Eva, who had once fought Adams and was pushed to the brink of defeat, was offered a divine authority at that time. At first, she suspected it was a trap, but she changed her mind, thinking there was no need for such a thing under the circumstances, and besides, Adams would never use such a tactic. It was obvious she would be defeated if she refused this offer, so she placed a sliver of hope in it—and as a result, Eva came to possess the divine authority of “Divine Punishment.”
Her authority targets gods and possesses the power to control all of their freedom. In other words, it was Rem’s “Dominion” specialized for gods. After obtaining “Divine Punishment,” Eva immediately understood its usefulness and activated its power against Adams and his subordinates. The enemy camp was rendered powerless in an instant.
Afterward, Eva thoroughly sealed Adams. She also imposed severe measures on his ten direct subordinates, imprisoning them all on a star named “Prison.” She created a Reincarnated Goddess, who alone among the gods undergoes generational succession, and placed her as a watchdog to prevent Adams from reviving. Furthermore, she succeeded in incorporating a system to periodically weaken him by outputting his power to the surface as a Demon King.
Although few in number, Eva was also wary of the inhabitants of the stars under Adams’s management. They repeatedly leveled up without limit, seeking battle endlessly; their fundamental nature was that of a warrior race. These were just a few of the reasons. Thus, they too were confined to the frontier region of the prison—and in this way, everything related to Adams was disposed of.
Yet, even so, she remained convinced. No matter what seal she applied, no matter how strictly she managed him, Adams would eventually revive. Perhaps it was limited precognition, something understandable only to a being who was once an omnipotent being herself. And she, assuming such a future would come—prepared for escape.
“…No, what do you mean? Escape, where on earth?”
“Hey, are you really going to escape? The ‘God of War’ is useless. Still, are you going to abandon your own subordinates?”
“Ah, ah, don’t all ask questions at once~. I was once omnipotent, but I’m not anymore, you know? Please ask one question at a time~”
“………”
The “God of Order” and the “God of Sora” sat down at the kotatsu for now. Eva exposed her true self, without acting, only to these two gods. There might be reasons such as them being the first gods she created, or her having the most trust in them, but they were already beyond getting used to it and had become exasperated.
“Um, first, where am I running away to? Of course, outside, outside. To a world completely different from the world I created, perhaps like flying to a different work in a manga, you know? Ah, are there more examples in movies? It’s called a crossover, right?”
“I don’t know. First of all, is such a pipe dream even possible? Didn’t you just say yourself that you are no longer omnipotent?”
“Ahahahaha, it’s true I’m no longer omnipotent, but even rotten sea bream has talent~. Do you know what I’ve been focusing on since sealing Adams until now?”
“You delegated all your responsibilities for world management to your subordinates and stayed locked up playing. Ah, recently you were even making your own card games, weren’t you?”
“Wow, how harsh~. ‘Order’, aren’t you a bit too hard on me? Where did the admiring gaze you had until just now go?”
“Ask your own heart. I would have continued to have that attitude if you had been properly fulfilling your role as ‘Main God’.”
While lamenting, Eva crammed a mandarin orange into her mouth, savoring its sweetness. It was a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere, considering her archrival, Adams, had not yet revived.
“Well, even though I threw away my hobbies until then, I worked hard to establish a method of moving to another world. My epithet ‘God of Creation’ is not for nothing, you know. I worked hard enough to squeeze out every last drop of my remaining talent, seriously.”
“…From that tone, did you succeed?”
“Absolutely!”
Eva gave a double peace sign with a proud face.
“Well, it’s a shame, but we can’t take everyone with us. There’s a limit to the number of tickets for interdimensional travel. So, the members who will elope with me will be carefully selected! Congratulations! ‘Order’ and ‘Sora’, you’re in! Applause, clap, clap!”
“Eh, is this a moment to celebrate?”
“Naturally~. Oh, by the way, there’s no right to refuse, okay? Because you two have been working hard without any complaints for so many long years since Adams was sealed, unlike the other gods, I, your mother, have been watching you closely. So, you’ll live with me!”
“Who’s your mother?”
“Me, of course!” Eva said, reaching for another mandarin orange.
“Haah… But, I see. In other words, you’ve been observing how we, as administrators, would behave up until now.”
“As expected of ‘Order’, you understand what I want to say~. Well, something like that. What do you think is the most important element for gods who don’t have lifespans? Charisma? Overwhelming strength? Vast knowledge? Noble spirit? No, those are wrong. What’s most important is an insane conviction that doesn’t change even after an eternity. In that sense, the ‘God of War’ and others—”
Eva tossed a mandarin orange into the air and caught it with her mouth.
“—failed. He was a good man back then. He was the only one who achieved any real results in the battle against Adams, and despite being a pure soldier who inflicted some damage on the Ten Authorities, he’s deteriorated. Power and time can corrupt not just people, but gods too. He had such a fine body and was trusted by his subordinates, but now he’s unrecognizable. Truly, the flow of time is cruel~.”
“…Are you saying that? In terms of corruption, I think the ‘God of Creation’ is also putting up a good fight, wouldn’t you say?”
“Same here.”
“Don’t say same here! I’m fine, I’m acting properly on the surface! Hmph!”
Eva, double peace sign with a proud face, returns.
“Well, that’s why. I want you guys to gather the gods I’ve carefully selected and prepare for our nighttime escape. I’ll open the door to the other world by then.”
“You’re really serious, aren’t you… Understood, I will obey you. Either way, this world no longer needs to be managed by gods. Over a long period, the concepts of levels and stats, except for that prison, have been eliminated. The upper limit of strength for a living being has also settled at a realistic level.”
“Ah, even if incompetent gods leave it unattended, the operation can continue without problems. Even if Adams were to take back his place now, he wouldn’t be able to overturn its foundation.”
“Right! Yes, yes, everything went according to my plan!”
Eva, double peace sign with a proud face, et cetera.
“By the way, what about those who recently became gods? He hasn’t even received an epithet yet, has he?”
“?”
“Hey…”
“See, he came to greet me the other day.”
“Ah, that new boy? He looked even younger than ‘Order’, and he was such a cute child. Hmm, what should I do? My intuition tells me that this child is going to become a great god in the future… Alright, let’s take him with us! We can manage with just that one person if we put our minds to it!”
“Was it resolved with a sheer willpower theory…? Fine, I’ll talk to him about it.”
“Ah, wait. Since it’s a good opportunity, let’s give him an epithet now. It’s inconvenient for him to be nameless forever. Um, beginnings, departure, no, that’s wrong. Hmm… Gen, ‘Primordial God’? Yes, this is good! It sounds god-like, and I feel like I’ve come up with a suitable name for our departure!”
“…Are you completely ignoring his actual nature?”
“Because I don’t know him that well! Come on, we’re going to be busy now! Once decided, let’s move! While the ‘God of War’ and his cronies are acting as human shields for us, we will survive! Hooray!”
“………”
“Hey, why aren’t you raising your fist along with me?!”
In the cramped room, it seemed no one was raising their fist, following Eva.
