The sound of thunder tore through the air as if a legendary dragon’s clarion roar. Red-black streaks of lightning flickered around my fists, the source of that thunder.

So long as I existed, there was no need for a sky nor clouds. I alone was sufficient for a storm.

“God” had no face, no expression. Yet, I could tell that It was unfathomably furious at my complete lack of despair.

“How!? How is a mere huma—”

Again, my fist smashed into “God’s” face, shutting It up as It was shot backwards, cutting a straight line through the air.

All around us, we were still surrounded by the white void that served as the domain of divinity, yet with each attack I launched, the fragile canvas of white cracked little by little, revealing the ugly darkness that laid behind its pure facade.

Although the strength that I’d wielded since the start of my journey had been stripped from me with the departure of my skills, I felt far stronger than before. Even now, I could feel the strength of those who believed in me flow through my body.

Their hopes and dreams suffused my thoughts, and our emotions blended together. Some voices were louder than others, but I could tell that all of them were wishing for my victory.

Our victory.

“God” re-oriented Itself in the air, skidding to a halt against the ground as Its feet found purchase. That once pure-white form of “God’s” was now filled with cracks that leaked black energy in the form of hazy mist.

It had taken me a second, but I soon realized that the energy leaking from “God’s” wounds were nothing more than the energy that I had once wielded. Pure, unadulterated darkness formed from suffering and grief.

Behind that pure-white visage, that was the truth behind “God’s” true nature. I had known it long ago already, but seeing it with my own eyes only strengthened my resolve.

In the end, “God” was nothing more than someone who wanted others to share in Its suffering, desperately seeking a universal pity party in the hopes of finding others like It, or gaining the opportunity to laugh at the misery of others if only to alleviate Its own pain for a moment.

And at last, I understood why It had reached Its hand out toward me. Why It offered me the chance to join It in whatever perverse godhood it wished for me.

It was simple, wasn’t it?

In that smothering sea of torment, I’d managed to find friends. Even after experiencing my own death and a life that none would envy, I still managed to learn love and laughter.

To this “God” who had only ever known pain, I was nothing short of an enigma. But more than that, I was most likely the beacon he had been desperately searching for ever since time immemorial.

Yet, I had wholeheartedly refused that role. Fuck this “God.”

“God” spit out a pitch-black globule of hazy liquid that quickly evaporated into the air with a hissing noise.

“What a shame, Mikado Ryuuko. You could have been so much greater, yet you have chosen the path of destruction.”

Yeesh, talk about cliche.

“So what? What makes you think I wanna be anything else?” I laughed. “Y’know, I used to hate being me. This accursed body, this stupidly aggressive lookin’ face... I hated it all. But now, I’m startin’ to think it’s not so bad.”

“God” remained silent for a long while before finally responding, Its voice quieter than I expected.

“...Impossible. A wretched creature like you learning to smile? Learning to laugh?” “God” let out a mocking laugh in disbelief. “No. I refuse to accept it, Mikado Ryuuko! I was the one who plunged you in that miserable hellhole! 

“I was the one who saw to it that you would grow up traumatized! Yet... Why!? Why do you stand here before me, acting as if you are better than me, or more noble and virtuous!? I will not accept it! I cannot accept it!”

“God” launched Itself forward in a fit of anger, black-white energy revolving around Its arms in twin concentric circles as It lashed out at me wildly, tearing the cracked white space apart.

It fell apart in beautiful, unblemished fragments, almost like an eggshell peeling apart to reveal its innards. Except this time, the inside of that egg was pitch-black like the void of space, a place that forbade mortals from visiting.

I leaned to the side, allowing Its fist to streak past me, Its pure-white arm like a shooting star against the obsidian backdrop of our fight.

With one hand, I caught Its other fist, staring at It with a calm gaze of disappointment that only served to infuriate It even more. The one who I had swore vengeance against was nothing more than a petulant child who wished for others to share in Its misery in the end.

That sole fact irked me more than anything else I had experienced thus far. I had expected “God” to be some megalomaniac villain who had cast countless worlds into conflict and grief merely for Its own amusement and strength.

But that wasn’t the case. “God” had only caused all that suffering because It was starved for affection. Because It didn’t understand affection.

And honestly, that was far more annoying than if It was just a malevolent god.

“God” struggled against the strength of my grip, and for a second, it felt as if It would overpower me. After all, the energies that caused the beginning and the end suffused Its body right now.

But even so, what use is a beginning and an end when compared to the hopes and dreams of those who inhabit the story in between?

A beginning lasts for only a second, and an ending even less.

Compared to the ones who were forced to experience this twisted tale, the alpha and the omega were nothing more than fanciful decorations.

I tightened my grip around Its fist, shattering the pulsing rings of genesis and destruction that fueled “God’s” strength.

“I think it’s time to end this, ‘God.’”

“God” screamed in fury, tearing Itself free of my grasp and drawing its arm back to deliver one final, desperate strike against me. Its broken and battered body was now littered with countless cracks that ran across Its once pure-white body like so many rivers of darkness.

I faced It with frightening indifference.

Slowly and deliberately, I clenched my left hand into a fist.

“God’s” own strike drew closer to me, the force of his hand’s movement tearing through space and time.

I stepped forward and threw my own punch. It was such a simple but heavy movement, containing the feelings of all those who I’d met and my own.

The suffering. 

The grief. 

The pain. 

The smiles. 

The laughter. 

The love. 

The hurts and joys that I’d managed to experience throughout this life and the one before. I hated that twisted world of Earth, but even so, I was thankful to it. If not for that gray-filtered world, I never would have met the ones that I cherished now.

There was no loud explosion. No thunderous impact. The heavens didn’t shake in fear of my strength, and the world did not know true strength as my fist sheared through “God’s” own.

This was just our own, personal conclusion. A soundless story that spanned two lives. No one else needed to know about it.

Crack.

Slowly, “God’s” body began shattering. Piece by piece, It disappeared into the darkness that suffused this space.

And then, It spoke the words It always wished to.

“...In the end, I never knew love nor joy... In the end, I could never become human.”

I didn’t respond. There was no need to.

“Hey, Mikado Ryuuko...”

“Hm?”

“Do you... forgive me?”

“...”

There were a multitude of things that I could’ve said, but there was only one thing that I could think of at that moment.

“Hell no,” I grinned.

“God” smiled. “Yeah. I thought not.”

And then, “God” died.

My arms hung loosely by my side. 

I let out a long sigh, one that contained the bulk of my repressed feelings. “God” and I never really had the chance to really talk. I mean, I ended up just punching It in the face when It tried, so I guess I was the one to blame.

Either way, it was too late now. “God” was dead, and I had finally completed my revenge. Yet, I... couldn’t say that I felt any different than before.

If anything else, I felt tired. In fact, I could lie down right now and go to bed. I mean, there wasn’t anything left for me to do.

Yeah... That’d be nice...

Slowly, I closed my eyes. I deserved a long break, anyway. I had worked hard. Harder than I ever had before. So that’s why...

“...Ryuuko!”

I frowned.

Don’t go callin’ a woman’s name when she’s tryin’ to sleep! Yeesh!

“Ryuuko!”

“Ryuuko, wake up!”

Gah! Who the hell is this!?

“Ryuuko, please! You can’t fall asleep there!”

My eyes snapped open, scanning my surroundings in annoyance. Nothing had changed. I was still in that fatigue-inducing world of darkness.

“Who the hell keeps—”

“Ryuuko, you have to come back!”

...Right. There was that. I still had one last thing I had to do before I could rest.

I sighed, picking myself back up. What was I even thinking? Of course I knew who those voices belonged to.

I waved my hand as if brushing away dust upon the cover of an old book. A burst of blinding light erupted before me, forming a vertical pillar that split the obsidian sea before me.

I stepped forward into the light, only to be greeted by a sight brighter than any other.

Lucrezia, Priya, Antenora... Everyone...

“...I’m back.”

HungrySheep

To all those who followed this novel throughout its journey, I thank you all dearly. "I Am the Greatest" certainly wasn't my greatest work (pun intended), but I learned a lot from writing it and I hope you'll all look forward to my next work!

Special thanks to my Patrons Kimberly, Max, Teaa, and Thant! Without you guys, I probably wouldn't have had the motivation to keep up releases during the semester!