The sound of applause rippled through the white canvas, the noise painting broad strokes of fear within my heart. It wasn’t as if the sound itself caused fear. 

Rather, it had awoken a primal instinct that now carved its way through my body, locking me in place with barbs of fear.

Damn! What the hell’s happening!?

I shifted my gaze to the left and right, as if I was expecting to see some sort of figure appearing from out of the infinite nothingness.

Nope.

Everything was still just as devoid of anything as it was the second before.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Although I couldn’t move my body, it seemed that I could still speak.

“Too scared to show your bitchass?”

My voice echoed in the endless expanse for several seconds, but there was no response. My only companion in this place was deafening silence.

I’ll take that as a yes.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply before exhaling, steeling my nerves. With a shout, I broke free of the primitive instinct that had arrested my movement, shaking my head like a duck shaking off water.

Standing around like this wouldn’t do me any good. After all, I’d finally made it here. My fingertips brushed against it.

My ultimate goal.

Just as I took a step forward, the endless sea of white rippled before me, consolidating into a humanoid form. The creature standing before me had no face or identifying features, but I could tell with a single glance that it was the one I had been seeking since the beginning of this journey.

The target of my revenge.

Right now, the one who stood before me was none other than “God.” This was a fact that dominated my mind and seeped into my very pores. It was an undeniable axiom of the world that I was forced to accept.

Yes, just like the first time I met that so-called “God of Transmigration,” I knew immediately that the creature in front of me was an existence that surpassed all others.

Yet, it was different this time. I didn’t feel as powerless as I did before. I wasn’t compelled to spit out my long-harbored feelings of hatred, nor did I feel like falling to my knees and worshiping its presence.

This time, I was in control of myself, and it felt comforting.

“God” brought his hands together, and again, that fear-inducing sound of applause rang in my ears. This time, it was far easier to shake off.

“Congratulations, Mikado Ryuuko.”

“God’s” voice shook me to my very core. It was unsurprising that even the mere sound would do so. After all, “God” was the one who created my original world, and by extension, me.

But I was no longer tied down to my past. I had already resolved to leave it all behind me. Not even “God” could drag me back to the time when I was chained down by that hellhole.

“You are the first mortal to ever breach the sanctity of my plane. I have been watching you ever since you started your journey. This revenge that you sought... Do you truly believe that it was worth it?”

I didn’t answer.

“Alas, that foolish goal of yours ends here, Mikado Ryuuko,” “God” paused, extending a hand toward me. “But not in the way that you would think. Join me, Mikado Ryuuko. You have experienced the suffering of my world, and the suffering of this world. Yet, you have managed to find hope in that suffering.

“Is that not beautiful, Mikado Ryuuko? Even through the darkness that I plunged you in, you managed to find that single beacon of light. Come, join me, Mikado Ryuuko. Together, we can search for that same beauty.”

So that’s your game...

The distance that my fist traveled was short, but its impact against the side of “God’s” head shook the very firmament to its roots.

“God” stumbled backward, though It was clearly unfazed. Its white body was completely devoid of any trace of harm that my attack might have caused. Though, I doubted that a simple strike like that would have even been able to deal any damage in the first place.

“What do—”

My fist shot out again, this time catching “God” square in the face just as It turned to face me after recovering from my latest blow.

Its pure-white body bounced against the alabaster surface of the “ground” that I stood upon, causing black water-like ripples to blemish its previously spotless canvas.

Even as “God” careened through the air, I darted forward and let loose a flurry of punches, refusing to give It any time to collect himself. Each of my strikes landed with satisfying impacts, but I could feel that “God” was far from damaged.

It didn’t matter though. I had gotten my message across loud and clear.

The time for words was over. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

Appearing in front of “God’s” still-flying body, I lifted my leg high up in the air. Even if It had tanked straight through everything I threw at It before, there was no way It’d just eat this attack without taking at least a bit of damage.

With a thundering boom of finality, the heel of my foot fell upon “God’s” chest. A veritable guillotine descended upon “God”, slamming into the vacuous expanse with such force that black lines reminiscent of cracks filled the surface beneath It.

I leapt backward, conserving my stamina as I prepared for “God” to recover from my attack. As It stood up, I saw that a small black crack had formed where my foot landed.

I nodded with satisfaction, confirming the fact that It could be damaged.

“Enough of this farce.”

“God” waved Its hand, and I suddenly felt an incredible weight against my shoulders as all the power I’d accumulated up until now suddenly left my body with frightening alacrity.

All the Skills that I’d amassed using [Rulebook] and the strength that I’d derived from my stats were all gone in a single moment that took “God” no more effort than a simple gesture.

But I wasn’t worried at all.

Instead, I smirked.

I was no longer bound by that system.

It had given me strength, yeah. But this wasn’t the world of Paresica anymore, and I wasn’t on the continent of Celatria.

Right now, I was in a plane where your power was determined by the concept that you championed. It was obvious the moment I learned that “God” grew stronger with conflict and suffering.

The fact that he needed entire worlds filled with such things was already a testament to that.

The concept that “God” embodied was suffering. It was a concept that would never die out. So long as people lived, people would suffer. It was inevitable in life and ubiquitous across all worlds.

Of course, that made “God” strong. It was probably one of the strongest deities who inhabited this plane reserved for the divine.

Yet, I wasn’t afraid. No matter how many evils existed in the world, there was one thing that would always remain, just as it did when Pandora’s Box was opened.

And it was that very thing that I chose to embody when I chose to raise my fist against the heavens. It lodged itself deep within my soul, and while it remained within me, I was unshakeable.

For the thing that dwelled within my heart was hope.

HungrySheep

Wow! We've finally made it here! Honestly, I never thought I'd get this far. Thank you for your support everyone! Please stick around for one more chapter on Wednesday where Ryuuko's adventure comes to an end at last!