Chapter 121: Death(3)
Luke slowly opens his eyes. Luke's eyes opened in such a serene and calm manner that it appeared as if he hadn't been stabbed to death by withered souls at all. Luke groaned and turned to look around; all he sees are darkness in every direction.
"This... Where the hell am I?"
"Right now, you're inside the void."
When Luke heard a familiar voice, he flinched. It was the guy's voice that kept appearing in his head at inconvenient times. When Luke turned around, he noticed a man wearing a white blindfold over his eyes. Luke could only see the man's lips, which were smiling at him, and his long silver hair, which was similar to his. The only difference to their hairs is that this man's hair is flowing in thin air like he is underwater. It moves into gentle waves, making him look very peaceful.
Luke stared at the man who was approaching him gently.
"So you're the jerk that keeps chatting to my head at inconvenient times?"
"Hey, that's impolite. I was merely attempting to assist you, okay?"
"I'm not calling that assistance."
The man rubbed his head and sighed.
"You are a strange man; instead of asking who I am, you go on to insult me."
Luke sighed and began looking about. He then began to inquire, his hands on his waist.
"So, where am I now? You said I am in a void, didn't you? What void?"
"Normally, when humans die, they are carried by the Grim Reaper and brought to the reincarnation place by angels. However, because you are a unique case, you ended yourself in the void."
"I see..."
Luke nodded, as though he finally gets it. However, he still has no idea what the hell is going on. The man appeared to notice this and sighed. Luke then turned to face him.
"Anyways, who are you? And why are you here? "
The man looks completely surprised at Luke's sudden question. The man tried to hide his surprise and cleared his throat.
"Hmm? I'm uh... A wandering soul."
"Wandering soul? What exactly is it?"
Before responding, the man remained silent for a few periods.
"I was already in this place when I opened my eyes. I've been here for so long that the Gods have taken notice of me and have decided to approach me. I became friends with the Gods and gained the ability to see the entire globe and converse with humans briefly through their minds."
Luke blinked several times. So the guy he's currently conversing with is the friend of the Gods. And Luke had just called this guy a jerk earlier. Isn't he going to be cursed or anything?
"Is this the guy I was supposed to look after?"
When Luke turned to see who was speaking, he noticed a tall man with long black hair and crimson eyes. He's dressed in a long black cloak and wields a scythe in his right hand. He also has dark skin, making him blend in the dark and making his red eyes pop out. Luke simply fixed his gaze on the person who had appeared. Based on his appearance, Luke can already tell who this man is.
"The Grim Reaper..."
The Grim Reaper sighed.
"It's good to know you're not stupid enough to be unfamiliar with me. Also, don't refer to me as such a cheesy name; instead, refer to me as Aides."
Luke remained silent and fixed his gaze on Aides. This was seen by the Aides, who scowled.
"How come you're staring at me like that?"
"Nothing, but I'm curious about something you stated earlier. You said you'd take care of me?"
The man in the white blindfold pushed his way into the conversation.
"Yes, you are correct. Even if you can come back from the dead, it is not an easy task. You needed someone like Aides, who deals with souls, to assist you in re-inserting your soul into your body."
"What will happen if Aides is not with me at one point?"
"Either here or in the overworld, your soul will keep roaming. Your soul is bounded by the power of the 10 phoenixes in the overworld, therefore you can't go to the reincarnation place. So if you don't have Aides, expect yourself to hang around with me for eternity."
For a little period, Luke was deafeningly quiet. He had no idea there was so much to do merely to return from the dead. When the ten phoenix power began to work its effects, he assumed that he would simply return to his body. He also didn't expect to require the assistance of the Grim Reaper himself only to return to his body.
"That seemed quite difficult."
The Aides then let out a sigh. He sounded exhausted.
"It's your fault for obtaining the Ten Phoenix in the first place. Now, in order for you to summon my assistance..."
Luke felt something on his wrists when Aides tapped his scythe on the floor. When he looked down at his wrists, his eyes widened as he noticed black chains forming and linking towards Aides' wrists. Luke was taken aback as the chains eventually formed and connected the two of them.
"You can simply call my name to summon me. Because I'm usually busy with my job, I'll use these chains to follow your location."
"Why are both of my wrists chained?"
"Stop whining; both of my wrists are also shackled. Haaa, I'm already swamped at work with people dying left and right, and now I'm supposed to babysit you
Luke frowned. He expected the Grim Reaper to be calm and chilly, but the one in front of him has a short fuse and acts like a busy and exhausted salaryman. He also appears to be sluggish. Luke had not anticipated this; life is indeed full of surprises.
"Aaaahhh! All I wanted was for that golden prince to be my child, but instead, I got a gambling addict! My head hurts all the time! She curses excessively!"
"Your child gambles too much that it is also affecting my child as well, haa."
When Luke, Aides, and the blindfolded man turned towards the direction of the noises, they spotted two men in a corner playing cards. The first has long golden hair and eyes, while the second has long black hair and eyes. They appear to be the same person, but not at the same time. They are more like the opposites of each other, like day and night.
"All I wanted was for the prince to promote my name even farther and attract more followers... But the child I received is uninterested in anything to do with me and instead prefers to gamble with her friends every day... That ungrateful brat! Huhuhu, I'm so unlucky!"
"But didn't you get your gambling habits from her? And also you even cheer her on when she gambles."
"Oh, just shut up! You should sympathize with me because your child isn't interested in carrying on your name either!"
"Eh? She's a lovely girl. I also don't want to put too much pressure on her."
"You... You're way too nice..."
Luke locked his gaze on the two men for a few moments. His eye twitched in response to their speech.
Golden Prince, a gambling addict woman, a woman who became addicted to gambling as a result of the gambling addict woman, and spreading their names...
Luke isn't sure why, but the two men's talk reminded him of Lance, Selena, and Yulia. When he finally recognized who the two guys were, his eyes widened.
"The God of Light and the God of Darkness."
The blindfolded man next to him chuckled and nodded.
"That's right; those two are the Gods of Light and Darkness,"
"Well, this is shocking..."
It is indeed shocking. Seeing the two Gods that people see as holy and ultimate extraterrestrial beings currently playing cards in front of Luke while whining about their children is truly a shocking sight to see. Also, what did Luke just hear? Lance was supposed to be the child of the God of Light? What an unexpected and shocking revelation.
A woman with curling purple dark hair wrapped in gold entered just as things were about to get even more bizarre. She exudes serenity and peace.
"You two, Luke could hear you..."
The God of Light and Darkness flinched and shifted his gaze to Luke. Luke simply stared at them, and they returned his stare. There was a strange pause.
"Shit, I forgot Luke was coming here today..."
The God of Light and the God of Darkness both leaped to their feet, and the God of Light threw the gambling table as far as he could into the darkness. Following that, he and the God of Darkness created placid and calm visage appropriate of Gods as if they weren't the ones who are gambling earlier. Instead of being surprised or impressed, Luke kept a poker face as he stared at the two Gods.
Aides, The blindfolded man, and the dark purple-haired woman simply sighed and palmed from their actions. The God of Light and Darkness groaned when they realized this.
"We're sorry okay!? We were just too engrossed in our game."
"I am also on the verge of winning..."
The blindfolded man simply sighed and introduced them to Luke once more.
"Luke, these two are the Gods of Light and Darkness. The Goddess of Fortune is the serene woman over there."
The word 'fortune' made Luke's ears twitch. He then turned to face the woman, who was beaming at him.
"I am the Goddess of Fortune, and I am delighted to finally meet you, Luke. Finesse is my child."
Before asking her, Luke blinked a few times.
"Fortune in the sense of foreseeing the future or...?"
"Ah no! The responsibility of seeing the future is not up to me. Someone is already doing that. I am the Goddess of Luck but people mostly know me as the Goddess of Fortune."
Luke came to a complete stop. No wonder Finesse managed to live until the end of the novel despite the odds. It turns out that the God of Fortune is helping her. And the scene where she magically healed Noah's wounds must be also done by the Goddess of Fortune.
So it wasn't just mere plot armor that was helping Finesse. It turns out that she is being assisted by an actual God of plot armor.
Luke nodded as if he had finally grasped the situation. When the Goddess noticed this, she smiled softly. She then walked up to Luke and kissed him on the cheek, causing Luke to freeze in place.
"Thank you for assisting my child in moving on and becoming bright once more. Truth be told, I was really concerned for her when she began isolating herself, but I gained optimism when you began approaching her. Thank you for your service, my hero."
Luke blushed as he softly caressed the kissed part of his cheek. This is the first time he's been kissed on the cheeks by a beautiful woman, and he's embarrassed. The Goddess smiled warmly as she realized this.
"I bless your soul with my blessings. May you remain secure at all times."
Luke stopped moving after she said those words.
'Wait, does that mean I have some of the plot armor now too?'
Luke gulped and turned to face the Goddess. The Goddess simply touched his head and smiled. She then straightened up and turned around to face the God of Light and Darkness. After that, Luke noticed the God of Light grinning at him.
"Aren't you a lucky bastard? Receiving blessings from two Gods, such as me and the Goddess of Fortune- hoo boy, you are very lucky."
Luke merely glanced at them for a moment before asking a question that came to him out of nowhere.
"What about the other Gods?"
The blindfolded man answered for him.
"They're all concentrated in their task. These gods in front of you have just come in to visit you because you are related to them in some way."
"I see. But why would they care to come to meet me?"
The God of Darkness spoke up.
"Because you're a fascinating individual. You also assisted and looked after our children. Those are sufficient reasons for us to pause our job and come see you."
The God of Light then interjected himself.
"Don't be concerned about our work being hindered; our angels are currently managing our tasks for us."
"Angels?"
After that, the blindfolded man began to explain once again.
"They are the Gods' direct creations. They work for the Gods and serve them. Angels are responsible for conveying the Gods' blessings to their followers in the same way as the God of Light and Fortune can have information all around the world or to make people feel their presence swiftly. Aides here Is also a direct angel of the God of Darkness and he is responsible for handling the souls. "
Aides only scoffed and crossed his arms as the blindfolded man pointed at him. Luke was deafeningly quiet for a few periods before nodding. He then inquired of the blindfolded man beside him.
"Can you tell me your name? Or what do they call you?"
Luke's question made both the Gods and the man flinch. For a little period, the man was silent before breaking into an uneasy smile.
"Uh... My name is... Joe?"