And then, upon hearing what he said, my whole body trembled furiously.
"N-No, no, no! Supreme Being, I wasn’t ignoring it—I was just… just pondering over what you told me and didn’t quite catch what you just said!"
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, desperately trying to salvage anything from this situation.
…While I was sure he wouldn’t end me just because I ignored him, who knew what kind of punishment he might dish out on a whim?
That wouldn’t do me any good, would it?
Nope.
So yeah, I was desperately trying to salvage the situation and downplay everything.
But who knew? It still wouldn’t reduce whatever punishment he was about to throw my way.
Had I known that… I wouldn’t have tried so hard to please him.
But oh well.
Back to the void where I currently was.
Hearing my desperate explanation, the being, whose form was once again shrouded in swirling darkness—save for the faint outline of his eyes—narrowed his gaze onto me. It was clear he was unimpressed. His already overwhelming and towering aura grew even more oppressive, forcing me further onto my knees. My breath hitched, not that there was air to breathe in this void, but I still felt the suffocating weight of his presence.
The being’s voice rumbled through the emptiness. "Pondering, huh? Pondering."
His slow, deliberate words sent a chill down my spine. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead as I realized he was deciding whether my excuse was acceptable.
I nodded furiously, like a chicken desperate to escape the butcher’s blade. "Yes! I mean, can you blame me? You just told me that all my variants were doomed except for me! That’s a lot to process, especially now, when I’m already overwhelmed—"
I stopped mid-sentence as his voice cut through the space like a blade. "Confused, are you? And whose fault is that? Mine?" He scoffed, the weight of his amusement pressing down on me. "You little rat. Do you think yourself above listening to me? You really have the audacity to ignore me? It seems my generosity has made you far too bold."
I shook my head so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. "No, no, no! That’s not what I meant at all! I just—I had too much on my mind! Otherwise, I would never dare ignore you, not even in my dreams, much less face to face!"
He studied me in silence, his gaze stripping me bare. My heart pounded against my ribs, each second of his scrutiny an agonizing eternity. Then, he sighed—a sigh that felt like it could shake the very foundations of the cosmos.
I swallowed hard.
He eased back, just slightly, enough for me to breathe. "Hmph. At least you understand your place, little rat. Now, let’s set that aside for a moment. Tell me, do you still feel like wallowing in self-blame?"
I exhaled in relief at his shift in tone. Then, at his last words, I hesitated. But after everything he had just revealed—everything he could have left me to suffer through alone—I shook my head. "No... I understand now. It wasn’t something I could have changed. At my current state, at least, it wasn’t my fault. And nor was it yours. If anything, I should be thanking you instead of blaming you when I didn’t even know the full picture."
I looked up at him, and for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something softer in his ever-consuming darkness. Just a fraction. It was enough.
"Good that you know," he said, his tone still overbearing but holding a slight edge of approval. "Now, quit this foolish behavior of yours—wallowing in self-pity over things you neither control nor comprehend. Stop acting like a fool, and start acting like the one who wields the power and talent you have been given. If you waste your time on things outside your grasp, you will lose sight of what is before you."
I exhaled, the weight of my emotions easing slightly. "Yeah... I hear you. But—"
"No ’but,’ Kallus," he interrupted, his voice firm. "You need to focus on what is coming for you, not these trivial distractions. You may think yourself powerful enough to do as you please, and in many ways, you are. But there will always be mountains taller than you, adversaries lurking in the shadows who will stop at nothing to see you destroyed—whether through strength or cunning. And despite my gifts, the current you is not strong enough. Your lack of mental fortitude and willpower will be your downfall."
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand, as though I were an insignificant speck in the vast cosmos.
I opened my mouth to argue, to justify myself—but no words came. Because he was right.
A heavy silence stretched between us, and for the first time in a long time, I had no choice but to face the truth.
Just as I thought the conversation—where he had completely obliterated me—was finally over, the being let out a deep chuckle. A chuckle that sent a chill crawling down my spine, setting off every danger signal in my brain.
I barely had time to react before he spoke again, his voice carrying a strange, almost cheerful lilt.
"Good. Now, as punishment for ignoring me, you shall bear a… not-so-minor consequence."
That tone—casual, almost playful—felt anything but harmless. It felt like the voice of the devil himself. My body stiffened instinctively.
"W-Wait, what?!" I stammered in confusion.
But before I could even process what was happening—BAM!
An invisible force struck me right in the middle of my forehead.
A sharp, stinging pain exploded in my skull. My hands shot up to clutch my head, but before I could even touch the spot—BAM! Another hit. And then another. And another.
I lost count of how many times that unseen force flicked me, each strike sending shockwaves of pain through my entire head. My vision blurred, mirages of the being multiplying in front of me as I swayed from the sheer impact.
My head had swollen like a pig—literally—but thank god—oh wait, not god—thank my regeneration abilities that it was healing back quickly. Otherwise, I didn’t even know how I’d face the Empress when this big bully eventually kicked me out of this place like he brought me here.
I could already imagine her staring at me with a mixture of amusement and concern. "Kallus, did you anger an omnipotent being again?"
Yeah… I wasn’t ready for that conversation.
Still, as the flicking finally stopped.
Clutching my forehead, I looked up at him in pure disbelief, eyes watery from the pain.
I risked a glance up at the Supreme Being, who was watching me like an adult watching a particularly dumb child.
"Did… did you just flick me?" I asked, voice filled with equal parts shock and betrayal.
The being let out a deep, satisfied chuckle.
"I did. So what?" he replied, completely unfazed by my suffering.
I pouted but wisely kept my mouth shut. I definitely didn’t want another round of divine head flicks
Ignoring my pained expression, he added smugly, "Let this be a lesson, little rat. Next time, it won’t just be that."
His words were followed by a chilling laugh that sent a fresh wave of shivers through me.
And then, just as I thought it was over, he spoke again, his voice laced with amusement.
"As for the other punishment… well, just wait for it."
Huh?
I froze at his words.
"Wait for it," he had said.
Wait for what?!
Oh, hell no!
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Panic surged through me as my mind went into overdrive, desperately trying to process what fresh hell was about to descend upon me. I braced myself, still clutching my aching forehead, expecting something far worse than the divine flicks I’d just endured.
But… nothing happened.
Silence.
The being simply stood there, watching me with an expression I couldn’t see, but I could feel the amusement radiating off him. His silence was almost worse than any punishment itself.
I swallowed hard.
"Uh… s-so, what exactly is this… other punishment?" I asked, uncertainty written all over me.
The being smirked. "You’ll find out soon enough."
My body stiffened.
That was not what I wanted to hear.
"W-Wait, what do you mean ’soon enough’?! At least give me a hint!"
He chuckled, his glowing eyes glinting with something that made my stomach churn.
"No. That would ruin the fun."
My face paled.
Fun?
Fun for who?!
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get another word out, the Supreme Being snapped his fingers.
The void around me twisted.
Reality itself shattered like glass.
A sudden force yanked me backward, and before I could even react—
I was falling.
My vision blurred as I plummeted through a sea of swirling colors and fractured space, the Supreme Being’s fading laughter echoing in my ears.
Whatever punishment he had in store for me…
It was already set in motion.
And that scared me more than anything.