Riku was still in shock after hearing Bragi's words.
So that light is God!? Not just any God... a Supreme God!
Riku reflects on what he said.
What is a Supreme God?
"You must be wondering how you can decide something so important," Bragi said. "The answer is simple: a beautiful battle-to-the-death tournament among you!"
After saying that, Bragi kept smiling, as if nothing was wrong. On the mortals' side, however, loud protests immediately broke out.
"You've got to be kidding!?"
"I want to go home!"
"I refuse!"
Bragi nodded at their reactions, almost as if he pitied them.
"It may not seem like it, but I understand how you feel," he said. "Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it. You have no choice but to participate in the tournament."
The mortals' protests grew even louder, but this time Bragi looked at them with clear annoyance.
"That's enough!" the god shouted, instantly silencing everyone again. "This is how things are. You should accept it as soon as possible!"
"This is insane… I was about to graduate," said a desperate boy.
"I had just confessed to the girl I liked…" another added.
Riku heard them nearby and lowered his head, touching his neck as heavy thoughts weighed on him.
"Now we'll move on to the rules of the tournament. Listen carefully, I won't repeat myself," Bragi said, pausing for a moment. "First… accept the contract that will appear before you."
Riku was about to protest when something changed.
A glowing message appeared before his eyes, suspended in the void.
[Ascension Protocol — Activation Pending]
His heart skipped a beat.
He hadn't touched anything.
He hadn't chosen anything.
A contract… this feels more like an obligation…
[Accept]
There were no other options.
The notification vanished without any further reaction.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Riku's head, making it hard for him to stay on his feet.
Damn… this hurts more than dying…
"Excellent!" Bragi exclaimed, clapping his hands. "You are now within the divine system!"
"What's happening to us…?" the boy next to Riku asked.
"I don't know…" Riku replied.
Shortly after, another glowing screen appeared, filled with values.
"What you see before you are your statistics, which you can improve throughout your journey," Bragi explained. His smile widened slightly. "Assuming you live long enough to see those improvements."
A murmur spread among the mortals as everyone stared at the screens before them.
Numbers. Categories. Unfamiliar terms.
Riku looked at them without truly understanding.
He didn't feel any different. No sudden strength. No obvious change.
And yet, something told him he couldn't ignore them.
"These statistics represent your current condition," Bragi continued calmly. "Nothing more."
Some people seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"They do not indicate limits," he added immediately. "They do not show what you cannot become."
His smile grew subtly sharper.
"They only show where you begin."
Riku swallowed.
So… are we all starting from the same point? Or is someone already ahead?
"In this tournament, you will fight, survive, and grow," Bragi said. "By defeating creatures, other participants, or overcoming certain trials, you will improve."
A boy shouted from the crowd, "And what if we don't want to fight?"
Bragi turned toward him, still smiling.
"Then you won't improve."
Silence fell once again.
"And those who do not improve," the god continued casually, "do not survive."
A chill ran down Riku's spine.
So it really is that simple…
"Each of you will be assigned to a divinity," Bragi went on. "You will become our subordinates and fight within the world of Aetherion."
Bragi raised a hand.
"But there is more."
The air trembled slightly.
"Each group of subordinates, bound to a single divinity, has the potential to obtain a unique, secret power."
The murmurs grew louder.
"This power is special," Bragi said. "Only one subordinate at a time may possess it."
Riku frowned.
"One?" someone whispered.
"To obtain it," Bragi continued, "you must complete a personal, secret quest, imposed directly by the Supreme God."
He tilted his head.
"This is precisely to prevent divinities from interfering or giving hints."
Riku felt his chest tighten.
A quest… chosen by the Supreme God himself?
"If another subordinate later completes that same quest," Bragi added, "they will not obtain the power immediately."
The god smiled.
"They will enter a queue."
A murmur of confusion spread.
"The power can only pass on after the current holder's departure," Bragi clarified. "And the longer one holds this power, the stronger it becomes."
Riku clenched his fists.
So even power itself encourages survival…
"As for communication," Bragi continued, "you will have three opportunities to speak with your assigned divinity. First: once the rules have concluded. Second: during the tournament, if the divinity itself chooses to speak to you. And third—"
His gaze hardened slightly.
"—only when you possess a genuine, undeniable will to speak with your god."
Silence.
"The time of a divinity is not to be wasted."
Some swallowed nervously.
"Regarding equipment," Bragi said, his tone returning to casual, "some of you will receive divine weapons. Others will wield only ordinary arms."
He shrugged.
"The decision is ours. Merit is everything."
Then he spread his arms wide.
"Although divine groups exist, nothing forbids cooperation between different factions."
Riku's eyes widened slightly.
"You may form alliances. Friendships. Rivalries. You may betray one another, oppose one another, or even—"
His smile grew unsettling.
"—fall in love."
A shiver ran through the crowd.
"After all," Bragi concluded lightly, "we gods are sick creatures who crave entertainment."
The space before them began to distort.
"One final rule," Bragi said. "Even if two or more members of the same divine group reach the end—"
His smile vanished.
"—the tournament does not end."
The mortals froze.
"Only one subordinate may become the right hand of the victorious divinity.""And that divinity will ascend… as the Supreme God."
Bragi turned away.
Before the mortals, space itself began to change.
Darkness folded inward, as if something were tearing reality apart from within.
Riku felt his stomach twist.
A radiant fracture opened in the void.
A world appeared.
Vast mountains. Endless seas. Forests without end.
An unreal sky, crossed by slowly moving symbols.
Riku stood frozen.
It didn't feel real.
But it didn't feel like a dream either.
"That," Bragi said calmly, "is Aetherion."
Silence fell over millions of mortals.
Riku understood one thing with absolute certainty.
Whatever awaited them next—
There was no going back.