## Epilogue, Outer God - (1)

The body transforms. The mind cultivates.

A small wish to live forever turns into will.

The will to resist the flow of time, supported by Cosmic Power.

The Cosmic Power that had been meaninglessly dormant in a mortal's body awakens and circulates throughout.

Cosmic Power is literally the power of the universe. Omnipotent power. Energy that only large fragments like Outer Gods can handle.

If one accumulates enough of this power... transcending the limits of lifespan becomes simple.

Right now, a Constellation was being born.

*Whoosh*

Inside Lee Yuna's closed eyes, ecstasy takes root.

The physical transformation wasn't painful. The mental transformation brought joy. At this rate, she could certainly fulfill her will.

Even during this transformation, her consciousness remained clear.

Events happening around her naturally entered her mind. Despite her closed eyes, she could see herself in third person...

Her body, wrapped in white light, slowly rising while lying down.

At this rate, she could smoothly become a Constellation.

In the flow of time that seemed to have stopped, Lee Yuna thought.

*I'm really becoming a Constellation.*

Becoming a Constellation free from the constraints of lifespan.

That was clearly what all mortals desired. After all, escaping the concept of aging itself was a blessing.

*What happens when I become a Constellation? Even if I become a hundreds-year-old grandmother, I'll have firm, supple skin... hmm. My friends would like that too, right? I should brag when I become a Constellation. Like Whispering Constellation, make Avatar contracts...*

*Wait a minute.*

*Wasn't there some law recently that made it difficult for Constellations to interfere with the Material Realm?

I remember that until now, some Constellations crossed over to the Inner Plane, but many also kept their main bodies in the Material Realm. But now they're separated, right?*

*So even interviewing Sweet Reverie required an Avatar to spend points for an audience... If I become a Constellation like this, will it be hard to meet my friends? Won't I be able to see Veira? Or Beatrice?*

*Wait, and Constellations have epithets, don't they?*

*Usually they're given based on achievements or characteristics, right?

Like Sweet Reverie who's a Succubus species, or Master of the Blue Breath who's a Blue Dragon. Mine would probably be determined by my achievements during my human days or my combat style.*

*What did I do in the past?*

The mortal becoming a goddess recalls her tumultuous past.

Becoming an Avatar. Fighting countless cosmic monsters. Being torn apart during the development of Cosmic Weapons. Having her arm ripped off fighting Alien Constellations... No, no. Not these things, but great achievements.

Achievements and such... I did beat one large bug. The Cosmic Swarm.

Huh? Besides that, did I accomplish anything? The only decent achievement I have is beating a big bug.

Then my epithet would probably be...

"Oh! Hohohoho!!!! Yuna! No, I should call you 'Apocalypse of Pests'!!"

"Ahem. Stop mocking me, Avatar Beatrice. I hear they call me the Pest Extermination Goddess in the Earth Federation. They say you even have a pesticide advertising contract..."

"Hohohohohoho!!! Avatars contracted with Yuna get preferential treatment from Sesuko, a pest extermination company..."

With this glimpse of the future flashing through her mind.

The mortal becoming a goddess struggled with all her might.

"Hyaaaaaaak!!! Nooooo!!!"

I don't want to be a Constellation.

I won't become a Constellation.

No, I'll become one later.

* * *

Right after Sweet Reverie finished speaking, Lee Yuna was obtaining divinity, making the Inner Plane tremble.

Anyone could tell a new Constellation was being born. She rose, shimmering with intense light.

*Whoosh*

While watching Lee Yuna gradually transforming as she lay with her eyes closed, and thinking about how to congratulate her when she reached the status of a Constellation...

An anomaly occurred.

"Hyaaaaaaak!!! Nooooo!!!"

"Huh? Wha-?"

The half-deity, wrapped in light, flailed her limbs wildly. With each swing of her arms and legs, the gathered Cosmic Power scattered, and her divinity naturally disappeared.

Her will strongly rejected ascending to Constellation status. What on earth was happening? Why?

"Later! I'll become one later! Not now!!!"

"No, calm down first. Why on earth?!"

"Kyaaaaaaak!!! Anything but Pest Extermination Goddess!!!"

*Crackle* *Crack*

The Inner Plane was gradually damaged by the struggling of the half-deity who was becoming divine.

What on earth was happening? It was like hitting one's own head while ascending to immortality.

Of course, having already stepped into divinity and experienced the "heights," she could become a Constellation whenever she wanted. But why was she showing such aversion?

It seems the ascension has failed for now...

[Constellation, Whispering Constellation expresses bewilderment.]

"Um... well. Later. I thought it might be good to become a Constellation a little later."

[Constellation, Whispering Constellation expresses doubt.]

"Ha. Haha... Later... after building my image a bit more... I still have many attachments..."

Lee Yuna said with an awkward, sheepish smile.

Sweet Reverie looked at her as if she were the craziest woman in the galaxy.

Well, since she seems to have stopped her ascension by her own will, I'll respect that.

But really, why did you do that?

"...Well. The Constellation epithet..."

"...?"

"I heard that when you become a Constellation, aging stops, but I almost got ridiculed for eternity..."

What are you talking about?

* * *

"Thank you anyway! I'll come see you again!"

*Crack. Clang!*

Lee Yuna's face looked extremely relieved as she broke through the Inner Plane with her own power.

She had steadied her wavering heart. Perhaps because she had reached a level where she could ascend to divinity whenever she wanted.

In fact, she's already no different from a goddess descended upon the Material Realm...

I took my eyes off Lee Yuna, who seemed like she would do well without my interference, and looked at Nut.

An Outer God whose main body could be considered a dimension, or rather, a sector of the greater universe.

[...Wh-What are you looking at? Your child with her is growing well...]

[No, that's not it. I wanted to ask you to be careful not to break the Constellation law. I overlaid several things on the system of the Federation you created, so you might be somewhat familiar with it.]

After exchanging a few words with Nut, who was emitting slightly bewildered thoughts, I sent my will to the dimension that was "Constellation's" domain.

My target was Shub, who was crouching in a corner.

[Shub.]

[Father? Existence. Loss. Question. Bewilderment.]

She seems a bit confused. Like this. If I only show myself in one sector...

[Father. Existence. Greatness. Respect.]

[Hmm. Hmm.]

I stroked Yog, who was fiddling with the dimensional wall and gradually eating it. I also stroked Nyala, who was moving numerous avatars...

[Father! So you did find your True Name last time! And you made what I mentioned to you before. Ahahaha!]

[The Constellation law?]

[Yes! It's fun because mortals play with me!]

I briefly used my insight to check Nyala's epithet.

According to the Constellation law, the automatically determined epithet is... Ten Thousand Masks, Crawling Chaos, Laughing Shadow Swarm...

Constellation Avatar technique? You've bypassed the law I created a bit.

By splitting your personality and overlaying masks, you've made the system recognize entirely new avatars as Constellations.

[I didn't realize there was such a loophole, I'll have to restrict it.]

[Eh?]

[Keep one and delete the rest.]

[Ah! Father! How could you do this!]

I consolidated all the numerous avatars of Nyala registered in the law.

And the Constellation qualifications and epithets given to them.

Isn't the epithet Crawling Chaos enough? I don't think you need to have all these different ones.

[Uuu...]

After looking at the sulking Nyala, I spoke to Nyseria.

I ordered her to stick with Yggdrasil, but now it seems to have become her hobby. I can see her pruning the World Tree.

Wait, does even the World Tree need pruning? And it's a galactic deity too.

[O Great One?]

[Hmm. It's nothing.]

The Constellation law has been well applied to the mortals living on Yggdrasil's leaves. While the massive World Tree that Yggdrasil embodied is being used as a shelter for mortals.

The main body with divinity and authority is in the Inner Plane... Wait. Then what about the situation in the Earth Federation inside Shub?

[Shub.]

[Father?]

[Come over here for a moment.]

I observed my creation a bit more closely. The divine form overlapping with the Inner Plane.

Unlike before when she belonged to Shub, now Shub had slightly moved away from the Material Realm, so they were separated.

Let's see... what's the situation in the Earth Federation?

Are Maria, who led the Main God religion for many years, and numerous other deities confused because they suddenly disappeared?