"Isn't that what it's all about?"
But to Thanatos, the scene before him was utterly horrifying.
Authority, like the World itself, was formless.
It was not so much a "power" as it was a concept, something the children of the Genkai could never understand—let alone touch.
And forget the children of the lower world. Even gods themselves could not touch the Authorities held by other gods.
Yet now, a child from the lower world had reached out and seized the very Authority he wielded.
To Thanatos, this was simply impossible.
Of course, that was only because Thanatos did not know Bell possessed a force similar to Authority.
Runes were, in essence, a type of Authority.
Even with the right to wield Rune control, Bell could not casually use another god's Authority. What he could do was restrain it—what he called "Restriction."
Naturally, Bell had no interest in other Authorities. With mastery over Runes, he essentially held control over eighty percent of all Authorities.
Perhaps there was still some gap before reaching the full hundred percent, but sometimes, that was simply the price one paid for being "omnipotent."
Bell bound the Authority, then straightened his clothes before lowering himself onto one knee.
"Mother of All Things, I pray to you. Please take back this omnipotence."
He lifted Thanatos's severed Authority in one hand.
No elaborate ritual followed—only a simple prayer.
Yet that prayer—so simple that even a god wouldn't bother listening—drew the gaze of the World itself.
Before the eyes of the gods, an invisible hand descended, accepting the Authority from Bell's hand and carrying it into the endless void.
Bell, still kneeling, showed no pride. He simply withdrew his hand as if this were the natural order of things.
"Thank you, Mother."
After offering his brief thanks, Bell rose to his feet, placing the Divine Core in his other hand back into the four-dimensional space.
"Then, this is where we say 'farewell,' God Thanatos."
"Wait—"
Bell did not grant Thanatos a single moment more. He withdrew the influence of the Sins and crushed the god's soul firmly in his hand.
Once the "World" reclaimed the Authority, Thanatos lost his qualification to be a god. What remained was merely the soul of someone who used to be a deity.
And dealing with a former god was simple enough.
Now that Thanatos no longer had any influence over Authority, Bell needed only to do one thing.
Crack.
With a slight squeeze, the soul that symbolized Thanatos was crushed into dust.
This meant that from this moment on, the world no longer held any trace of Thanatos's divine soul.
His presence was gone.
He had truly, completely died.
"To pull up the weeds, uproot them. Otherwise, the roots will only cause more trouble later."
"Only when everything related to the god Thanatos is torn out at the root do we no longer have to worry about future retaliation."
"I've never liked leaving loose ends behind me."
This was Bell's way of handling things.
When a problem appeared, he dealt with it completely—so he wouldn't have to deal with endless trouble later.
"So, God Dionysus, are you prepared?"
Bell then glanced toward Filvis, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Or should I have a little fun with your Captain?"
"No need."
Dionysus understood. Filvis might possess power not weaker than Lv. 7 thanks to the clone magic, but right now, she was still far from qualified to challenge this child.
If Filvis stepped in now, she would only plant deeper seeds of disaster for herself.
Knowing she wasn't a match, Dionysus naturally wouldn't send her to die.
"I hope you'll spare this child."
"Your captain?"
Bell wasn't surprised. He'd known for a long time that Dionysus genuinely cared for Filvis—at least, that much was true.
"Though it may sound blunt, your Captain is different from ordinary people. She harbors deep disgust toward herself—extreme self-hatred."
"If she continues down this path, will she ever truly find redemption?"
"When the truth of her identity is exposed, she'll probably choose death for some reason anyway."
Dionysus looked at Filvis, a quiet sigh rising within him.
Harsh as Bell's words were, he couldn't deny the possibility.
The incident on the 27th floor years ago had left heavy scars on the girl.
And truth be told, that incident was tied to him as well. Dionysus had no choice but to consider the possibility Bell pointed out.
"What solution do you propose?"
By the time he asked this, Dionysus had already lost all initiative.
"Hmm… partial bodily reconstruction, I'd say. Her body wasn't fully modified back then. If we rework only the portions that were altered, we should be able to restore the modified tissues."
Bell was reasonably confident in this. His interest in the physical structure of the Spirit Guardians had led him to conduct his own research, and he'd learned a fair bit about their modifications.
Of course, Bell could only say maybe. He'd never personally carried out physical reconstruction or modification.
"That guy told me before—if possible, I should keep the corpse of the Spirit Guardian. But in the end, the Spirit Guardian was over-modified. When she died, she turned into ash like any ordinary Monster."
"That's the drawback of full-body modification. Once the Magic Stone collapses, you get trouble like that."
"However, I still have the hand I cut off last time. Using that hand as a sample, it should be possible to analyze your Captain's condition."
"But even then, I doubt he'll be able to make it perfect."
Dionysus found himself troubled. This choice was a difficult one either way.
So, he could only pass the decision to Filvis herself.
"Filvis, what do you choose?"
Filvis simply stared dazedly at Dionysus-sama.
"You… still want me to live?"