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『Earth's Cancer』: (scared.jpg)
Right after the Veyron posted a photo of a universe cradled in his palm, Chika Fujiwara practically gasped out loud and instantly replied with a sticker of someone cowering in the corner, shaking.
A second later, Fubuki, Gwen, and the rest chimed in with a flurry of "+1"s.
And thanks to Chika's nonstop activity from morning till night, the chatty troublemaker known as Shiroyasha had already blended in like a seasoned regular.
The only one feeling out of place… was a certain blue-haired girl. She had never even heard of something like a "universe" before—unlike Hancock, who'd already had her worldview expanded once.
『Esdeath』: What is this?
To her, the hand in the image looked elegant and beautiful, and the glowing mass of twinkling marks it held gave off a mysterious allure. It was fascinating. But what confused her was why everyone seemed terrified.
『Earth's Cancer』: Try clicking on the image our Veyron-sama just sent. Don't change the angle—just keep your eyes fixed on the center. Then tell the system to zoom in. And keep zooming. And zooming. And… just keep going.
『Esdeath』: Alright, I'll give it a try.
Following Chika's instructions, Esdeath tapped the photo and began zooming in.
To her surprise, the image didn't blur at all. The deeper she went, the more detailed it became—completely different from those scenic photos Hancock had posted before, where everything went fuzzy after a certain point.
If she remembered right, group images worked kind of like livestreams. You could see only as far as the poster's perception or senses allowed, right?
That thought gave Esdeath a sudden spark of curiosity. She began zooming in faster.
Eventually, the image revealed an island floating above the black hole at the heart of a galaxy. And in its central plaza—right in front of a majestic palace—stood a girl with pink hair.
Esdeath recognized her immediately.
It was the same girl who had just taught her how to look at the image: Chika Fujiwara.
Glancing down at the corner of the image to check the zoom ratio, she then reversed the zoom back to its original scale. The sudden shift in perspective hit her like a wave, and her pupils shrank.
『Esdeath』: So… we... that hand…?
『Earth's Cancer』: Yep. Exactly what you're thinking.
『Esdeath』: …
She tested it again with a few different coordinates, each time zooming in as far as she could.
As long as she didn't end up staring into empty space, the level of detail was flawless—whether the image showed solid, gaseous, or even what looked like planets burning in orange and red flames. She could even make out particles—so tiny they seemed like the building blocks of everything.
And then she remembered the question she'd asked the Veyron when she first joined the group.
Esdeath pinched the bridge of her nose.
This wasn't just a matter of being 'strongest' anymore.
"Are you alright?" came a calm voice beside her.
Without even looking up, Artoria had sensed her subtle movements.
"No, I'm fine."
Esdeath shook her head. "I just… saw something back there that I can't really make sense of. It kind of… shook me, I guess?"
"If you don't get it, just ask."
Artoria already knew the 'place' Esdeath referred to—it was the same one where she, Merlin, and the others had first crossed paths.
"Whether it's Merlin, Veyron, Chika, or Hancock, they're all good people. If Veyron and Merlin brought you here, that means they trust you. They see you as a friend." Artoria said with a smile.
"…Got it."
Esdeath nodded slightly, then turned back to the group chat.
She didn't hesitate this time. She asked the question that had been gnawing at her.
『Esdeath』: Veyron-sama… are you a god?
In her world, legends of gods had always existed.
Even though she'd never left her tribe as a child, she'd heard about them from her father, from the villagers, and from merchants who occasionally came to trade Danger Beast parts.
Esdeath never put much stock in those 'invisible beliefs.' In her eyes, even if gods were real, they were probably just powerful people who lived longer than most. Nothing more.
But if she had to imagine what a truly all-mighty god might look like…
Then honestly, someone like the Veyron—holding an entire boundless universe in the palm of his hand—fit the role better than anyone else she could think of.
『Lady Avalon』: That question… really depends on how you look at it.
『Lady Avalon』: I mean, sure, we call some people 'gods,' but that word doesn't mean the same thing in every world. …At least in my case, I don't think any of the gods from my world could even dream of reaching Veyron's level.
『Shiroyasha』: Same here.
『Shiroyasha』: Our side has these beings called natural-born gods—one of the three strongest species out there—but even the top-tier among them can't do what Veyron did.
『Shiroyasha』: Zeus, for example. Personally? I think he's still below Veyron.
『Earth's Cancer』: Zeus?
『Shiroyasha』: …Wait, you've heard of him too?
『Ghost Spider』: Yeah. It's not just Chika—my world also has the Olympian myths.
『Catwoman』: You mean him… and that brother of his in the ocean. Both of them have… let's just say, colorful reputations.
『Shiroyasha』: Are you talking about the whole 'zero filter,' men-or-women-doesn't-matter side of him?
『Earth's Cancer』: Ahem…
『Shiroyasha』: Heh. Fascinating.
『Shiroyasha』: So we've got natural-born deities in Little Garden, but even in worlds outside its reach, beings with the same name—and even the same legends—exist?
『Shiroyasha』: In the worlds connected to Little Garden's outer gates, yeah… Zeus's representative is pretty much the same as in your guys' mythologies.
『Lady Avalon』: …The way you're explaining it, I feel like there's a 'but' coming.
『Shiroyasha』: You'd be right.
『Shiroyasha』: Remember when we were talking about Gwen and Selina's worlds? About how their mages use that "borrowed power" type of magic?
『Shiroyasha』: I mentioned something back then— a "All-Father." That's Zeus.
『Shiroyasha』: Back in pre-modern human history, there were tons of cases where women ended up pregnant against their will—illegitimate children, enemy children, out-of-wedlock children… you name it. Zeus made a public declaration in his name: whenever a mother couldn't—or wouldn't—name the child's father, they could just say it was the child of the "All-Father God."
『Shiroyasha』: That single declaration created a divine loophole—any lifeform that called itself Zeus's child could tap into his divine essence.
『Shiroyasha』: And once the "All-Father" narrative got folded into human history… well, in countless worlds influenced by Little Garden, directly or indirectly, Zeus slowly evolved into the version of the god that everyone now knows.
『Earth's Cancer』: Yikes… So maybe we've all been a little too hard on Zeus?
『(Admin) Veyron』: Well, in Selina's case… maybe not.
『Catwoman』: Veyron, you're already here?
『(Admin) Veyron』: Just arrived.
Having followed one of the 'world anchors' he'd left behind earlier, Veyron took a single step and instantly appeared on the balcony of Selina's luxury penthouse—top floor of one of Gotham's highest towers. He gave her a polite nod as she sat playing with a fluffy little cat's paw pads.
Then, back in the group chat, he continued:
『(Admin) Veyron』: I found an Olympus in your world too. 'The gods' on that mountain… they're the classic kind. Pretty much what you'd expect from the old myths.
Even though Veyron was right there in front of her, Selina stayed focused on the ongoing conversation. The topic was way too juicy to drop halfway, so she typed out her next question in the group like everyone else.
『Catwoman』: You specifically highlighted the words "the gods" just now. That... supposed to mean something?
『(Admin) Veyron』: Funny you ask. That's exactly what I was about to explain.
『(Admin) Veyron』: Remember your friend who uses magic? Last time I saw her, I didn't have the perception to really analyze it. All I could tell was that she was borrowing power from some higher being.
『Catwoman』: Zatanna's reverse spell really means a lot to you, huh?
『(Admin) Veyron』: Yeah… and now that I can see it clearly, I've realized there's so much more.
『(Admin) Veyron』: The divine energy used by the Olympians in your world—the source of their godly powers—and your friend's magic? After tracing both back to their origin… they actually come from the same place.
『(Admin) Veyron』: Pretty wild, huh?
『(Admin) Veyron』: So... can you guess who?
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