The drone mapped the surrounding area. Mio traced a path on the map, then led the gray horse through the forest until they reached the road. Weeds grew thick along both sides of the forest path, but the center was packed hard from years of use, forming a solid surface. Mio mounted the gray horse, expecting it to protest under her added weight. Instead, it snorted happily and clip-clopped forward. This gray horse had been invaluable on her journey. Deep gratitude filled Mio’s heart for General Gaius, who had gifted it to her.

*If only it were a bit better-looking, it’d be perfect.*

According to the military map she’d acquired earlier, this road would lead her out of the forest near Seralni. After that, she’d just need to ask locals for directions. Her journey had already lasted over a month. Winter had faded into spring, the seasons shifting silently. Back in her world of origin, supersonic Air Force transports stood ready 24/7, ensuring the Night Watch and its support units could deploy anywhere on the globe within hours. Only now, forced to measure the earth step by step, did Mio truly grasp the world’s vastness.

“Wait—ah!”

Someone was chasing her. Mio turned to see the golden-haired youth in black robes sprinting after her. If he’d run the whole way, his stamina was impressive. He fell into step beside her mounted form, breathing heavily but with not a bead of sweat on his brow—plenty of energy left.

“My name is Deus,” he said with a smile, extending his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“This is a bit forward, isn’t it?” Mio eyed him sideways. “Old man.”

The “old man” landed like a critical hit. He could only flash a bright, bitter smile. Mio, utterly uninterested, patted her gray horse’s flank. The horse understood instantly and quickened its pace.

“W-wait! Please!” The self-proclaimed Deus caught up again. “Could I… travel with you? There are werewolves everywhere. I’m scared!”

“Have a woman protect you? Are you even a man…?”

“Circumstances force my hand,” Deus said wryly. “I have no choice.”

“Ugh. That’s the lamest excuse ever.” Mio pressed her gun to his temple. “You have three seconds to tell me your real purpose. Or I’ll blow your brains out with a flick of my finger.”

“Eeek—!”

“Two seconds left. Don’t waste time. One second!”

“Alright, alright! I’ll talk!” Deus raised both hands. “Truth is, I’m a Reaper. Reaper eyes can see human lifespans—but I can’t see yours at all. If I’m not mistaken… you’ve been dead for a long time, haven’t you? If you don’t mind, I’d like to guide your soul to peace!”

A gunshot cracked. Mio shot straight through Deus’s head.

“So it’s true. A god,” she murmured, watching him collapse. “I thought it was just a hunch, but… never mind. Gods and their apostles only bring calamity to humans. Every last one of you deserves to die.”

Yet Deus sprang back up, straightening his broken neck with a hand.

“Don’t jump to conclusions!” he protested. “The gods here are benevolent. We bestow blessings on humanity, guiding and aiding them. Take me—I work tirelessly every day to guide souls trapped by regret or hatred after violent deaths into the cycle of rebirth!”

“A Reaper?” Mio popped open her gun’s chamber and loaded mystic bullets. “What a troublesome opponent.”

“Stop! Just stop!” Deus waved his arms frantically. “Don’t shoot me again—I won’t die, but it still hurts! What even is that weapon? I’ve never seen anything like it. Humans shouldn’t be able to harm Reapers, yet you… yikes! Don’t hit me!”

Mio emptied all six bullets into him in an instant. Riddled with holes, Deus twitched on the ground.

“Tch. Still not dead.” Mio drew her Force Field Sword. “Do I have to shatter your Divine Core?”

“I said, STOP!”

Deus opened his mouth and unleashed a black shockwave. Caught off guard, Mio was blasted skyward. She crashed deep into the forest, snapping trees that thundered to the earth. Shaking off branches, Mio realized a broken limb had impaled her abdomen, leaving a gruesome wound. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the splintered wood piercing her gut. Then a shadow blocked the sun. Unharmed, Deus stood over her, beaming.

“Need a hand?”

“Get lost!”

“Oof… that stings.” Deus looked genuinely wounded. “Why snap at a hardworking Reaper? I toil day and night without slacking off!”

“Gods are my enemies,” Mio growled through the pain, snapping the branch inside her. “Your kind sends apostles to our world. Celestials rain divine punishment without warning, razing city after city, slaughtering innocents. The Night Watch exists to fight beings like you. I’ve sworn my life to this holy war. Gods are my enemies. That’s all there is to it.”

She raised her gun. A flash of cold steel—Mio’s right hand, still gripping the Punisher, flew into the air. Behind Deus, a massive scythe glinted. His true weapon. A divine artifact.

“I didn’t want this,” he said quietly. “But you left me no choice.”

“So you’re Yao Ye’s ally?” Mio clutched her wound. “You stole my name. My memories. What more do you want from me?”

“Yao Ye?” Deus’s expression turned icy. The true face of a Reaper.

“Tell Yao Ye this,” Mio shouted. “I’ll tear her apart limb from limb. I’ll crush her Divine Core with my own hands!”

The scythe halted at Mio’s throat. Deus stared down at her, cold-eyed. Her right hand began to regenerate—oozing black sludge forming a new limb.

“A Fragment of Creation?” Deus sighed. “So you really are… a traveler from another world.”

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Mio gave a bitter, broken smile. “Death would be a mercy. If you’re truly the Reaper, grant me release.”

“Sadly,” Deus lowered his scythe, “the dead cannot die twice. Even a Reaper cannot kill someone who’s already dead.”

“A pathetic excuse.” Mio’s laugh was hollow. “If you won’t kill me, I’ll slaughter every god I find.”

Silence stretched for seconds. Deus released his scythe. It dissolved into dark mist and sank into his shadow.

“I don’t know how humans and gods coexisted in your world,” he said, scratching his head. “But here, we’re close. Gods grant blessings; humans repay us with faith. No one worships the Reaper, true—but as long as humans fear death, I won’t fade. To my knowledge, no god here deliberately harms humans. Divine punishment requires approval from the Pantheon. Every single god must agree.”

Mio’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with suspicion.

“And you expect me to trust my enemy?”

“No, no! I’m not your enemy!” Deus waved his hands. “‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Yao Ye is the enemy of every god here. She’s a Fallen One. A calamity. We’ve wondered where she vanished to these past hundred years. Never imagined she’d invaded your world… and dragged you here. I should’ve noticed sooner. Your soul is deeply tainted by the Fragment of Creation. Normal reincarnation is impossible for you now.”

“If that’s true, you gods are powerful. Why not kill Yao Ye? Killing a god isn’t hard—shatter her Divine Core, and she’s gone forever. Is that too difficult for beings like you?”

“Sadly, godslaying is impossible for us,” Deus said. “Gods cannot kill gods. Only a Godslayer can end a god’s life. And Godslayers… haven’t appeared in ten thousand years.”

“A Godslayer?” Mio froze.

“It’s the law of this world,” Deus said bitterly. “One of the Seven Laws set by the primordial gods at Creation: Only a Godslayer may slay a god.”

Mio exhaled sharply. As a Night Watch operative, she’d slain more than a dozen minor gods.

“I’ll believe you… for now,” she said. “Yao Ye’s curse has made this hollow existence unbearable. Endless pain and torment. Reaper, if you can grant me true death, I’d be grateful.”

“Don’t you have a single thing to live for?”

“Death is my only hope,” Mio said. “But Yao Ye’s curse is tricky. If you’re confident, try it. But don’t blame me when things go wrong.”

“Human,” Deus frowned, “you underestimate the Reaper. I’m truly offended. Let me shatter your arrogance with action. But rest assured—I’ll purify your soul afterward. However long it takes, I’ll guide you to rebirth.”

Deus reached out. His hand phased into spirit form, piercing Mio’s body to touch her soul crystal. Instantly, his expression twisted. Black sludge coiled around his arm, corroding it. Without hesitation, he snapped off his own limb and leaped back.

“Just as I thought,” he muttered as his arm regenerated. “With that Fragment of Creation inside you… my power can’t send you to the cycle. Sadly, no god in this world can grant you peace.”

“First—thank you,” Mio said. “Honestly, when that sludge grabbed you, I was scared too. At least I know you’re not with Yao Ye.”

Deus suddenly stiffened. A minuscule fraction of his divinity had vanished.

“You… tried to devour me?”

“I warned you,” Mio grinned smugly. “No blaming me when things go wrong. Clearing misunderstandings is good, right? I’ll just… borrow some of your memories. My apologies for being thick-skinned.”

“Sigh… fine.” Deus’s bitter smile returned. “Why must a diligent, law-abiding god suffer like this?”

“Stop sighing, Reaper,” Mio stood, wincing. “I’m worse off! My clothes are shredded—I can’t even enter a town like this. But let’s be clear: I still hate all you gods. I fought your kind for thirty years in my world. Don’t expect any warmth from me. At the next town, we part ways. As apology, you ride the horse. I’ll walk.”

The gray horse snorted in disapproval, shaking its head.

“Even the horse pities me…”

“No. It just genuinely dislikes you.”

“Please don’t say it out loud…”