The God Killer drifted to and fro at the edge of life and death. It wasn't that he was struggling to live but to die. Heruzen was dragged into a dark place, where to his right there was Hell and eternal damnation and to his left there was the glistening chance to life.
He smiled at the sight of the place he had been dreaming of for the longest time.
"Finally, I have found you."
He raised both arms, and then began running towards Hell!
"I'm finally going to die — wait… what's happening?" His body could no longer move forward, he looked back and a few meters away was the Goddess of Fate's silhouette running the opposite direction with a red string of fate tied to his waist!
[Dammit, you Chosen, that's not that the way to life! That's Hell you idiot!] The Goddess cursed!
"Goddammit woman! Let me go! I AM going to hell; I have a first-class ticket with me!"
[Are you an imbecile? That place is for the dammed! You will be tortured for all of eternity there!]
…Heruzen's eyes glistened.
"Seeing how you're so desperate with trying to keep me away from there, can only mean you too Can suffer in Hell with me. Pff*, I don't know what you did to survive and how you're now the system but I'll make sure that you suffer!"
[You inconsiderate cur! Do you really think I don't want to see you suffer!? But I can't disappear just yet! I have a role to fulfil! Now just give up and choose to live! Don't you beings pursue immortality? Why the hell do you want to die!?]
"I'll rather suffer in Hell than return to becoming a puppet! The suffering I endured, unable to love, unable to live in peace, unable to do what I want, all that for what? To prop up a teenager to a pedestal? To raise the worth of those incongruous heroes! Do you think I'll return to such a fate?"
The Goddess was confused but she knew one thing; Heruzen would not listen to her.
The pain of betrayal and despair remained fresh. The times he fell into depressions and the times where he was tortured for information he did not want to possess. Times when he watched his Parents die in more than a hundred lives, watched as Heroes steal the woman he cherished.
It was too much.
If she did nothing, she will be brough to Hell with him!
[Mortal! Listen to me, if you decide to live, I'll make sure that you do not suffer. You will be in control of your life; your decisions will be what matters. Come on, please, I am begging you to trust me on this… we may have our differences take this as my apology from me to you!]
Heruzen momentarily hesitated…
"Why the hell should I trust you!?"
[You're really doubting me right now?]
"Why won't doubt you?"
[Because I don't want to die and…] the Goddess of Fate stopped her words.
"and… what?"
[I am now your system; I am no longer a Goddess. The moment I bring you to the [Prime Worlds] I will be nothing more than your assistant. Dammit, I wouldn't be doing this if I don't have to! I can't die without witnessing the ascension of the next Goddess of Fate else Existence itself will fall into Chaos!]
"…you are lying."
[WHY THE HELL WOULD I LIE ABOUT THIS!?]
Hearing the reaction, Heruzen's doubt somewhat dwindled.
"For a hateful person, you sure take your responsibilities seriously… but, sure, I'm going to accept your deal." Heruzen didn't want to trust her, but… to a certain degree he can tell she's not lying.
The Goddess heaved a sigh of relief.
Thousands of red threads of fate appeared before the Goddess, she grabbed the most resplendent of them all, [Okay! I found a life that's willing to give its body!]
Red light washed over him, as though Heruzen's senses was sucked into a pool of blood. His senses dulled, his perception changed, he was drawn away from Hell and got veiled in light.
The white silhouette of a beautiful young man appeared before him by, a melancholic expression was on this man's face, he smiled at Heruzen and mouthed off some words.
'How odd of you, to give your body to someone else… you are an odd person indeed.' He couldn't imagine doing something like this.
The silhouette smiled and then melded into Heruzen's.
The possession of memory would happen three to five days after the acceptance of the soul.
Heruzen processed the young man's soul, a sole wish was ingrained in his mind and as for what kind of wish it was, he would later know.
When the merging of souls finally came to finish, Heruzen claimed the body as his own. He opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a fist hurtling to his face.
He instinctively reacted to dodge, but drowsiness fell upon him as the aroma of alcohol wafted over to his face.
'How swell, I'm drunk.'
BAM!
A punch straight to his nose! His back touched something soft that was accompanied with a squeal, he turned around and saw a cloaked woman.
"Sir Theo, are you okay!?!" the lady asked, concern written all over her face.
To which, Heruzen replied with, "You're a flag, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry?" the woman was confused.
BAM!
"You dare ignore me you bastard!?" the bandit looking man struck Heruzen on the nose once more. Blood spurted out like a faucet as Heruzen staggered.
Heruzen fell on his behind and the man who just assaulted him mounted his body and attacked him with a flurry of punches!
"I told you not to mess with me you bastard! Do you even know who I am!? HUH!?" the man said as he pummeled Heruzen's face.
It hurt him. It was not enough to make Heruzen fall, however. Slightly swaying his head to the same direction as the punches. It was a hassle but Heruzen regained his senses from the booze.
"You done? Either way your free trial just ended." Heruzen asked seeing the drunk's heavy breathing.
"What?"
"Oh yeah you're done. That means I'm going to beat you to a pulp now."
BAM!
Standing up quickly, Heruzen bashed the man's nose with his forehead!
The man staggered, and when he regained a semblance of balance, two feet were already coming for him.
"Dropkick."
Mounting the drunk Heruzen lazily stretched his wrist, "Clench your teeth, I'm going to slap your face now."
"Wai—"
PAH!
The consecutive sound of palm meeting a face echoed around the road. The young man who was being beaten to a pulp earlier was now slapping his assaulter with impunity.
Heruzen did not stop even when the man's face was swollen and bruised. He does not know what was happening before he took over, but if he just let this drunk go with a few smacks, he'll come back to haunt him like a fly in the future.
'Better nip it in the bud before it becomes an infestation.'
[Hey! HEY! STOP YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!] the Goddess however, did not like what he was doing.
Heruzen heard the Goddess. He would have sneered at her hypocritic words, but as he let go of the man who had long been unconscious, he looked at his hands.
It was trembling from happiness.
'Yes, YES! I can slap someone half to death without getting forcefully stopped by the system! I am free, I am free —
Finally, Heruzen was free from the grasps of the System! He was no longer bound, no more chains, no more—
'Hmm?'
But something was wrong.
'—wait a minute why are they smiling and cheering for me?'
Heruzen asked this obvious question then he took into consideration the situation.
"Good job of Young Noble! For me, you…" the beauty with the "big heart" approached him and asked with concern. She pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom and even wiped the blood from Heruzen's face.
All the while he's being treated like a Prince, Theo looked around, still confused about the situation, 'People cheering, there's a beauty who's looking really terrified and worried for me instead of being terrified…'
Heruzen crouched on the ground and forced open the eyes of the man he was just slapping, not to see if he's awake or anything, rather, to see his reflection.
"I'm terrifyingly handsome, people are cheering at me for beating someone… wait… oh no no no no… this can't be happening." Heruzen looked up and grabbed the nearest person next to him, it was the woman with big breast and clear eyes, "Hey you, who are you? Did I, in some way or form saved you from this man who look like he was born to sexually assault somebody?"
The girl with the big breast blushed, bashfully looked away and nodded her head as if she was some tiny animal, "Ye-yes you did..." she then lowered her head and looked at him with an upturned gaze.
That's the last nail in his coffin.
Heruzen's entire body shivered, he fell to his knees with a groan, 'Ho-how can this be?'
"Sir Theo?! What happened!?" the big breasted girl asked, concerned by both his mental and physical state.
Heruzen looked up at the skies, a tear streaked down his face as he hugged the pitiful man, he was slapping to death earlier, finding solace at the defeated scum, 'This can't be happening… I'm the bloody hero.'
And so, in the middle of a triumphant victory over a local gang member, the Heroic Lord Theo fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"GOODDAMMIT!"
Heruzen screamed in despair.