Prologue – The Illusionist, Exiled from the World
The Divine Realm, the origin of all things and the farthest edge of countless dimensions.
A world of gods where the seasons hold no sway, and crops grow in abundance year-round.
Where the warm sunlight and gentle breezes never fade, and the sky remains eternally clear.
A paradise inhabited only by omniscient and omnipotent deities, untouched by the stain of human wickedness.
It is the place where the mythical gods of various dimensions are born, residing until they receive their divine roles and descend to the mortal world. It is also the pristine, white domain where only the Supreme Gods—creators of the first universe—may dwell for eternity.
But now, the Divine Realm was shrouded in solemnity.
All deities, summoned from the dimensions they ruled, had gathered in response to the decree of the Supreme Gods.
The gods, born in the Divine Realm and the architects of their own worlds and mythologies, now stood in the grand tribunal, awaiting the Supreme Gods' pronouncement.
The gods, who had spent eons creating and destroying worlds across countless universes, had gathered for one reason and one reason alone—
To hold a trial for a single human. A human they themselves had created, now brought forth for divine judgment.
Atop the grand hall, two Supreme Gods sat upon their thrones, their seats towering over all.
Flanking them on either side, a procession of golden chairs stretched to the far ends of the tribunal—seats occupied by countless gods, serving as the jury for this unprecedented trial.
The atmosphere within the Divine Tribunal was heavy with solemnity.
Once all the gods had taken their places, the primordial male deity finally spoke.
"Bring in the accused!"
At his command, the massive doors of the hall swung open.
From the depths of the underworld, three gods emerged, dragging chains behind them—Hades, King Yama, and Set, deities who ruled over death itself.
And at the end of the chains, a golden cart was being pulled forward.
Upon this cart sat a water-filled chamber, its surface shimmering under the divine light.
A creation of the Cyclopes and Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, this transparent prison was crafted from an unbreakable glass, its existence an unshakable testament to the might of the gods.
Inside the unbreakable glass chamber, a man sat motionless, wrapped in pure white prisoner's garb, his body bound tightly by chains.
A long tube, connected to the outside, extended into the tank—one end forced into his mouth, the other sealing one of his eyes, as if to suppress his very being.
Surrounding the chamber stood archangels and celestial foxes, divine attendants of the gods. They observed the prisoner intently as they escorted him to the tribunal.
The gathered deities, watching the man within the chamber, swallowed dryly, their expressions stiff with tension.
As the prisoner was brought before the judgment seat, the primordial goddess addressed him.
"Prisoner, hear me. Do you know why you have been brought here?"
Yet the man within the tank remained silent.
To an ordinary human, the idea of hearing a voice while submerged in water would seem impossible.
But the one speaking to him now was no ordinary being—it was a Supreme God, a creator of worlds.
And the voice of a god, by its very nature, would reach its intended recipient—no matter what. Even if they were deaf, even if they were sealed away, a god's voice could never be ignored.
The god's voice should have undoubtedly reached the man within the chamber.
And yet, he remained still—his eyes closed, submerged in the water without the slightest reaction.
Then, without warning, a disturbance erupted.
"Khh… ugh…!"
"What's wrong, Celestial Fox?"
"Be on guard! It's him! He's trying to manifest!"
"Gabriel! Ready your weapon!"
"Tch…!"
The Celestial Fox, who had been closely observing the chamber, suddenly convulsed in pain. From its body, a deep navy-colored mist began to seep into the air.
Seeing this, the surrounding angels immediately drew their sacred weapons and aimed them at the fox, their expressions tense with caution.
Before their very eyes, the Celestial Fox's body became engulfed in thick fog—
And then, a voice, calm yet undeniable, echoed through the hall.
"There is no need to be so afraid. I am already a defeated one."
"Trapped in a space from which I cannot escape, I have no intention of resisting. You may rest assured."
As the violet mist slowly dissipated, what emerged was not the pure white, nine-tailed Celestial Fox.
Instead, stepping forth from the fog was—
A man.
His hair was a deep navy, almost black, cascading in subtle waves.
He wore a long black coat that reached down to his ankles, its fabric swaying lightly with his movements.
Beneath it, a crisp white t-shirt contrasted starkly with the black tie that hung neatly around his neck.
Aside from that one shirt, his entire attire was black.
His sudden appearance sent ripples of unease through the divine tribunal.
The gods, who had gathered from every realm, began murmuring among themselves in shock.
"Silence!"
The thunderous command of the primordial god instantly crushed the commotion, restoring order to the hall.
And there he stood—the only human among a gathering of gods.
The lone prisoner, the accused of this trial.
Without a hint of hesitation, he made his way to the worn, rotting wooden chair placed before the judgment seat—his posture relaxed, as if he were simply taking a casual seat.
Then, with a composed smile, he spoke.
"Shall we begin the trial?"
"What an irreverent human…"
"Calm yourself."
"Hmph… I'll leave the explanations to you."
As the primordial god took his seat, the goddess, her expression gentle yet unwavering, cast her gaze upon the accused and spoke.
"You are the greatest sinner this world has ever known—one who has broken free from the cycle of reincarnation. Retaining the memories of your past lives, you honed your strength and committed the ultimate taboo for a human— deicide."
"Unlike the reckless defiance of Uruk's Gilgamesh, your actions were cold, calculated, and deliberate. Because of your premeditated deicide, six gods—pillars of creation—have ceased to exist by your hand."
"You, a mere human, rejected the fate bestowed upon you by the gods and, instead, murdered your creators."
"For this grievous sin, you have been summoned to stand trial before us."
A moment of silence hung in the air.
Then, with an unfazed smile, the accused looked up at the goddess and responded.
"Yes, I am aware."
There was not the slightest trace of reverence in his gaze.
No fear, no remorse—nothing but the sharp glint of a predator eyeing its prey.
The Creator God, the one who shaped the first universe, forged the world, and birthed the gods.
A being so exalted that even the gods who ruled over the world dared not look upon him carelessly—
And yet, here stood a mere human, staring up at him with audacious arrogance.
The gathered deities erupted in rage, hurling jeers and condemnation at the accused.
But once again, their uproar was forcefully silenced by the booming voice of the primordial god.
"I will ask you this, my son."
"Why did you defy the order of the world?"
"Why did you rebel against the gods, incite chaos in the Divine Realm, and ultimately commit deicide?"
"You manipulated the gods from the shadows, sowed discord among them, and sparked a war that erased the existence of countless deities."
"Do you feel no remorse for your sins?"
The prisoner listened without a hint of fear.
Then, as if offering a polite gratitude, he spoke with a calm, unwavering voice.
"I am truly grateful that the gods allowed me to be born."
"However… that was never enough for me."
"I wanted to know. I wanted to meet them."
"Not as a scholar seeking truth, asking, 'Why was the world created?'"
"No."
"I simply wanted to see how strong I could become."
"That is the only reason I stand here now."
"Of course, I ultimately lost against all of you."
"But… now that I can finally stand before my father and mother, I suppose that alone made the fight worthwhile."
"Do you feel no remorse for your sins?"
"Remorse? I do not consider it a sin to explore the boundless desires of humanity—to seek out the very essence of life's instincts."
"If I had not been defeated, I might have taken your place upon that throne, claiming the title of Creator God for myself."
"You insolent wretch! Do you even understand whom you are addressing?!"
The gods erupted in rage, but the prisoner merely chuckled, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh dear… To think a mere human's mockery is enough to provoke the great gods. So this is the extent of your divine dignity? Hahaha…"
"You bastard—!"
The primordial god roared, his divine presence shaking the very foundations of the tribunal.
Yet before the fury could escalate further, the goddess turned her gaze toward the three gods of the underworld.
"Rulers of the Netherworld—how do you judge this sinner?"
At her solemn inquiry, the three gods lowered their heads before responding.
"We humbly report… The weight of this criminal's sins is far too great. We once placed him under our jurisdiction, but…"
"He endured every torment of the underworld. Even within the countless hells where sinners should scream in agony, he found joy—he reveled in the suffering."
"Sealing him away would be futile. As you have witnessed, he has mastered illusionary arts—a forbidden power no human should ever wield."
"Even if he were cast into eternal darkness, or bound by the strongest of seals, his spirit would persist eternally."
"We lack the means to contain him. Thus, we beseech you, Supreme Gods, to determine his punishment."
The three rulers of the underworld bowed deeply, surrendering the judgment to the highest deities.
Their declaration was met with silent agreement from the gathered gods.
This man—this sinner—was the architect of Ragnarok, the war of the gods.
Even in the present era, he had incited another divine war.
A criminal of the highest order, a heretic illusionist who had long surpassed the realm of humanity and encroached upon the domain of the gods.
To imprison or seal him was meaningless. He could not be contained.
Then, from within the unbreakable glass chamber, his voice echoed once more.
"I exist, yet I do not."
"Such is the essence of illusion."
"Such is the nature of an Illusionist."
"Whether in the heart of raging infernos, the merciless grasp of an eternal frost, or the abyss of boundless darkness—
I will always exist."
"Even if you destroy my body and seal my soul within this chamber, I still exist."
"Do you truly believe that any god here can punish me?"
At his words, Yahweh, one of the Supreme Gods, let out a quiet chuckle and waved his hand through the air.
"A child who dares defy the fate set by the gods… You speak amusing words."
"Then, let me grant you a punishment befitting your arrogance."
At his decree, black fractures began to spread across the surface of the chamber.
The cracks deepened, distorting the space around them, and soon, the prisoner's body was pulled into the abyss within.
As his very soul was consumed by the void, the fragment that had possessed the Celestial Fox collapsed, and his body dissipated into mist.
Yet, even as he was being erased, he merely smirked.
"The merciful and benevolent Creator God, resorting to killing? What an entertaining punishment."
Ignoring the mockery, Yahweh raised his voice to declare judgment.
"Then let the punishment of the sinner, be decreed."
"His sins have thrown this world into chaos. He is a being that should never have existed."
"However, we, as creators of life, cannot bring ourselves to completely erase what we have created."
"Therefore—
I hereby sentence the sinner, to eternal exile into an unknown world—one completely severed from the Divine Realm."
"You could have simply shattered my soul completely, erasing me from existence… Yet you choose mercy."
"How truly compassionate of you."
As his body crumbled into mist, the Celestial Fox was revealed once more.
The dissolution of his form began from his toes, slowly unraveling him like a wisp of smoke.
Yet even as he faded—until only half of his face remained—he turned toward his creators, his expression utterly serene.
With a smirk, he gazed at the gods, his remaining crimson eye gleaming with an unsettling light.
The gods shuddered as they beheld the mark inscribed within his gaze.
They had just sentenced him to exile, banished him to a world unknown, one where he could never return.
He would never reincarnate into this world again.
He had been permanently severed from his homeland, from everything he had once known.
And yet—
He was still smiling.
"My creators."
"The ones who gave me life in this world."
"I…"
Before he could finish, his soul was cast into the abyss, completely vanishing into a world beyond their reach.
The connection between him and his scattered fragments was severed, breaking his hold over the Celestial Fox.
With a sharp gasp, the Celestial Fox collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily as if freed from an overwhelming weight.
And thus—
The Illusionist, the man who had shaken the very foundation of the world, who had retained his memories across countless reincarnations, was erased from existence.