Sylvius 

The gods who once roamed the earth have disappeared, and now only humans live in this world. There, she resides.

Sylvius. Known by the epithet “Godspeed”, she severed all bonds, the heavenly threads of fate woven by the gods.

She runs across the blood-stained earth with her black scissors of ethereal darkness, slicing through every enemy that stands in her path.

Yet, what always reflected in her eyes were the threads of fate descending from the heavens.

It was something she could never avert her gaze from, precisely because she was the one who severed them. To cut those threads, she became a hero and a Performer.

But this is a tale of a future yet to come.
The girl would eventually forge her path, broaden her world, and become a challenger to God.

Therefore, this is not a story about a hero.
Nor is it a story about gods.
It is the story of a girl who sees connections, and her endless search.

Long, long ago, it was an era when gods still strode the earth to reign the world.

The gods lived along with humans on earth, ruling over them and continuing to preach the righteous path.

But the thoughts of gods and humans never truly reconciled, and the earth’s governance remained in a state of perpetual disorder for a long time.

Eventually, many gods gave up on humans, abandoned their rule over the earth, and decided to return to the world above the skies.

At that time, the gods created hybrids of themselves and humans. Imbued with compassion for humanity, the gods left these half-divine beings on earth as rulers in their place and as symbols of hope, wishing for the happiness of humankind.

But even though these hybrids were bearing divine blood, they could not fully govern or guide humanity.

Soon, chaos deepened on earth, and the few gods remaining departed for the celestial realm.

Thus, the earth became humanity’s domain. Restoring the ravaged land was no easy task, but freed from the gods’ restraints, humans nonetheless joined forces and struggled desperately to survive.

In a world without gods, humans struggled desperately to survive amidst the chaos.

However, even after the gods departed, not all traces of divine order vanished from the earth.

Descendants of the gods who once were there. Heirs of those who ruled the earth as the gods’ representatives.
Such individuals, inheriting a mere fragment of divine power, still existed upon the earth.

Such individuals eventually came to be known as “Performers”.
They were those possessing the potential… to blossom into extraordinary talents worthy of being called heroes. The power they held was the thread of fate known as divine blood.

After a long age, the gods in the heavens, grieving over the defiled earth, sought to bring down their iron fist upon humanity. Yet, among those gods, there was a goddess who loved and sought to protect humanity and the earth.

The Star Goddess of Judgment and Justice, her name was “Astraea”. She believed in humanity’s potential and trusted in righteous hearts. Above all, she cherished the beautiful earth.

Therefore, before the gods’ wrathful punishment fell, it was necessary to protect the land and guide humans toward a righteous future.
Thus, she resolved to select Performers.

There is a girl here. Her name is “Sylvius”.

She lost her parents at a young age and was raised in a temple in a poor, remote village.
Life was not easy, but Sylvius found fulfillment in the teachings of the people, who were pure and taught her to protect and cherish the weak. And she was convinced that their way of life was “right.”

But one day, an otherworldly beauty visited the village. The beautiful woman introduced herself as “Astraea”.
The villagers warmly welcomed her, drawn to her gentle, kind smile. Astraea, in turn, thanked them most politely for their hospitality.

Having never seen a visitor like her before, Sylvius secretly admired her. She watched her from a distance, thinking “She’s just like a goddess.”

The sunset arrived. Astraea had a sad look on her face, and spoke to the villagers in a clear, sonorous voice, almost as if singing.

“I am truly sorry, everyone. The world is about to begin its selection. All I can do is pray that you will be chosen… May you all be blessed…”

Astraea knelt on the ground and offered her prayer. Simultaneously, a sword enveloped in flames descended from the heavens.

Sylvius couldn’t comprehend what had happened at all.

Why was the village burning?
Why were she and the woman before her still standing?
Why was everyone else…

In an instant, everyone in the village except Astraea and Sylvius was engulfed in flames.

“Everyone… everyone!”

Faced with a shock beyond what any ordinary person could bear, Sylvius snapped back to reality.

“Save everyone! This… this can’t be…!”

Though she heard Sylvius’s voice, Astraea kept her eyes closed, continuing to pray.
Then, when the flames finally died down, she opened her eyes and blessed Sylvius for surviving.

“It must have been terribly painful… But you have been chosen. Congratulations.”

What was there to congratulate about this catastrophe? Sylvius couldn’t comprehend what the woman before her was saying.

“I am truly sorry… Those were the “Flames of Judgment”… But rest assured. Those chosen by the world will not be consumed.”

Astraea spoke without batting an eye, stating this was the world’s decision.

“Those with a strong will to protect this land and guide human history onto the righteous path… yes, the Performers. As chosen by those flames, you have the potential to become one.”

Astraea turned a sorrowful expression toward Sylvius.

“…Wait… So you’re saying the villagers were killed because they lacked the potential to be Performers?”
“Please do not bear any resentment. They were selected by the world itself.”
“Don’t be kidding!”
“I understand your feelings, but to protect this land and its people, we need those capable of making the right decisions. I am the Guardian of the Scales… To save more lives, the world decided it thus…”
“Right… What do you mean by right?!”

Sylvius couldn’t believe the villagers were wrong.

“I won’t accept you! You can’t possibly be right!”
“I am the goddess of justice, so I am absolutely right… But at the same time, I know that “justice” takes different forms for each person… If you wish to prove your justice, you must first become a “Performer”.”
“…If I become a Performer, will I be able to kill you?”
“Yes, becoming a “Performer” means getting closer to the gods… Performers have the right to question justice.”

Sylvius thought she said something after that, but nothing reached her ears.

Eventually, Astraea departed for somewhere else.
In the village center, now a scorched wasteland of ash and rubble, Sylvius swears revenge.

“…I will become a Performer. I will kill Astraea… And the gods with my own hands!”

And thus began Sylvius’s journey of vengeance.

Traveling across the lands, she came to realize how beautiful the world she had been living in truly was.

People forcing children to fight with weapons, towns where everything was decided by violence. These sights became more than enough poison to change the wounded Sylvius.

Indeed, perhaps humans were foolish, filthy creatures who would destroy the earth, just as Astraea and the other gods claimed.

“But that destruction should not be brought by the gods’ arrogance!”

Taking countless lives on the battlefield, she roared with fury. Thus, Sylvius traversed every warzone, relentlessly pursuing the traces of the gods.
And the more she fought, the stronger the divine blood slumbering within her grew, giving her the strength to climb the stairway to the gods.

The more the divine power within her grew, the more her hatred for the gods intensified.
But it was not directed solely at the gods. Humans who blindly believed in them were also loathsome beings to her.

“If Astraea reigns on this world, then Astraea shall destroy it too!”
“Do not invoke the name of the gods! They are utterly useless! The only thing we can truly believe in as humans is our own strength!”

A dark flame of revenge burns within Sylvius. Having survived countless battles and spun countless threads of life and death with her own hands, people eventually began to call her a “Hero”.

And then… She finally became a “Performer”, and set out to battle to turn her blade against God.

The seat of the “Performer” was a throne for a God’s proxy, prepared by the gods to guide humanity.
And the first step toward approaching the gods themselves… She was there, in a temple left behind by the gods who had departed the earth.

Surrounding Sylvius were others who likewise sought to approach the gods. “Heroes” like her, descendants of the gods who had traversed countless battlefields.
Sylvius couldn’t say since when, but she could see something like a single thread connecting those others, just as it connected her.

The thread stretched toward the heavens, reaching beyond the clouds. …She knew what it connected to.
The gods who had created the despicable order of the world she loathed. Those who accepted the thread of fate connecting them to that god, those who grew arrogant, those who clung to it… Seeing so many such “heroes”, Sylvius was both astonished and filled with a desire to vomit.

“Only those chosen by the gods may enjoy this world’s spring? …That’s the kind of nonsense only you chosen ones can spout!”

Burned into Sylvius’s mind was the death throes of her old family, their very existence deemed “evil” by the gods who shaped the world.

Sylvius drew her sword and declared to the opposing “Heroes”:

“I will become a Performer and kill the gods… And Astraea! Come at me if you stand in my way!”

Sylvius’ crimson blade fell upon the heroes who attacked her one after another.

Covered with their blood and dyed scarlet, she transformed into a figure radiating ominous madness.

Sylvius believed that if the connection between the earth and the gods was to be severed, it was necessary a flower that could bloom even by absorbing the blood flowing in this land.

…Eventually, the “heroes” who had witnessed the gruesome feast and arrived with half-hearted resolve trembled before Sylvius’s demonic strength and abandoned their fight.
Having defeated countless “heroes”, her soul now shone with an even more crimson and dignified brilliance.

“…Now! Choose me!”

As if answering Sylvius’ call, light streamed down from the sky, and a divine apostle descended before her, wings spread. The apostle spoke with a look of contempt.

“You bloodthirsty, accursed child of man… If you seek to become a true Performer, defeat me and prove your justice… This is your final trial.”
“…I welcome it!”

Without wiping the blood from her face, Sylvius charged at the pure white-clad apostle!

…They were both covered in wounds.
At the end of their fierce battle, the divine apostle was drenched in crimson, his wings lost, his body on the verge of collapsing.
Sylvius too was pierced through in half multiple times, and was so exhausted that her life flame was on the verge of burning out.

Neither possessed the strength left to take the other’s life.

Yet they still had an unwavering will to fight. The apostle fought for his Creator. Sylvius fought to reach the seat of Astraea, her sworn enemy.
Both sought to defeat the enemy before them and grasp their respective desires beyond… and both swung their final blows.

“Gah…”

The sound of spilled blood echoed hollowly. The one who fell… was the divine apostle.

His pure blood spilled onto the earth. A beam of light descended upon the battered and kneeling Sylvius.
Her body, which had been on the verge of death, quickly healed and returned to normal. No, she was filled with even more power than before.

Yes, she had finally obtained the power of a “Performer”.

“So… this moment has finally come…!”

Sylvius, now a Performer, commanded the door to the celestial realm to open, facing the light-filled sky.
The path was now open.

The gates to the celestial realm opened before Sylvius. Then, some of the surviving heroes declared they would follow her.

Among them were those who, like Sylvius, had sworn vengeance against the gods and sought liberation from their rule.

“…If you want to come, do so.”

As they passed through the gates to the celestial realm, a voice echoed from somewhere.

“…Sylvius. You have come this far.”
“…”

Her voice. An unforgettable memory from that day.

“ASTRAEA!!”
“Today makes me both sad and happy. Until now, I had never truly connected with anyone. But now, a strong bond of hatred is forming between you and me. You may not be the hero the gods envisioned to guide humanity. But the will of humanity chose you, and you arrived. I shall bless the birth of the one who seeks to show justice to the gods…”

…How selfish. No, there is no point in applying the same standards to her as to humans. She is a god, not a human.

“Astraea… If you gods claim to be this world’s justice, then I’ll gladly be evil. As evil, I will put an end to the tyranny of your justice!”
“So that is your justice… I see.”

Astraea’s voice trailed off, and a dazzlingly bright staircase leading to the divine realm appeared before Sylvius’ eyes.
Standing at the top of it was… the real Astraea.

The path to the gods appeared before Sylvius and her comrades. At its zenith, there was Astraea sitting.

And surrounding her were the “Performers” she herself had blessed and chosen.

“…Let’s go!”

Sylvius gripped her sword and charged up the stairs with her companions. To destroy this system that creates Performers and end the age of the gods.

“Astraea, with my sword I’ll kill you and sever all ties between earth and the celestial realm! I’ll deliver the final blow to the world of the gods!!”
“Ah, I understand… This is sheer, vengeful justice… The answer born from the world’s reason… What we feared most. You truly are humanity’s “hero”…!”

…Justice versus evil. Depending from the viewpoint, this battle would appear as justice versus justice, or evil versus evil.

There is no answer here.
Therefore, this is not a story about a hero, nor is it a story about gods.
It is the story of a god who sought to grant gentle ruin and stillness to a world disturbed by humankind, the story of a human who resolved to survive this world by her own will, and the memories of gods and humans at the mercy of absolute fate.

…In the end, the paths of humans and gods certainly diverged.
Whether she had slain the god, or whether the god’s justice still rules over us, there is no way of knowing.