I kept my expression calm.

Not too smug. Not too stiff. Just the right amount of "I'm-totally-not-scheming-against-a-goddess-right-now."

But Hel?

For the first time since I met her…

She really looked at me. And sweet mercy of the void, that stare could definitely freeze a sun or two. Cold didn't begin to describe it.

It felt like she wanted to have me ritually dismembered, slow-drained and put on display.

And I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what I had done to earn that particular flavor of hate just yet.

I mean, sure, I had a question lined up that she couldn't answer but I hadn't even dropped it yet. That one was locked and loaded for the final round.

So what had I done?

All I did was ask about her favorite snack.

Just a little harmless nonsense to paint myself as a dumb, desperate mortal who had stumbled into godhood's deal-making.

It was all part of the plan.

Make her underestimate me.

Let her think I was harmless, unworthy and forgettable.

It was a setup, a perfectly crafted façade so I could really do something crazy afterwards.

And yet here she was…

Staring at me like I had reached into her past and slapped her first crush.

Why?

What the hell was in that snack memory?

May it be mortal, immortal, noble or nobody, women just had to be so damn complicated to understand.

In any case, I had my second question ready.

Truth be told, there were countless things I could have asked.

Mysteries people would kill to know.

Secrets even kings would beg for.

But let's be honest.

I already knew too much.

And for the things I didn't know?

I sure as hell wasn't about to ask her.

This world had a price for knowledge.

And those who chased after divine secrets?

Yeah… they usually didn't get a happy ending.

Just a tragic one with better foreshadowing.

Besides, where's the fun in getting all the answers handed to you?

Half the thrill's in the puzzle.

And I wanted to solve it myself.

Yeah, I know, it was kind of dumb.

If I were in some novel, some poor reader would probably be screaming at the page right about now.

"What kind of stupidity is this?"

"Bruh, the protag is so useless!"

"Screw this guy, I'm dropping the story!"

Because if I were reading this, I would probably say the same damn thing.

I mean, who wouldn't want the main character to die, unlock some forbidden cosmic truth, come back as a literal god in the next chapter, annihilate his enemies, and ride off into the void with a harem of dimension-breaking wives?

It's clean, flashy and something which would sell.

But that's not me.

I didn't want to blow my brains out by learning something I was never meant to hear.

That's also why I was so damn cautious, especially when it came to even thinking about the real truths.

About the names of the Primordial Gods.

Because in this world?

Sometimes just hearing a certain name could twist you.

And in all honesty, there wasn't much I wanted to know from Hel… or at least I couldn't think anything much at this moment.

So, without any further hesitation, I threw my next question towards her.

"My second question is…"

I scratched my head like I was actually debating some cosmic truth.

"… did you ever look at the sky just to see the stars?"

—

Hel looked at the mortal who had asked yet another ridiculous question…

And yet, for the second time, she couldn't bring herself to dismiss it.

Not because the question was clever or because it held hidden meaning.

But because it made her remember her mortal days.

She didn't think much this time and replied.

"Yes."

A single word.

She didn't explain.

She didn't need to because the question only asked yes or no.

She awaited the final question.

Will it be something simple like others?

Or will he ask her for some knowledge this time?

She didn't doubt him asking a question she didn't know the answer to because in the vision she had seen herself smile.

Not out of mockery, triumph or even cruelty.

But… genuine joy.

And she had clung to that meaning.

Because Hel did not smile for nothing.

So… this next question, whatever it was,

It must be the one that would unlock everything.

She was sure of it.

She had to be.

Because if not…

Then she didn't understand the mortal standing before her.

The mortal looked at her in puzzlement, his expression strange for a moment.

But he regained calm before asking his final question.

"My third question is…"

He paused for a moment.

"… what is your Primordial Mark?"

—

[Rael's POV]

As soon as I muttered those words an immense amount of pressure exploded outward from Hel.

My body crashed onto the ground.

My vision trembled, flickering in and out and through that haze…

I saw my hand start to vanish.

There was no pain… probably because my body was long dead and I was being simply erased by Hel.

Still, I didn't panic.

I didn't even flinch.

Because I knew, absolutely knew, nothing was going to happen to me.

The Heavenly Principles weren't about to let a challenger get erased just because their opponent couldn't answer a question and decided to throw a divine tantrum.

And soon after, the pressure vanished and my body started solidifying again.

But even as the laws began to rewind and rebuild me, as the decree shifted in my favor…

I wasn't thinking about victory.

I wasn't even thinking about the Chalice, or Helheim, or the cosmic scale of what I had just pulled off.

I was thinking about something else entirely.

Why was she smiling?

Back when I asked her something dumb.

Did you ever look at the sky just to see the stars?

I hadn't thought much of it.

It was just a distraction. Something to pass the time before the killshot.

She had answered simply.

But her face had cracked just for a moment as a small smile had touched her lips, uninvited.

It was almost like…

She didn't even realize she was smiling.

Yet as I looked at her now, there was no trace of that smile anymore…

…only fury remained.

As a voice echoed within the area.

[The Seraphic Decree Has Concluded]

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