Arthur and Zeref stared forward simultaneously. A system window slowly appeared before them, revealing information beyond comprehension.
[DING!]
Name: Seraphis Noctra
Gender: Female
Age: Undetectable
Species: Undetectable
Talent: Divine – High Stage
Power: Undetectable
Title: Goddess of Chaos
Affection: 0%
Description: Currently seeking "interesting" things after an eternity of boredom from a world that has become too peaceful.
Difficulty Level: S+
"Divine… High Stage?" Zeref swallowed hard. Only the highest-ranking deities possessed such talent… even Saints could not touch it.
Zeref stared deeply at the screen. Thanks to his system, he could see deeper details — something even Arthur could not access.
Arthur himself could only see limited information, as if an invisible veil concealed the goddess's true power.
"Goddess of Chaos…" he whispered softly. Just uttering her name was enough to make the air around them tremble.
And then — she descended.
The snow, which had been falling gently, suddenly stopped and… vanished. Not melted, not blown away by the wind — but disappeared, as if it had never existed at all.
The gray sky pulsed softly as a figure wrapped in dark-violet light stepped down from a massive rift above, each step erasing the very laws of nature around her.
Clap… Clap… Clap…
A faint yet echoing sound of applause spread across the white space. A thin smile — too beautiful yet too terrifying — formed on her lips as her divine eyes gazed upon the two reincarnators.
"Impressive…"
Her voice was gentle yet carried an echo of power that mortal minds could not comprehend.
"You… two souls from a lower world without mana, yet you've challenged the laws of this world to this extent. You even conquered the shadows of your sins."
She stepped closer, and an invisible pressure pressed down on their bodies. Zeref felt his chest grow heavy as if all the air had vanished. Arthur held his breath — even his heartbeat felt slower.
"I'm intrigued…" Seraphis continued with a deeper smile. "It has been a long time since anything was able to entertain me in this overly peaceful and boring world."
Suddenly, those violet eyes sharpened. Strange light danced within them — not the light of life or magic, but something more primordial than either.
Zeref and Arthur could feel… that their very existence was being weighed.
The air around them began to vibrate. The once-gray sky now radiated crimson and deep violet — colors not belonging to any world they knew.
Even — his breath caught for a moment — the pressure felt different from that of the Goddess of Destruction he had met not long ago.
If the power of the Goddess of Destruction was like a storm that annihilated everything, then the pressure of the Goddess of Chaos was far wilder and more immeasurable — or perhaps, the Goddess of Destruction had deliberately suppressed her aura back then because she was interested in him.
Whatever the reason, what Zeref felt now was no longer mere power… but the concept of existence itself pressing upon reality.
Arthur, who was used to facing the pressure of Duke Ravencroft and even Queen Helios, now felt his knees almost buckle.
"The two of you… are truly fascinating," Seraphis spoke softly, her eyes narrowing with sharp curiosity.
"Ordinary humans from a world without mana… yet your souls remained intact after being reborn into two different realities. Very few beings can achieve that without shattering."
She stepped even closer. Every step created rings of fractured reality in the air, as if space itself rejected her presence — yet had no choice but to obey.
"Tell me, reincarnators…" Seraphis's voice now sounded deeper, closer to their hearts than to their ears.
"Do you believe… chaos is evil?"
Arthur fell silent. Zeref looked into the goddess's eyes and answered without hesitation,
"Chaos is merely a state of existence. It depends on who wields it."
Seraphis smiled faintly — a smile more like that of a predator that had just discovered a new toy.
"An immature answer… but interesting nonetheless."
"For in the eyes of the gods, chaos is no enemy. It is the mother of all possibilities. Without chaos, this world would not exist. Without chaos, there would be no life, no death… no change."
Her voice now echoed like a hymn in the void.
"And now…" she raised her right hand, and the white world around them began to crack like glass.
"I wish to see… if two mortal souls like yours are ready to touch the very essence of chaos itself."
[DING!]
Second Trial – "The Goddess's Game"
Objective: Survive within the world created by the Goddess of Chaos – Seraphis Noctra.
Time: Unknown.
Condition to Pass: Survive until the end without losing consciousness or your sense of self.
Reward: [Fragment of the Eye of Chaos] – Divine Item (SS Rank)
Warning: If consciousness is destroyed within the realm of chaos, the host's soul will be permanently erased.
The ground beneath their feet split apart. The white snow that had once stretched endlessly vanished into a swirling black vortex, transforming into a sea of blood and bones as far as the eye could see. The sky collapsed into a storm of violet lightning, and from the fractures of reality, countless formless beings emerged — eyes, mouths, and hands growing from nothingness.
Arthur's eyes widened. "What is this… a world?"
"Not a world…" Seraphis replied softly. "This is the will of chaos itself."
Suddenly, sharp pain stabbed into their minds — memories of the past, sins, regrets, and nightmares danced in the air, trying to invade their souls.
Zeref saw once again the faces of those he had killed. Arthur heard his mother's scream as the truck struck his body.
"This…" Zeref gritted his teeth, "isn't just a physical trial…"
"Correct," Seraphis grinned. "This is a battle against yourselves. And only a soul that has accepted its own chaos will remain whole."
Arthur drew a deep breath. "Then… I will stand."
Zeref glanced at him and gave a faint smile. "Right. We'll survive — together."
Seraphis chuckled softly — a sound so beautiful yet terrifying, like the song of a siren from beyond reality.
"Interesting… very interesting. Show me how far mortal souls can go against chaos itself."
And with that — the world shattered completely.
Both of them plunged into an endless vortex, a place where there was no law, no time, and no reality.
The second trial had begun.
And behind her mysterious smile, Seraphis Noctra watched them like a child who had just discovered her favorite toys.