The Goddess of Life stared at Max in utter shock.

  "Jahweh—the God of Creation, the God of the Beginning. He created most things, from the first deity to the first living being. And even what wasn't made by Him was shaped by the people He designed. Little is known about His past, but one thing is clear—He was murdered by one of His own creation, and not just any creation, but His very first: the God of the End. Before Yahweh made Him, there was nothing—no beginning, no end. But after Him, the world as we know it changed."

  "Not all my memories have returned yet, but I've heard stories about Him for centuries—how kind He was, how He was the example of a perfect creation. I admired Him from the moment I heard He made her to be His complement, the one who would bring peace and joy to His life. Above all, He chose to create her to bring life to the desolation—and even more, to bring life into Himself."

  "Your name is Sophia, right? I have no idea what your intentions are, but I'm sure they're not good."

  As Sophia's face twisted in regret and growing anxiety, so too did her anger intensify:

  "Even if you really are Jahweh, you can barely control your power. It took your friends—the Team of Creation—years to master even a fraction of their abilities. Do you really think the meager power you have now is enough to defeat me?"

  The Goddess of Life, having recovered from her shock, spoke:

  "Max, wait—you still don't understand what you're doing! Your power is extremely unstable!"

  Max looked at her with eyes as white as divinity itself:

  "You're right—I don't know how to control this power. It's beyond any level I can imagine. But! If I don't defeat her, so many people could die. I don't know why, but I care about each and every one of them as if they were my family—and so I won't let them die!"

  Max realized he still couldn't fly. He jumped, stretched his legs, and leaped again mid-air, aiming his fist at blinding speed toward Sophia. This time, Sophia couldn't dodge—blood spilled from her mouth.

  "You're annoying! You were supposed to die quietly—I'll make your death so painful, you'll regret being born!"

  Sophia vanished, but this time, she didn't return through a portal. Max sensed something approaching and barely dodged in time.

  "You're hiding from me, huh? Too bad you forgot I'm not just some guy."

  Max channeled energy into his hands, the light around them shifting to divine white as he aimed at an empty space—until a sharp cry rang out, and Sophia reappeared.

  "If you think invisibility will help you, you're wrong. I can kill you not just by sight, but by sensing your energy—I feel it, and I see it."

  Sophia's expression darkened, her anger only growing:

  "I got this power from the one who killed you in your past life—I'm capable of far more than you can imagine!"

  Meanwhile, the energy radiating from Sophia intensified. She was done playing—now, she was serious:

  "No one here will leave alive!"

  The two clashed fists, creating a massive explosion. A powerful earthquake shook the entire area.

  At the school, the ground trembled. The entire building shook, and Max's teacher collapsed onto a desk, blood trickling from his nose.

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  "An earthquake? Students, evacuate the school immediately!"

  Takumi, thinking of Max, spoke up:

  "Teacher, Max still hasn't returned from the bathroom—should we go look for him?"

  The ground shook again, and Takumi fell, screaming:

  "Agh, my arm, my arm!"

  The teacher rushed to help Takumi, extending a hand:

  "Everyone, get out of the school now!"

  Shizuka raised her hand:

  "Can I go look for Max?"

  "Fine, but be quick—I don't know if the building will hold!"

  The class evacuated, and Shizuka began searching the school for Max, her panic mounting. Soon, she realized he wasn't there.

  Max and the Goddess of Life stood stunned by the devastation.

  Max stared at his hands in horror:

  —If I had used just a bit more power, I could've accidentally destroyed the city—all this devastation, from just two punches?

  The Goddess of Life reached Max. She knew just how unstable his power was now and told him:

  "Listen, if you keep fighting here, it could cause massive destruction to Earth."

  Sophia laughed:

  "You fools—you actually care about this stupid planet? Do you have any idea how underdeveloped it is compared to other worlds? I can use this to my advantage, ahahaha!"

  The Goddess of Life dashed toward Max and said:

  "Listen—the first time we use our power, we can't control the amount of energy released. It could cause a lot of problems. I'll try to send a message to the rest of the Creation Guardians—maybe they can help…"

  Before she could finish, Sophia suddenly lunged at them but vanished through a portal.

  "Watch out—she's trying to attack us while invisible!"

  Sophia reappeared, and Max noticed, leaping toward her:

  "If I can use less power while in the air, maybe—maybe the explosion won't be as big…"

  But just as he was about to reach her, another Sophia appeared behind him and punched him in the back. The blow sent Max crashing to the ground. The Goddess of Life caught him swiftly.

  "You're too reckless, Max! I'm here too, at least let's work together!"

  Sophia landed on the ground:

  "Hey, don't think that just because there are two of me, I'm weak—maybe my raw power is split, but…"

  —The second Sophia continued:

  "—My speed is several times higher!"

  The Goddess of Life's hair turned green again, and as she bled, something emerged from the ground—a clone of herself, but with green skin.

  "You really think you're the only one who can make duplicates?"

  The Goddess of Life turned to Max:

  "Don't interfere until I say so—I have a plan, charge energy in your fists like before, and aim at Sophia when I tell you."

  She raised her hands, causing two sharp blades to shoot from the ground toward the two Sophias. Both dodged:

  "That won't work on me—you're too slow!"

  Immediately after, the Goddess of Life and her clone lunged at one of the Sophias. At point-blank range, they placed their hands behind her back and shouted:

  "Breath of Creation!"

  When the first Sophia noticed, she rushed at them, attacking at high speed, smoke rising from her body.

  —Max, now! Attack Sophia!

  Max realized his power is fading—he didn't have much time left. He channeled energy into his hand, and it began glowing with pure white light. He knew everything had to be done quickly, so he dashed toward Sophia and struck.

  "It's now or never—finally, I have the chance to prove I'm not weak!"

  Max wanted his power to hit every part of Sophia's body. A second before impact, he released the energy from his hand—unleashing a massive energy beam like a laser, cutting through everything in its path. The energy struck a mountain, causing a colossal explosion, though this time, it wasn't strong enough to shake the earth.

  "Did I do it? Did I succeed? Did I kill her??"

  The Goddess of Life ran to Max excitedly, hugging him:

  "Max, Max, you did it! We defeated her without destroying Earth—you… you really are Jahweh! I can't believe I didn't realize it the first time I saw you!"

  "I owe it to you—I wouldn't have succeeded without you. But who is Jahweh? I heard you call me that earlier, but I have no idea who that is."

  "Jahweh is the one who created nearly everything—and if He didn't make something, He made the one who did. He is the God of Creation; before Him, nothing existed. He created the universes and time itself."

  "I… I'm God?"

  "You see, kind of, millions of years ago—"

  The Goddess of Life suddenly stopped speaking.

  "Are you okay?"

  She vanished, and Max fell to the ground.

  "…Where is she? What happened to her?"

  Sophia appeared before him, one hand gripping the Goddess of Life's hair, dragging her broken form across the ground.

  Max was terrified.

  "What did you do to her?"

  "After all, don't forget that in my domain time doesn't pass at all, so I can torture you for years without anyone noticing."

  "Ahahaha, you're the last one I have left to kill. Your little friend here endured torture for an entire month—was it worth resisting me?"

  "You fled to your domain to take the Goddess of Life with you, didn't you?"

  Sophia's twisted smile returned.

  "Oh, so we have a fast learner here—even though I promised to kill you quickly before your power outburst, I'll kill you slowly, after all don't forget that in my domain time doesn't pass at all, so I can torture you for years without anyone noticing."

  Max looked at his hands—he knew he'd reached his limit. He no longer felt energy flowing through him, and his eyes returned to their original color.

  Sophia slowly approached Max.

  "You're one of the strongest opponents I've faced. If I hadn't escaped in time, I'd be dead by now."

  She grabbed his throat, and Max's face twisted in fear.

  "The God of the End will be so proud of me—maybe He'll even recruit me into His team as thanks. Ahaha, I have to thank you, Max. If you hadn't revealed who you truly are, I wouldn't have gained all this. And now, let's begin the torture in my domain!"

  But after she finished speaking, she tried again and again to return to her domain , but failed. Then, she tried to open the gate, but that didn't work either.

  "Huh? What's going on? Why can't I open portals or return to my domain?"

  Suddenly, someone with blond hair descended from the sky.

  "Well, I think that's enough. I'll have to deal with you, Sophia."

  Sophia threw Max to the ground.

  "Hey, who the hell are you? You wanna die?"

  He landed calmly.

  "Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Thomas."

  Max immediately recognized him.

  "You… you're the God of Space and Time!"

  "I could never ignore your energy, Jahweh. I've been watching you throughout the entire battle."

  "And you didn't help us sooner…?"

  "I wanted to see what you were capable of, Jahweh. My apologies."

  He shifted his stance—ready to attack Sophia.

  "Well, before we clear everything up, I should defeat you, Sophia?"

  Sophia smirked emptily.

  "Even without my portals, I'll kill you."

  The God of Space and Time grinned.

  "Then come—let's see what you've got!"