While everyone on Earth was joyfully celebrating the new year, Mr. Door was in his cozy little house, hanging on the barrier amidst the stars.
"Are you really planning to leave your mark across the cosmos now and start your ascension journey? You know once this ritual starts, there's no turning back." Lynn, wearing his divine avatar mask, looked seriously at Bethel and asked.
Even though he hadn't prayed to his true self for knowledge on this, Lynn had studied the information Bethel shared after deciding to ascend. He confirmed one thing: the ascension was irreversible. Once Bethel became the avatar of space in this world, there would be no going back.
Moreover, the ascension ritual wasn't guaranteed to succeed. If it failed, the consequences would be far worse than simply failing to advance through potion consumption.
"I've thought it through," Bethel said calmly, even smiling a little. "Let me go home. I might have missed the new year, but it's not too late."
"...Fine." Lynn stared at him for a few seconds, confirming that Bethel had no intention of backing out. He then grumbled and pouted.
Lynn extended his hand towards Bethel, smiling once more. "Then let's get started. I was hoping to get a bit closer to some of the Outer Gods in the stars."
Lynn's emphasis on the last two words made it clear the statement could be translated as, "I'm itching for a fight. If any Outer God dares to get in my way, I'll knock them out."
"Thank you, though I doubt those guys would approach you willingly..." Bethel shook Lynn's hand, his expression becoming wry as he thought of the Outer Gods who had been avoiding his cozy house like the plague.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Lynn chuckled, and the two disappeared from the small house, reappearing on the moon.
The moon's surface was still a bloody red. However, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, which had been lingering there moments ago, disappeared like it had seen something filthy, vanishing before Lynn could even greet it.
"Hey, don't run! We can at least talk; I'm not necessarily going to beat you up..."
Lynn reached out towards where the Goddess of Depravity had fled, but before he could finish shouting, the figure had completely disappeared.
Mother Goddess of Depravity: "I don't believe you. I just suffered at your hands. You think I'm that easy to fool?" "I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid!"
Bethel couldn't help but laugh. Even though he expected this, seeing it in person still filled Mr. Door with joy.
It was a feeling of schadenfreude—"serves you right."
Despite his amusement, Mr. Door quickly returned to the task at hand, setting up the ritual on the moon.
Lynn floated nearby, watching Bethel prepare. Ignoring the fact that they were on the moon, amidst a grotesque blood-soaked hellscape, the scene was almost... peaceful.
"Alright, let's move to the next place!" Bethel said after completing the first step of the ritual and leaving his mark on the moon.
"No problem!" Lynn gave an "OK" hand sign.
Anyone lucky enough to glimpse the stars that day would have witnessed an unbelievable sight: Outer Gods fleeing from a golden-haired youth as if avoiding a plague. Meanwhile, the youth's refined, handsome companion slowly left marks on each star occupied by the Outer Gods, with laughter echoing throughout the cosmos.
"So, you're the Circle Of Inevitability? You don't seem as imposing as the Mother Goddess of Depravity... Hey, don't run! You're the main villain of the second book..."
"Mr. Primordial Hunger, could I borrow two minutes of your time to introduce—ugh, he's gone!"
"Let me see... a High-Dimensional Overseer, huh? Sorry to disturb you, but why are you called that? Could it be that you are a reader transm—Tsk, ran off again."
...
"Sigh, I feel like I could write a book titled, How to Deal with Being Unpopular." Lynn grumbled as he sat down on a patch of air, muttering to himself.
As he spoke, he kept an eye on Bethel. The latter's expression had never been more serious, and his hands worked meticulously on the final step of the ritual.
When Bethel etched the last mystical symbol, Lynn saw him transform into light.
At that moment, the individual known as Bethel seemed to vanish, dispersing into countless radiant particles. Perhaps calling them particles of light wasn't accurate—describing them as manifestations of space laws was more fitting.
"Should be fine..." Lynn's heart clenched as he watched the dispersed spatial laws, his fingers twitching slightly.
Maybe he could help Bethel.
His instincts told him that it wouldn't be difficult. Although he hadn't inherited much of his True Self's spatial power, the uniqueness of his origin still enabled him to do many things.
"But... no. This is something Bethel must do on his own." Lynn quickly suppressed his impulse. He could, of course, help Bethel reassemble, but it would be like helping a butterfly break out of its cocoon, leaving lasting aftereffects.
Some things have to be accomplished on one's own.
Time ticked by, maybe ten minutes, maybe longer. Finally, Lynn noticed the laws manifesting as particles of light starting to move.
The once faintly glowing particles suddenly brightened, and then, as if painting a picture, they began to form Bethel's shape in the starry sky, gradually solidifying into a figure indistinguishable from a regular person.
Bethel opened his eyes. In those gem-like eyes, countless mystical symbols seemed to flicker, each representing the spatial truths of the universe. A normal person would be overwhelmed just by a single glance.
When the symbols finally faded, the familiar look of Bethel—Mr. Door—returned to his eyes.
Bethel exhaled and then looked at Lynn, as if examining him. A few seconds later, he said, "So that's how it is..."
"What, can you see my true form now?" Lynn grinned, knowing from Bethel's expression that the ascension had succeeded.
"I can see a bit of the truth, but I still can't fully perceive the vast presence behind you—that One..." Bethel paused, carefully choosing his words before continuing. "I can feel that They harbor no malice toward you or this world, but They're so great that even their harmless attention is more than this fragile world can bear."
(End of Chapter)