The Unsung Hero of a Thousand Worlds

Chapter 1 Unsung Hero

"Huff.... Huff.... Huff...."

A man dressed in black breaks down as he leans on his ebony sword.

"This...... can't be... happening...."

The sand gets in his eyes as blood trickles down the side of his face.

A gigantic monstrous figure instantly transports itself, clawing at him with great strength.

The being that stood in front of him had no face, instead it had a mouth with thousands of sharp teeth.It's visage was surrounded by miasma and it's body had the features of unending darkness like a void that will never be filled.

Animals and plants rot and die instantly at its touch and the surrounding terrain end up being dyed in its own malevolent color. He manages to block the attack but is still thrown into the nearby stone mountain, demolishing it to bits.

He stands back up again, weariness starting to catch up to him.Waving his hand in the air, the man seems to be looking at something when his face grows pale.

"This is....... what happened to my-"

But before he can finish the dark figure opens it's mouth and shoots a black laser at him incinerating everything in its path and turning the surrounding air into plasma.

He manages to cut the attack into half with his blade but searing heat turns the ground into lava and he sinks into the floor. 

"Guh!", the man grunts as he stabs at it throwing pieces of rock and lava everywhere to set him free.

But this distraction ended up to be a fatal mistake as the creature stabs right into his left arm with one of its nails.

He cuts himself free and leaps away to get some distance.

His blood spills as his flesh turns dark at the place where he was stabbed. It's infected.

He takes a vial filled with red liquid in one of his pockets and spills it at his wound but it doesn't heal.

Neither magic nor tools worked. This creature, this being, that reeked of death itself, had touched him and now its poison was starting to r****h his body.

Forcing himself to move, he runs at lightning speed and slashes the side of the creatures body.

But it doesn't flinch nor does it even move. It simply smiles.

The monster catches his left leg and throws him into the ground, creating a huge crater.

"Guhack!"

The monster looms above him ready to devour his body when the man finally speaks.

"Got you."

"NMBTjkbuxdDSWR%&*sd j???!"

Great World's Swallow Reversal (Daisekai Tsubame-gaeshi)

With one hand, he swings his sword at its belly, hitting it in multiple places. The lightning fast blade leaves hundreds of afterimages for every second it moved and all of it eventually converged into a single point, shattering the vile demon's torso with its pure destructive force.

"It's.... finally... over...", he mutters as he falls on the ground on his back.

The scorching wind blows at his face as the dust finally settles.

It's over. I can go look for her and rescue her-

But as soon as he thought that, he creature's head moves, its mouth letting out a disgusting laugh with voice that sounds like screaming souls from the depths of hell.

The creature's torso regenerates instantly and it floats up, letting out a bloodcurdling roar.

The man sighs as he pulls his head back.

"Seriously, you have got to be kidding me!?"

He forces himself up and screams while rushing at the enemy, wondering if this will truly be the end or will he win like he always did?

Eight hours earlier. In a hidden realm.

Ring Ring Ring

I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock. While rubbing my eyes, I check to see what time it is.

11:00 AM

It's so late. I should start moving.

Picking up the clothes I threw on the floor last night, I check my phone.

"Now, let's see who's my client today?"

Nothing. The phone literally has zero important messages, only ones that thanked me for the party last night.

Ouch.

I step on a Jenga block. It leaves a mark under the sole of my feet but immediately disappears the moment I notice it.

Last night's party was wild.

Who would've thought that they would surprise me like this.

Collecting his thoughts, he looks around his mansion.

One would never think such a grand celebration was held here.

It was due to the competency of his inhuman maids, hired by his "sponsors", from who knows where.

The tiles were polished to the point that it sparkled and all of the furniture have been dusted off spotless, even the pillows and the polyester of his couch have all been replaced.

What's impressive is that they worked the instant the party ended and left an hour later the same way they came.

The groggy man eats a light meal of lettuce, tuna and bananas, brushes his teeth, takes a bath and changes his clothes.

He wore a grey shirt with a black overjacket and dark jeans. His special custom-made shoes outfitted with metal spikes and gilding resound with a 'thunk' as he tests them for comfort.

Lastly, he takes a huge black sword with glowing runic inscriptions and sheathes it in a carbon-fiber scabbard behind his back.

By now, he doesn't even need to think, most of his consciousness stays dormant during these mundane tasks and he lets his muscle memory do the work.

After all, he's done this more than he can remember.

He stares at one of the photos hanging on his wall.

It was a picture of him and several other beings all around a campfire. He took it using his scrying skill and like a living camera, drew it to perfection using his Auto Memory. An old bearded dwarf laughs as a beautiful elf with golden hair and emerald green eyes points her sword at him with a red face. In the corner a hooded figure with red eyes and silver hair sits with an indifferent expression on her face while sipping on her soup. A girl with red hair brandishes a bottle of ale, looking excited, while a poor brown-haired man in traditional knight armor struggles to breathe as she smothers him in her chest.

He chuckles for a moment before returning to a serious expression.

Brows furrow as he reads the small inscription on the bottom part of the wooden frame.

Astraea.

Lilica Strohm.

Gemini Margrave.

Bernard Bratwurst

and finally,

Arc Nova.

That last one was his name.

He was the knight in the picture.

Friend. Brother. Husband. Teacher. Savior.

These are just some of the things people call him, including the people in the frame.

They were the members of his party in the very first instance he was reincarnated as a hero.

He holds a silent prayer for awhile before stepping outside to the balcony.

Arc walks down the stairs and throws a coin in the water of the huge fountain in front of his house.

Someone from one of his past lives taught him this and said that it was for good tidings and a wish for a perfect health.

And although he doesn't need it anymore due to the outrageousness of his current abilities, he still does so. Habits die hard after all.

Walking towards the back of the mansion, he breathes heavily as he stops in front of the empty backyard.

He unsheathes his sword and cuts into the air. A shattering sound can be heard as an invicible barrier breaks.

A huge Grecian temple ,that looked similar to the Olympieion in its prime, appears beside his mansion almost overshadowing it due to it's size.

Arc enters it's premises and his steps echoes throughout the entire structure, further emphasizing it's lonesomeness. The darkness looming around him as if threatening to devour his entire being.

"Flamia."

Torches at both sides of the path light up one by one as he walks in the center.

He briefly kneels and touches the floor to contemplate.

"I'm sorry. It has been another month hasn't it? Don't worry. I'm back again."

He stands up then continues on.

Arc has been walking for 10 minutes now and his steps grow heavier as he finally reaches his destination.

It was a gigantic monolith made of black pearl granite. Its dimensions are easily comparable to a full soccer field's length and width. Sculpted on it are billions of names, written in thousands of different languages, all lined up in parallel columns.

He kneels and breathes heavily as he starts to once again silently pray.

Because of his Auto Memory, Arc never forgets the names of everyone and every being he meets. He can recollect a scene perfectly as if it happened yesterday even if a million years have past.

But this in itself presents another problem.

Because of the multitude of lives he's lived, he sometimes makes mistakes and delves into a full blown state of identity crisis.

This has happened multiple times in the past and recurred every 20th or so of his other world reincarnations.

By his 420th reincarnation, he met a Japanese man who could forge souls into weapons and he asked to be his disciple.

Using techniques handed down to him by the mysterious traveller, he took pieces of his memories and forged them into the monolith to separate his different selves and maintain his current one.He doesn't take entire memories and keeps the important ones for him to remember. The mundane tasks and daily happenings were shelved into the stone and the birthdays, celebrations and all of his first times are kept in his own memory.

The large stone slab wasn't simply an epitath nor a memorial.

The Trésor de Memoire.

Simply translated from french as the treasure of memories, it was the perfect record of the lives of all the people he's ever met including memory engrams of his past selves.

It was Arc's most prized possesion and the ultimate reminder that kept him human for the remainder of his journeys.

Green light surrounds him as he shelves another memory.It was last night's festivity.

He keeps the meaning of the party and the names of the guests while uploading the unnecessary information, like what clothes he wore and what drinks and food were made and eaten, in other words, he modifies his memories as a normal person would remember them.

Arc stands in front of the stone tablet.He touches one of the names and closes his eyes.

A cool wind breeze and the smell of grass and salt fills his senses.

He looks at himself and notices that he now wore a simple white shirt and brown pants. Arc pinches his cheek. It hurt.

It all felt so real. But deep inside he knew that it was just one of his memories.

As the birds chirp and the sunlight hits his eyes, he sees a woman standing on the edge of a cliff.

She wore a cute little white off-shoulder dress and was prancing around without a care in the world.

The wind ran through her silver hair as she picks up a rock and gives it to Arc.

"Oh you're here, Mr. Hero? I thought you forgot about me?", she says as she skips around him.

"No, I always find time to visit and call me, Arc. You make it sound like were strangers."

"Well, it's been some time. It has been a hundreds years since you last visited."

A hundred years? No, it was much more than that. Much much more.

" Are you doing alright?", he asks while patting her head.

"Yes! My parents and friends may be gone but you gave me a second chance at life. That makes me really happy", she answers while twiddling her thumbs.

" I see. That's great."

"Mister, come with me!"

She takes his hand and leads him to the center of the Everglade forest.

For some reason there were no animals nor beasts and even the sounds of insects and birds have stopped.

Of course, this would be the case.

To protect the girl from anymore harm, he erected a barrier that keeps any and all unathorized beings from entering.

It should've been safe and yet....

"We're here!", she shouts as they arrive in front of a typical log cabin surrounded by a garden of roses, tulips and dandelions.

"I'm sorry for leaving a lot, you know I have a lot of work to do."

"Oh no, that's alright. You're important to the people of this world after all and many others."

"That's..... "

"It's okay. Come in. I'll make some tea for you."

The door creaks as they step inside. The smell of Balsa and flowers  assault his nose as he enters the predominantly brown-colored home. He almost trips on the bear skin carpet as he looks around. Tons of animal sculptures sit atop the tables of the living room while wood chip shavings litter the floor.

"You've been busy...."

"Yep, I found a new hobby.Sorry for the mess."

"No worries. I'm glad you found something to do."

"Ah, sit here on the couch I'll make some tea for you in the kitchen."

"Alright."

"What do want Chamomile or Darjeeling?", she asks while peering from the kitchen.

"I'll have Darjeeling please."

"Okay."

As he waits, he looks at his arms.

He doesn't have scars where they're supposed to be. They were a few inches thinner and he still wore his old wedding rings from the past worlds. Now instead of wearing them, all of his memorabilias are safely kept within his void storage. All reminders of his precious time with others.

Setting his sights on the calendar beside a dresser, Arc checks for the date.

The year was 1500th cycle of Ra, in a world known as Medina.

It was the six hundred ninety-fifth world he saved before he went into retirement in an insurmountable of time later.

Last night was his retirement party and he invited everyone that has ever befriended and was indebted to, the living ones at least.

Sadly, this girl was not one of them.

"Mis- I mean Arc, here you go.", the girl says as she puts a tea set on the table.

"Thank you."

A musky-sweet smell emanates from the tea and as Arc takes a sip, its citrus and fruity flavor fills his senses causing an energizing yet calming sensation.

"This is great. Thank you, Cattleya."

"No, it's nothing much.", she says with a red face.

"Say, I know you're going to leave again but when are you coming back?"

His winces at the question.

"I- I don't know. Maybe after I've done another mission again."

"So for another hundred years huh?"

"Probably."

"I see", she says with sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry I'm being emotional but you're the only one I have left. I can't help but miss you so much."

She starts to sob her tears mixing in with the tea.

This again... It's always the same.

"I- "

Stop.

"I promise that I-"

Don't say it.

"Yes?", Cattleya asks with a worried expression and tears in her face.

"This time I will save-"

ERROR. ERROR.ERROR

UNSTABLE EMOTIONAL STATE DETECTED

IMMINENT PERSONA COLLAPSE DETECTED

UNLINKING MEMORY SAVE FILE

ABORTING IN 3.....

A huge red exclamation point and red text can be seen floating above them.

"No! No no no! Override command! I need to tell her this!"

2......

"Arc? Are you alright? What's going on?"

"Cattleya, I will come back for you I promise! I will-"

1.....

SIMULATION END.

SOUL UNBINDING IN PROGRESS.

PROGRAM SHUTTING DOWN.

The scene fades as his mind returns to his body in the temple.

Arc punches the floor creating a huge crater on the marble flooring as the green glow that surrounded his body fades.

"Every time.... every goddamn time...."

He finally exits the temple and with another s***h, he reverses time returning the barrier to what it once was.

He starts dusting himself off when suddenly he hears a ring from his ear comms.

"Arc here. Who's this?"

"Where are you!? We need you right now!", an annoyed female voice screams from the other side.

Static ensues and Arc is taken aback by the sudden pain.

"Can you not shout? Also, if you needed me then you should have sent me a text on my phone. I didn't get any."

"I tried contacting you but for some reason I can't even get through. I'm using a godline, you know!? Where the heck are you?"

"Ah...."

Arc realizes that the temple's unique composition interfered with his comms while he was inside it.

"Don't 'ah' me.This is an emergency! A new world is in danger!"

"Huuuuh? Didn't we talk about this? I'm retired, Athena. Call some other hero to help you. You were even in the party last night. I'm sure there's tons of other people like me by now."

Athena, the same goddess of wisdom that the Greeks once worshipped, sighs on the other end of the line.

"No, this one can only be handled by someone like you. Besides we can't say no."

"What does that mean?"

"It's the Elder Gods. I was surprised at first but they finally spoke. Even a Myth Goddess like me has no choice but to obey."

To understand why Athena had no choice first we must know her place in all this.

There was hierarchy even in the world of gods.

Starting from the very bottom of the hierarchy are minor gods that are usually a representation of a particular world's flora or fauna. They are often times guided by their own whims and instincts and do not need human worship although their gifts are very much welcome.

Athena represented the Myth Gods, a classification of gods that were born from the Genesis Gods. They are oftentimes called the Second Generation and represented aspects of life and the universe. While they can exist on their own, over time most of their power relied on the beliefs and prayers of lower beings. Besides a few exceptions, these gods are often limited to the confines of their own territories. Some have already faded into non-existence due to this unusual dependency. However, other gods like Athena continued to thrive because the aspect of wisdom are always oftentimes included in prayers.

The next in the ladder would be the Genesis Gods/Elder Gods. Often mistaken for titans and giants of lore, the genesis gods are the main perpetrators for origin stories. Ashera, Cronus and Izanagi are examples of such a classification. Although Zeus and his siblings managed to overthrow Cronus, most Genesis gods are inviolable due to their state as being ultimate forms born from the cosmic eggs of the multiverse.

Other classifications of gods that are outside of the hierarchy due to their abnormal statuses would be the Aspect Gods, Chaos Gods and the Ones Above Others.

The Aspect Gods are absolutes in that as long as what they represent exists they will never cease to be.

Death, Nightmare, Life, Eternity and Existence are few of these examples. They are what Myth Gods sought to be and the next step to their evolution. They seldom intervene in mortal affairs and even when they do so, oftentimes it is in the most subtle of ways.

The Chaos Gods are gods that seek to create imbalance and destroy all that is life. They are malevolent beings that are born from the toxic wastes of the universe. Like Aspect Gods they can never be destroyed and the irony of their existence is that despite seeking destruction, their very existence still demands some sort of order, for them to continue what they call their own "holy gospel".

The Ones Above Others are the most mysterious of the bunch and it's because no one has ever seen them, yet everyone is aware of them. Known to be the greatest of all Gods and the ultimate lifeforms, the Ones Above Others are known to guard the cosmic eggs that eventually hatch to form new universes.

"The Elder Gods? That's a first. Despite all I've ever done, they never took notice of me. What changed Athena?"

"They can't interfere. Not this time. This world is.... different."

"Elaborate."

"It's the final frontier for reincarnators like you. There are many worlds like it but we always thought it best to keep it's existence hidden from the heroes."

"Go on."

"You are a special case. Because you never went mad nor did you ever turn to darkness despite circumstances, you're the only hero who's survived everything that was thrown at you."

Yeah, at the expense of everyone I loved.

"Did you propose this?"

"No, it wasn't my idea. It seems that one of the Elder Gods took an interest in you for a long time. It may be their excuse to test you. Between you and me, I don't really trust them. Case in point, my grandfather Cronus, remember?"

"And this is why you're the Goddess of Wisdom."

"F-flattery will get you nowhere!"

"Haha!"

"So.... will you go? Now that I think about it, maybe this isn't such a good idea. I've seen Elysium before. Compared to all the you've faced before, everything there is dialed up to eleven."

"Elysium? As in the Greek heaven for heroes?"

"No. I doubt that. Our Elysium is a much more friendly place. It's just a coincidence."

"Does Palladia know about this?"

"I wonder, I haven't talked to her since last night."

Palladia, the Guardian Goddess of Protection, Blessing and Providence. She was the one who blessed me with the power of Auto Memory and the reason I survived and became this strong.

She's also the first woman I ever loved and my first wife.

We keep in touch but due to the sudden influx of reincarnators during the millenia, it's always difficult to be with her all the time.

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"If that world is SSS ranked then it's true that maybe I'm the only one who can do something about it."

"That's also true but....."

"In any case, give me the multiverse map coordinates. If the Elder Gods deliberately hid it, then there's no way for me to go there."

"Good luck, Arc. I know you're strong but no matter how great you are, there are some things you can't do alone."

"I know that but this is-"

 "That's why I'm coming with you."

"What?"

She puffs her chests as if to show off to somebody.

"You doubt me? I've been to Elysium I can be your guide and don't forget I'm also SSS class just like you."

"No, I know what you're capable of but what about your responsibilities as a goddess?"

"There are hundreds of goddesses out there, I'll ask a few of my juniors to take over. The Elder Gods wouldn't even notice my absence. To them, I'm just a single fish in the vast ocean"

"Alright, I'm still in my realm so I'll teleport to you."

The place Arc lives in is a separate miniature universe gifted to him by one of the Myth gods from the other worlds after he rescued them. As such, no other creature has authority to enter nor explore it without his permission. Only he can go in and out of it on a whim, save perhaps, for Palladia.

"Wait- "

"Telestias."

"Wait, listen to me I'm-", Athena tries to stop him but it's too late.

The surrounding space warps as Arcs body dissipates into light and at the next moment, materializes in a place full of mist. His pants start to get wet as he realizes that he's suddenly in a body of water.

"Gah! What's with this!?"

He swats at the mist trying to get a clear view of his surroundings.

"Get out.", Athena talks from behind a white stone pillar.

Apparently, it was the goddess' bath time.

"Huh?"

"I said GET OUT!", she screams while throwing at entire bathtub and an assortment of bath essentials at him.

"Wha- stop that's dangerous. Guhack!"

A wooden pail hits him square in the face.

10 minutes later

Athena and Arc are now in her room together, both awkward with what happened earlier.

It was a girly room surrounded by pink and a ton of animal plushies. On one side, there was a full gaming set including high-end computers, Virtual Reality Simulators and playstations. At one time, while on Earth, Athena became influenced by E-girl culture  and it has been a part of her hobbies ever since.

"You're an idiot.", a fully dressed Athena says as she sits on the bed, staring down at a now kneeling Arc Nova.

One would not think that a man in such a sorry state would be a well-renowned hero.

The greek deity is now wearing a red china dress with black silken gloves and black heels, totally uncharacteristic of a goddess from a western origin.

"I said I was sorry.... besides why are you using your phone in the bath anyway."

"No talking back!"

"Y-yes......"

"Hah..... I can't believe you've lived as long as we have with the way you act.", she sighs as she continues to dry her glossy black hair with a towelette.

"Guh."

"It's like you never mature. Is this the effect of that black monolith?"

Arc sweats for a moment.

He remembers the time when Athena accidentally chanced upon him unsealing the temple and now she knows his secret.

"No, it's not. If anything this is my main personality and the real me."

"It's still really impressive that you were able to make such an artifact. Even I wouldn't have thought of it."

"Yeah......"

Athena notices a change in his demeanor and changes the topic.

"Anyyyyyhooowww...... back to the topic at hand."

She flicks her fingers and in an instant a bottle of margarita appears in her hand.

She pours the drink as cocktail glasses magically appear before it.

Arc watches in fascination as the one of the drinks suspended in midair floats towards him.

No matter how many times he watches, he will never get used to it.

This is the Unique Skill of Athena the Goddess of Wisdom: Creation Will

It's is not the same as Creation Magic as it does not create matter from pure energy, but rather it changes the perception of the user and using this enhanced perception, she can manipulate the scattered molecules around and rearrange it to make something new.

It is the perfect alchemical ability.

In other words, Athena sees everything as data and she can manipulate it freely.

Arc takes a sip and savors it's sweet and sour flavor.

"The salt is a nice addition. You really do know your drinks."

"Heh. Of course. I'm the best when it comes to tastes."

"So where do we start?"

Arc starts the real conversation with a stern look on his face.

"Before I tell you where it is, let me tell what I know about Elysium."

"Alright, it's a good start."

"Elysium is a primal universe. That means it is one of the universes with the most concentrated cosmic energy. Every sort of power in that place: chi, magic, stats and abilities are all above average class. Forget what you saw on all those worlds, they're babies compared to this one. Normal reincarnators won't last a day in a place like it."

"But that's..... the amount of energy to maintain such a place.... is an Elder God overseeing it?"

"That's the weird thing about it?"

"What?"

"There are no gods on Elysium. There are demons, mythical creatures, dragons and even a devil king but there are no signs of any sort of religion that worships any god. There is no such thing as worship in Elysium."

"You Myth Gods have your power supplemented and augmented by the power of people's faith and that connection only exists because it was either they feared or wholehearted desired your powers. But if there are no Myth Gods on Elysium, then that only means that they've met worse things than gods. Prayers will not save them."

"That's a possibility."

"I'm getting more and more intrigued but at the same time I understand now how dangerous this place really is. It's like any outsider who enters is vicinity, no matter how strong they are, won't die because they were nerfed, it's only because everything else is actually stronger."

"Basically."

"Have you seen the locals? What about monsters? and you mentioned a Demon King, how strong is he?"

"I didn't have time to study the body composition of anything there since my time was brief but I did see two giant creatures fight in the distance. One seemed like a Wyvern and the other was a Giant Sandworm. You would think that the Wyvern had the upper hand but the Sandworm used a Country-class offensive skill right off the bat.", Athena explains while brushing her hair this time.

"Country class?"

Skills are abilities that people or creatures can use depending on their class and elemental attributes. These skills are divided into the following: Weapon, Army, Country , Continetal, World and Unique.

Weapon class skills are skills that are often used against single targets. There are no absolutes when it comes to the damage it deals and often relies on the stats of the user.

Army class skills are skills that are used against entire armies. These skills usually harbor debuffs and deal medium to great damage depending on the proximity of the victims from the focal point of it's release.

Country Class skills are skills that, when compared to Army Class, has a much higher use of mana and have the power to destroy entire cities. Usually multiple individuals are needed to even succeed in doing such a feat as the rate of consumption of mana is higher than normal skills.

Continental Class skills are abilities that have a maximum survival rate of 0.1%. These are instant death skills that can affect entire continents if used improperly. Meteorite Strike is an example of Continental class and it was once used by a god to wipe out 99% of a planet's species.

World class abilities are abilities that threaten entire worlds. Sometimes, these skills are not even offensive. The most powerful world class ability on record was a skill that kept everyone trapped in an illusion of false memories and caused them to live fake lives that were very far from their real circumstances. This skill had a time limit to it and when it finally disappeared, it cause an existencial crisis on scale never heard of. Eventually this event caused the collapse of entire civilizations and the deaths of millions of species that no longer knew to trust their instincts.

Unique skills are abilities that can only be used by certain people and it's output and effect depends on the person's personality. It is a skill that is customized and cultivated for a particular purpose. Arc Nova's Auto Memory and Athena's Creation Will are just examples of unique skills. An individual may have up to 10 different unique skills but that depends on how many they can handle and the amount of mental strength they have.

"Yes, it used something similar to Ice Queen's Coffin and froze everything within 50 meters of it. It wasn't just normal ice either, it was permafrost. The wyvern used a similar Country Class skill and forced it's way out with Fire Lord's Domain but it was already too late. It was already inflicted with Frost Bite and was eaten alive while laying still like a statue. It was frightening I tell you."

Arc thinks on this. The amount of magic energy used to cast Ice Queen's Coffin is no joke. The last time he dealt with such a thing was back in his one of his earliest adventures. He almost lost his legs and got stabbed in the stomach. The only reason he ever won at the time was because his enemy ran out of mana before she could deal the final blow. If this skill was anything similar then it would be absolutely outrageous for a normal Giant Sandworm to be able to use it. But this wasn't just any normal sandworm, it was one that lived on Elysium.

"Wait, so if everything there is as strong as you say then what is the threat? I might be able to handle it but we have to know what it is first."

"The Elder Gods were being pretty vague, they said they'll know when you see it. It's a huge black creature that would seem out of place in any world. They also said you can tell from it's aura."

She hugs herself, further accentuating her already bountiful chest.

"I don't trust this after all, Arc."

"You'll be with me, there's nothing to worry about is there? Both of us are strong but you're right we have to be careful still. I'll activate all my skills and bring a bunch of artifacts just in case."

Athena stares at Arc, her wistful blue eyes full of worry.

"Well then, that's good. I'll make preparations on my side too. I'm not the only surviving greek deity. Hephaestus is still around maybe I'll ask him for help."

"Oh, that's great. He makes the good stuff."

Hephaestus is the god of forge and the main blacksmith who created the late Zeus' lightnings. Despite being disabled, he can make weapon's on par with Eitrii's Mjolnir and The Lady of the Lake's Excalibur.

At one time, he also became Arc's patron on another world and he was given a unique skill that resonated with his Auto Memory.

Arc finally stands up and stretches his body. He reaches for his interdimensional void storage and give Athena a small box.

"Here, this is for you. Thanks for sticking with me for so long. I wanted to give this to you last night but the guests keep k********g me."

Athena's eyes widen in surprise.

"You're kidding? Is this what I think it is? Does Palladia know? Y-you beast!"

Athena turns her back at him while hiding her face trying to repress her smile.

"I've had many wives before but most of them were mortal. I don't want to lose a single thing again. You're right about the stone tablet. It's affecting me but at the same time, I need it so I can keep at being sane. Besides being my memory bank, it's also a  treasury of regrets. Palladia said that she was also okay with it. She said that you're her best friend after all."

Polygamy wasn't unheard of and in fact, it was widely practiced in a multitude of worlds. Originally coming from and used to Earth and its culture, Arc too wasn't very welcome to the idea, but when you've lived for so long, you just get to be open-minded. He knows that Athena has been setting her sights on him for so long but he never made a move because he wanted to talk about it with Palladia and his remaining surviving wives. That was the reason why he didn't talk to Athena much at the party.

"B-but isn't this bad? Proposing to me before we go on a dangerous mission. It's like you're setting up a death flag or something.", Athena continues to speak while peeking from behind her fingers.

"Don't say something so ominous. This is what you get for watching too much anime."

"Shut up! Don't trashtalk my hobbies! Hmph!"

She shakes her head and faces him head on.

"Are you sure? I'm a haughty goddess, you know. For a Goddess of Wisdom, I really don't seem like it do I?"

"That's fine, I also love that part of you."

"I'm the last surviving god of a pantheon. I might lose my title and freeload when we come back. Are you willing to have such a useless wife?"

"You're not useless, just being around you makes me feel better already."

Athena smiles.

"Thank you, Arc."

"Well then let's-"

"But no.... not at this time."

"Wha- But I thought you..... I.... did I make a mistake?"

The ring box falls on the floor.

Arc goes into a foetal position, with an empty look in his face."

"No! That's not it! I just want us to focus at the tasks at hand! We can celebrate when were done! We can organize the wedding and party and move in..... and ..... stuff...", she says as her face slowly turns red.

"Really?", Arc finally looks at her.

"Really....", she whispers, her voice as cute as a small critter's.

"Well then!", Arc stands up finally revitalized.

He picks up the ring box and mulls about for a moment before returning it from whence it came.

"We can talk about it after the mission, Arc. There's no rush."

"But I made you wait for so long didn't I? I didn't want to have any regrets."

"Regrets...? So you do think this'll go south."

"The level this time is too high so I wanted to make contingencies for everything. I wanted to ready myself physically, mentally and spiritually."

"I see. Well, I'm the same."

"I love you, Athena. Let's enjoy each other's company for the rest of our lives."

"Me too.", she says as she caresses Arc's face.

"Well then. It's time for me to go. Knowing you, you might've already contacted Heph while we were conversing."

"How very astute of you. You really do know me."

"Meet you 2 hours later at the Trichiliocosmic Nexus?

"Sure."

She gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"See you later, my hero."

One hour later, back in the temple, Arc stands before the monolith.

"This mission might be hardest I've ever done, but as long as this exists I will never truly die. I leave this treasure to you."

"Are you sure?", a figure in the shadows asks him.

"Yes. No regrets anymore, remember?"

"Hmmm, yes, you seem to like that phrase a lot. But don't include me in your plans for when you finally off yourself. It's disturbing."

"Please.... you're the only one I can ask."

"Fine and please take care of yourself. Babysitting such a scary object is bad for my beauty regimen."

He balls his fist as he turns his gaze downwards.

"Thank you."

"Hmph."

"Also don't worry about it. I don't plan on dying yet. There are some things I have to do first."

"I saw. Congratulations."

Arc smiles.

"........ That's a little creepy but thanks."

"Shut up, it's my unique skill. It would be a waste not to use it."

"Well,  it's time to go. See you around"

He stops for a moment, taking one last look at the epitaph.

"I'll be back, Cattleya and everyone."

The shadowy figure watches Arc leave the premises, her red eyes and the glow of her pipe being the only illumination besides the monolith.

"Your future is uncertain even in my eyes, Arc Nova. You will experience hurt and death like you've never seen. Countries will shatter and billions of lives will be lost, all while you're watching. This will be the greatest challenge that you will ever go through. But I hope you survive, because after all. It's not the Myth Gods neither the Elder Gods who will be passed the torch to. It will be you, who understands everyone and has experienced everything from the smallest of log cabins to the highest castle walls."

She breathes in and huffs a cloud of smoke as she gazes at the Trèsor de Memoire.

"May fortune favor you, Arc Nova, The Unsung Hero of a Thousand Worlds."