made him extremely happy.

Had he met her before he was reborn, perhaps he wouldn’t have delved into summoning and never come to hate the world. But it was too late now, far too late. He couldn’t go back anymore. Unless he defeated Reid and raised the half-demon’s standing, he couldn’t allow himself to die.

However, his obsession was pushed aside by the God of Destruction.

“Your soul will be purified, kneaded, and mixed into the souls of the others, and then split and be reborn as a new life.”
“No, you can’t! I have to be myself…And have my revenge on him…on Reid—”
“That is no longer achievable. Plus, he isn’t dead, so you most likely will never meet again.”
“Why, why does he get to live?! Why are you favoring him alone?!”
“Favoring? He’s doing his best to live, you know? His thoughts simply differ from yours.”

Even Reid never had a happy time growing up. Even after he was reborn into this world, his—her life met one hardship after another.

She looked death in the eyes many a time, escaped it by a hair’s breadth, and lived on to the present.

But Kufar couldn’t accept even that effort. If he did, it would be the same as denying his own defeat, who had lived his whole life while resenting and envying others.

“No! I don’t want to disappear! I don’t want to! I don’t want my anger to disappear…”
“Everyone says that. Everyone is scared when they know they are going to disappear. But rest assured. If you disappear, you’ll forget even that fear.”
“Ah…Ahhh…Ahhhhhhhhhh……”

He finally squatted down and started to wail single heartedly. Kufar’s body scattered like a dispersing mist, proceeding to disappear somewhere. Before long, his wails turned into sobs, and even that started to fade away.

“Farewell, Mr. Kufar. Or what used to be him. This will be the last time we shall ever meet where you remain as you.”

The God of Destruction muttered in a dull tone. Then she vanished from the place, and nothing else remained there.

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