As soon as Yoru ascended, before the ceremony of receiving his God name and domain could be held, he jumped right back down to earth. Upon his return to the heavens, he received his Godhood back, and his powers and vitality were restored to maximum strength. 

But it was too late. What may have been 30 seconds up in the heavens was as long as about 31 days on earth 

When Yoru descended upon the earth in his god form, his vibrant violet-colored hair flowed elegantly as he wore his embroidered armor. Violet-silver colored lightning struck all around him, instantly killing all of the demons around within a blink of an eye. To announce his arrival in a heavenly manner, a pillar of light shined down to the center of the colosseum stage. 

All the demons there ceased to move or even howl. They were far too scared to even breathe within the presence of a God whose power soared above their own by a hundred times.

When he arrived, he saw Sen how was crouched over, pinning the abomination - his brother Yuri - down to the ground with her sword through his neck to keep him there. Sen had used her final ounce of mana, embedding it into the sword so that Yuri would not be able to escape, even after she had died. 

Although Yoru brought a turbulent storm of lightning bolts with him when he landed that struck and killed all within his path, within the eye of the storm was the calm; only a gentle breeze swept through where the three figures remained. Sen’s loose strands of hair that have been dyed red gently caressed her tired face. Her fingers remained locked around the hilt of the sword that held Yuri down.

Although Yuri was still alive, his life was hanging by a thread; he could no longer move, remaining immobilized. His slow, raspy breathing could be heard within the calm; he could no longer be saved. 

As soon as Yoru extended a hand that lightly tapped Sen’s shoulder, her limp body finally gave way, collapsing to the side but Yoru was there to catch her. Her pale complexion was drained of all life with dried up blood covering her entire body. His breath shook as he looked at her weary face. Cradling her gently into his arms, he hugged her cold body. He would no longer feel the warmth of her body; hear her voice when she called his name; feel the touch of her skin or smell her scent. They were all gone now. And he was never going to get them back.

Carrying her up in his arms, Yoru stood up to leave. 

“B-Brothe-r,” Yuri croaked with a whimper. “Save me… kill me…”

Yoru turned around and looked down to his dying brother with aloof eyes. 

“Kill me… end all of this…” Yuri whimpered as tears began flowing from his eyes. “I’ve lost everything… my home… my people… the person I loved… and myself. I’m sorry… Yoru…”

A lightning flew from behind Yoru and pierced right through Yuri’s forehead, but because of the very power the lightning held, Yuri’s head couldn’t take the pressure and exploded.

Although he hated his brother to the core, something told him that Sen would have released Yuri from his pain and suffering, thus Yoru did so. Not only did he do it for Sen, but for Yuri himself, and for Celestial Kala, Jonah, Fey, Ignis, and for all of those his brother devoured… and for Hana as well... 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I can’t believe he’s really gone,” a seductively voice called out from the darkness, but Yoru did not care to identify who it was that was speaking, although he knew exactly who it was. “Even after all of this chaos, he won’t even come down to see me once. What a cold-hearted God.”

Suddenly, the sky rumbled and lightning cracked across the sky. But before anything could happen, another God descended onto earth. The golden aura that surrounded this charismatic man could not help but make anyone weak to their knees. Yoru could care less, but Ilreth was ecstatic to see him - to see Rhalios! He was finally here!!

Rhalios, the King of Gods, had finally descended onto earth to settle the scores. He glanced over to Yoru and saw his dark and downcasted expression. Just as Rhalios was about to give Yoru a comfort back, lightning struck his outstretched hand, telling him to back off and not touch him.

“I would’ve expected the King of Gods to solve his personal problems without dragging others into it,” Yoru sneered.

Rhalios was unaffected by the shock but just sighed. “That was my careless mistake.” Rhalios glanced over to Ilreth who was basically drooling at the sight of him. “I should’ve put an end to it thousands of years ago.”

Yoru just glared at Rhalios coldly before turning away and returning to the Heavens.

***

When Yoru arrived at the main gates of the heavenly palace, a swarm of gods and lower deities rushed to greet him, but upon seeing his cold and calm aura, they were all startled and backed away. They also did not miss the dead body of a girl that was in his arms. 

Arriving in his palace - his old home - he gently placed Sen’s corpse on his bed. Brushing away the dirt and dried blood from her face, his expression softened. 

A heavenly servant then appeared at his front door, politely knocking as he presented his announcement. “His majesty, King Rhalios, requests for your presence in the main banquet hall in honor of you regaining your Godhood and for passing your third divine tribulation. You will be awarded with your God name and domain.”

“...Did he finish his business completely this time?” Yoru asked.

“This lowly servant cannot answer that question for you. God Yoru will have to ask His Majesty for himself,” the servant replied. 

“Mhm. I do have a few questions for him. Ah, and bring me your finest silk robes,” Yoru requested the servant.

The servant just looked over to the corpse that laid on the bed but said nothing and bowed his head, doing as he was told. 

Yoru carried Sen’s corpse to his large hot spring and cleaned her up personally. As he cleaned her carefully, there was no lust or impure thoughts; just the only intention of washing the dirt from her pure body. 

She was the most important person to him, thus he did not want her to be sullied, so he personally cleaned her and dressed her up before laying her corpse on the bed with new sheets. When he was done, Sen was restored to how she had looked before, excluding her extremely lifeless skin color or the wounds she had acquired; her starlight hair glowed dimly as her corpse remained still. Seeing each wound on her body made his heart ache. How he wished he could've been much stronger or how he could've ascended faster to her aid.

Taking her hand into his own, her pressed her cold knuckles to his lips.

“Yoru,” a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Did you finish your business? Completely?" Yoru asked calmly.

"I did. It's done."

Rhalios has eliminated Ilreth once and for all and ushered the true demons back to the underworld.  He then changed all of those who have been transformed into demons back to their original form - be it humans, elves, beastmen, etc., he changed them back. From that point on, it would be up to how these races were going to restore peace and rebuild their empires.

Yoru gently put Sen’s hand down by her side before turning around to look at Rhalios with lifeless eyes.

“There are so many things I don’t understand. Why…? How… How was I able to ascend? And our banishment… was that a divine tribulation?”

“Yes. You and the other six’s punishment was a divine tribulation. And in the end, you overcome it and ascended,” Rhalios answered as he looked over to Sen. “That girl… I know her. I bestowed my blessing onto her many, many years ago.”

“Your blessing?”

Rhalios nodded her head. “When she drank from the goblet, she was not deemed a champion. She was deemed a hero. From the moment she called down the goblet, she was given the hero’s blessing. A true hero that comes once in a millennium. She was selfless until her dying breath.”

“But that doesn’t explain how I ascended.”

“A hero is an equivalent to 100 champions. It is true that she was not bound to you through a blood contract, but she had the option of choosing. That’s what my blessing allowed her to do.”

Yoru processed the information, then he bolted up, “Then-!! Does that mean she’ll be here?! Her soul has left her physical body, and she’s a heroic soul, so doesn’t that mean she’ll come up to the heavens to become a god?! I’ll get to see her again!” Yoru’s eyes sparkled brilliantly, after all, that was what was written down -  if they are worthy of being deemed a true champion, they will receive the champion’s blessings and when they die, their souls will go up to live in the heavens as vassals or gods. It was the same for heroes, right?!

Rhalios furrowed his brows sadly and sighed with his hands clasped behind his back. “I’m afraid that is not that case.”

Yoru’s smile froze.

“She made her decision from the moment she made you ascend; that her soul will not come to the heavens to stay but will go into the cycle of reincarnation when she died. I’m sorry, Yoru.”

Yoru stood in a daze as he soaked in Rhalios’ words with the lights dimming from his eyes.

“You can give her a proper burial within the Sea of Heroes after your ceremony, alright” Rhalios tried coaxing Yoru.

Yoru did not move for a long moment, and Rhalios waited patiently. When Yoru snapped back, he sighed with a trembling breath. Bowing his head, he agreed to Rhalios’ idea.

***

Adorned in an extravagant attire that was embroidered with golden jewels, Yoru walked down the aisle to where Rhalios sat upon his throne. When Yoru reached Rhalios, he kneeled down onto one knee with his head bowed.

“God Yoru, congratulations on your ascension,” said Rhalios.

After Rhalios said that, many of the other gods offered their congratulations in praise of being the youngest and the only Celestial to return.

“And by completing your third divine tribulation, I will bestow upon you your name and domain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You will now be named Delio - the God of Benevolence. Arise, Delio,” said Rhalios.

When Yoru stood up, his whole body glowed before settling down. He has just been given his name and domain. He was now one of the higher gods.

“Thank you, King Rhalios,” Yoru bowed his head.

“You are welcome to return. You have someone waiting for you, right?” 

Yoru nodded his head and left right away, throwing the gathered gods into a frenzy. It was usually a joyous and grand banquet when a God receives their name and domain, yet Yoru left just like that. But because he had Rhalios’ permission, no one questioned it. 

***

When Yoru returned to his palace, instead of taking Sen and placing her into the Sea of Heroes, which was a burial site for all of the Gods who have perished, Yoru placed her into the finest jade casket and sent her down the sea of Athalia, also known as the sea of eternity; a sea whose origins and end remain a mystery; the only known fact - it was tied to the cycle of reincarnation. If a god were to venture out too far, they will be pulled into the cycle and be reincarnated against their own will.

He didn’t want her to remain among others in the sea of Heroes; she deserved much better. She deserved to move on from this world after all that she had sacrificed. She deserved serenity.

As he stood in the beautiful sea that reflected the twilight sky colors, watching her jade casket flow further and further away from him, his heart skipped a beat. He gritted his teeth as his calm facade finally broke apart. Yoru wanted to send Sen off with a smile on his face as she did, but he couldn’t do it. There, Yoru stood at the edge of Athalia, bawling his eyes out as his pain-stricken voice echoed to the endless sea. 

When there were no more tears left to cry, Yoru stared up to the starry sky. Up there, he saw the milky way reflected in his eyes. He had fallen to his knees by the shoreline that was submerged in water, lost in a haze.

As he remained in place with his eyes locked upon the night sky, he then saw what looked like stars floating down towards him; he lifted up his hand to catch these stars, but they quickly escaped from the grasps of his fingers. Only when these ‘stars’ gently caressed his face, did he know what they were. 

Glowing white cherry blossom petals.

Yoru gasped. Then a smile finally broke onto his face. Catching one of the petals, he planted a kiss on it and looked off into the distance. “I will find you, Sen. No matter how long it takes.”