Isadora POV
Sitting here, gazing at the so called Thunder God, I observed her more thoroughly, searching for any hint of divinity now that I was finally this close.
When the opportunity presented itself, the answer became unmistakable: none. There was nothing remotely divine about her. Perhaps they were called gods simply because they claimed the title.
In truth, they seemed no different from a humanoid Shuuki, only far more powerful than any I had ever imagined existing in Mato.
Still, I was certain she held some connection to the god I had sensed here. Yet, given the circumstances, there was no chance she would ever reveal something like that to me.
She truly was a voyeur, peering straight through me, as though the boundaries of my body meant nothing to her.
Calling me an enigma, was she?
I could hardly fault her. Greeeds themselves were enigmas by nature, artificial beings born from desire, creatures with no true understanding of what it meant to possess a soul. That absence was precisely why they chased satisfaction so relentlessly, forever trying to fill a void they could neither name nor comprehend.
Yet I was an anomaly even among anomalies. A special case. I did have a soul of my own… though in its current state, it barely resembled one.
A consequence of becoming a vessel, of being conceptually bound to nearly all the Core Medals, save for the purple ones.
Also, Her hostility shifted in an instant the moment she glimpsed the fraction of what I was.
Curious… truly a strange individual.
What a waste, though. Someone so disarmingly cute, yet so thoroughly rotten beneath the surface.
A snake in every sense, both metaphorical and literal. Her very presence seemed to radiate venom, as if her existence itself warned of poison to anything foolish enough to reach toward her.
"Shikoku, was it?" I asked calmly. "To be honest, I don't even have an answer of my own about what I am."
"Why is that?" she replied, her full attention now fixed on me.
"I could say that I represent the sin of greed." A Hawk Core Medal materialized in my palm. I flipped it once, then caught it between my fingers. "And I mean that quite literally. My kind was born only after a certain king grew insatiable, starving for power, determined to seize the world."
Shikoku's expression tightened with confusion, clearly unfamiliar with the figure I was referencing. Still, I continued.
"You and I might not fully grasp it, since we are different from them. But someone once said that the mystery of human existence lies not merely in surviving…"
"…but in discovering something worth living for."
Desire. The ember that could kindle either tragedy or happiness, depending on the one who carried it.
Some people found contentment in their lives.
Others were devoured by longing, forever reaching for more, even at the cost of others… or themselves.
That was how humans set themselves apart from animals. True, both sought shelter. Both were bound by the same fundamental needs.
Reproduction.
Hunger.
Sleep.
Yet humans chased something else entirely, something vast and intangible, an abstract expanse as boundless as a world, a galaxy, perhaps even larger than the universe itself.
A realm of meaning beyond instinct.
That realm of meaning… was the very reason I existed at all.
I was a product of desire.
A product of someone's longing.
What am I?
I had lost count of how many times I had asked myself that question. Traveling the world with Eiji-san had done little to bring me closer to an answer, offering no clarity to the dilemma that continued to shadow me.
Should I simply accept that I exist, that I am here because of a desire given form by a medal?
The other Greeeds might have wrestled with the same question I faced now.
But that question was already being buried beneath the weight of who I was becoming.
Why dwell on it any longer? There were far more pressing matters. I should be focusing on what truly mattered: obtaining what I should do… and reaching my final goal.
She asked me what I was.
Truthfully, I was far more lost in that darkness than she could ever imagine.
"I might not be able to give you a clear answer right now."
I rose from where I stood.
Slowly, I removed my mask. My raven hair bled back into its natural red. My eyes opened fully, locking onto hers. I had intended nothing more than a quiet exchange, a few measured words…
…but my thoughts have already chosen a different path.
"But I am here to remind you," I said, my voice stripped of all softness. "We are never going to let you have what you want."
"Is that a threat I am hearing from you?" Her pupils narrowed, irises sharpening into something cold and serpentine.
"Is a god truly shaken by mere words?" I taunted, a crooked smile tugging at my lips. "Afraid that those 'puny' humans and I might bruise that fragile, divine pride of yours?"
"Looks like someone's mouth needs to be shut tight right now." Killing intent began oozing from her, coiling like snakes that slithered along her aura. "Allow me to correct that tongue of yours."
I smirked at that, not even fazed.
"You don't scare me one bit, dear Thunder God," I replied, matching her with my own surge of killing intent.
The air between us tightened, invisible yet suffocating, like the charged stillness before lightning split the sky.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts, steadying myself for what I had to do.
What an idiot I am. Why am I even hesitating?
He would've shamelessly shouted his honest thoughts without a second of doubt.
A quiet laugh slipped from my lips at the realization. Of course… that's exactly what he would do.
I steadied myself and made up my mind.
To hell with holding back.
Right now, I would give this so-called Thunder God nothing but the boiling emotions raging inside me.
I steadied my breathing and lifted my chin.
"Listen carefully, you bastard," I spat, my voice laced with fury.
"Even if I'm not human—"
"Even if I don't fully understand what I am or why I even exist—"
My hand curled into a trembling fist, nails biting into my palm as every ounce of stubborn resolve twisted together inside my chest.
My arm shook not from hesitation, but from the sheer force of the emotions clawing through me. I slammed my fist hard against my chest, the impact echoing dully through me as if I were trying to force my very existence to answer back.
"You better be damn sure I'll stand beside humanity itself until the very end!!!"
Our neighbors chatting outside their homes, the kids from our town running around without a care, and that happy-go-lucky old man who kept smiling despite all the hardships.
Seeing the simple happiness they found in living an ordinary life even with Mato looming over us only strengthened my resolve to end this madness.
I will protect the life they're living.
I will give them the tomorrow and future they deserve to see.
And seeing someone so eager to erase that happiness?
It makes my blood boil.
Calling yourself a god? The end of humanity? You're nothing but a delusional woman who needs to learn her place.
"God or not…"
I looked at the sky, the air between us tightening.
"I'll break you like anything else that dares stand in our way."
A quiet chuckle slipped from my lips.
"The funny thing about gods—once you've read enough of the myths humans created about them…"
I tilted my head slightly.
"They fall the hardest the moment they forget that they can."