Ascending the tower with my SSS class

The creature’s body could no longer be found anywhere. The only evidence left of the fierce battle that had taken place here were the marks left behind by Uriel’s hammer.

New vibrations arose from every corner of the village. They carried the greatest joy—everyone was happy that one of the creatures that had hunted them for so long had finally been killed.

Uriel’s body was also covered in wounds from the fight. If it hadn’t been for the help he received when they gave him the hammer, he likely would have died. His body finally lost stability after the battle and began to fall backward; however, he did not crash into the ground as he had expected. Instead, a pair of arms caught him, allowing him to rest against them gently.

"You did well, Uriel. Even if I know they will die, it still pains me to see it again and again... thank you for allowing us to taste vengeance, even if only for a moment."

Uriel could not even speak. His body was utterly exhausted; however, he was satisfied with the outcome—and with himself—and that was all that mattered to him at that moment.

Soliel laid him down with great care, while some of the villagers approached in a hurry, bringing whatever they could to help him.

"You’ll be fine. Your wounds aren’t that severe; besides, you stayed awake for far too long... heavens, what a madman. Well, I suppose that’s just how beings from another world are. Rest—you’ll feel better soon."

Uriel slowly closed his eyes. Somehow, Soliel’s presence comforted him, and he let his body drift into sleep, gradually fading away. The truth was that the reason Uriel did not want to sleep was because he was afraid—afraid that if he fell asleep again, he would return to that world where nothing existed but his consciousness. The thought terrified him.

But he could not hold on any longer, and he fell asleep.

His consciousness scattered, or at least it did for a few moments. However, a familiar sensation assailed him—the feeling of being, once again, in that world where the only thing he could perceive was his own consciousness. Yet he did not want to be here again. After once more learning what it meant to be aware, it felt terrifying.

"Well, the fact that you feel fear in this place means you are slowly recovering, young Uriel."

Uriel knew that sensation all too well. In his mind, the image of a cluster of lights began to form. It was Soliel—the real one, the goddess Soliel. Uriel remembered her presence vividly; however, there were things he needed to ask, questions that would not leave him in peace.

"Why am I in this place again?"

The lights chimed brightly, delighted by the question.

"You are in this place because you have regained the embers you once lost, and in a short time, no less. So there is no longer any need for you to remain in that world."

Uriel was surprised; however, deep down, he felt that he did not like the idea of leaving so suddenly. After all, he had already prepared himself to embark on a journey with the other Soliel. Leaving just like that now did not feel right.

"Oh? Have you grown attached to them so quickly? Well, I’m not surprised. After all, that is how you are... isn’t it, Uriel?"

Uriel had completely forgotten that the goddess Soliel could read people’s minds, but she was right. In a way, he wanted to fight for these people. But at the end of the day, didn’t that mean everything had been nothing more than an illusion?

The lights chimed again, this time amused by Uriel’s thoughts.

"Do not underestimate me. False? Young Uriel, everything you experienced was real. I am not the kind of incompetent god who cannot even create a dimension that recreates the past. Everything you lived—and even my mortal self—are indeed real: all their desires, struggles, and pride."

That was utterly astonishing to him. To possess the ability to create realities and speak of it as if it were nothing was beyond Uriel’s comprehension. But if she was capable of that and more, then... why? What was the meaning of the tower? What was the need behind it? After all, it seemed these deities lacked nothing.

However, this also worried him. What did it mean that he would no longer awaken in that world?

"Oh, as for your first question, young Uriel, unfortunately I cannot answer it. It is a secret kept by all of us who created this tower. However, who knows... if you ascend to the hundredth floor, you will surely find your answer. Of course... that is, if one of my other chosen does not get there first."

It was true. After all, there were others like Uriel. Even so, Soliel had chosen to save him. Was she that protective of everyone under her command, or... was there something about him that interested her?

Uriel quickly pushed that embarrassing thought aside, but no thought could escape Soliel.

"Heavens... it’s true that I have favorites, but I am not so unfair as to suddenly become obsessed with just one of them. In your case, as I mentioned, I was partly responsible for what was done to you. But do not worry, Uriel—I will soon punish those who interfered in our affairs."

Her lights chimed with a cruel, almost macabre delight. Uriel did not understand—at times she was kind and protective, yet she could also be cruel and irritable.

"Well, if you spent your life seeing things the way I do, you would end up like this as well... ahhh... enough. We have spoken enough. It is time for you to return to your world and climb the tower, Uriel."

However, there was something more Uriel wanted. If possible, he wished to help save that world and then return.

"Heavens... what am I going to do with you? In the end, you truly have grown attached to them."

Soliel’s lights dimmed slightly, as if she were recalling something sad for a moment.

"Look, even if your ’self’ disappears, I can simply create another version of you to fulfill the same role in that world. No one will notice anything, and that version of you will live out its adventures happily. What do you think?"

That was, without a doubt, a solution. However, Uriel still did not like it. It still felt like abandoning his responsibilities in some way. Besides, he was intrigued—he wanted to know more about Soliel, to understand how she had ended up this way, why the people in that world lived underground, and what the stories of escape that the boy had told him truly meant.

Soliel’s lights dimmed slightly, as if for a moment she were remembering something sad.