Can a God Die?

Ability, a vital aspect of life. Without it, living beings lose their essence, their strength, even their honor. Everything is measured by ability. How impressive are you? How strong? And more importantly, how useful?

But god isn't that kind. Sometimes, a few people are born without any ability. The ratio is one in a million, or whatever it is—I don't have time to calculate it.

Ability is divided into two types: the Given, abilities determined even before birth; and the Skill, abilities that come from this world... or, put simply, abilities learned from this world.

All of these abilities are bound tightly to a single source of magic called Zoltra. Without it, the universe would lose its power. The world would go dark, and abilities would mean nothing. Zoltra is like fuel for the magical energy that spreads throughout the world. No, the universe.

But god isn't that generous with Zoltra either, not for every being, living or dead. Wait, god? No, no, I mean... me.

Sometimes, there are people who are not bound to the concept of Zoltra from birth. As a result, they have neither a Given nor a Skill. One of them is the black-haired girl I'm watching right now on this green, orb-shaped monitor of mine.

For a high-dimensional entity like me, watching beings from the lower dimensions as if they were nothing more than a show is perfectly routine. That's why I created a law that separates people into those with abilities and those without. To round out the show, I sent my army of monsters to invade that dimension. That's right, the 3rd dimension.

I saw it all inside my magic orb: a little girl being abused, trampled, and stoned. That's right, this is what bullying of the weak really looks like. Status, honor, wealth, whatever you can name—all of it belongs only to the stronger abilities. That girl doesn't even have Zoltra in her body. How was she even born? No, how has she survived this long?

While I was busy enjoying the spectacle, one of my subordinates, Leon, came in to report something. He's an angel with white wings on his back. He walked in with heavy steps, then knelt before me.

"Lord Hell, something terrible has happened," he said, his tone anxious.

I glanced at him, "Something?" I asked.

Leon nodded once, "Heaven and hell are in chaos," he answered.

Hearing that, my eyes widened, "W-what? How could that happen?" I asked.

"The angels have gotten caught up in a major dispute, and it has caused the afterlife to collapse," Leon continued. Oh yes, the afterlife is the midpoint between heaven and hell. It lies between the 4th and 5th dimensions.

The souls of living beings are sent here after they die. The collapse of the afterlife could erase those souls forever. So yes, this is very bad. But for me, it has nothing to do with me. So why should I care?

"Then, has Zamas finished his task—claiming that girl's life?" I asked, tilting my head. Zamas is another one of my angel subordinates. I assigned him to punish those imprisoned in the Dimensional Prison in the 6th dimension.

That's right, that place can only be accessed through special means. It's for those who commit dimensional violations or break the laws of the universe. Like, say, someone without abilities who tries to defeat someone with abilities?

"I don't know, but he should have," Leon replied, bowing his head slightly.

I rose in a single motion, "Very well then. Try contacting him now, and have him help put a stop to the conflict," I ordered, pointing toward the exit.

Without a word, Leon bowed once and walked out of the room, leaving me alone. I sat back down on my throne. Without my realizing it, my magic orb had gone dark. Just as I was about to turn it back on...

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I heard footsteps. Heavy footsteps that left a deep impression.

I stood up from my throne, on guard, "Who's there?" I shouted.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A black-haired girl appeared, and she looked familiar to me. She walked with confident steps, her long black hair swept to one side, blocking part of my view.

Her hand opened, and a long sword appeared in it. She kept walking, not a trace of hesitation in her eyes. But how? That's right, there was no mistake. She was the girl I'd ordered Zamas to collect. So why was she still alive?

"W-what are you...?" I muttered, and I immediately activated my skill.

That's right, I'm an ability user too. My Given ability is Copying . In short, I can copy the memories and abilities of anyone whose eyes I meet.

But for some reason, when I tried to meet that girl's eyes, I was hit by a splitting dizziness. Did she have an ability that blocked mine? Or what? That's right, the reason was simple: she had no ability at all.

The girl kept walking without hesitation. I took a few steps back. I aimed my hand toward her. Just as I was gathering Zoltra in my hand, about to unleash an attack...

The girl swung her sword,

Shhk-squelch!

And drove it straight into my chest before the Zoltra had even finished gathering in my hand.

My eyes widened as I saw my own blood spray through the air. "W-what...?"

"I wonder, can a god die?" the girl said, her eyes sharp. She quickly pulled her sword free. "No... but are you really a god?" she went on.

My body began to stiffen. I could feel the air entering directly into my chest. She raised her sword, and...

Swish!