Chapter 676: The True Ruler Of The Universe

Joy felt the world spin.

The Goddess of Light was essentially the second most powerful being in the entire universe.

She ruled over light itself, over life and growth, over the very foundation of existence. She was literally the Goddess the current era was named after.

And Cassius was above her sisters in Gaia’s heart?

That meant...

That meant, in terms of how the universe actually worked, Cassius was effectively the second most powerful being in existence.

Not in his own right, but in the protection he held.

In the fury that would be unleashed if anyone harmed him.

He had a guardian angel watching over him.

And that guardian angel was the literal ruler of the universe.

Joy couldn’t fathom it.

A mortal man. A flirtatious, infuriating, impossibly charming mortal man, somehow cherished above Goddesses by the ruler of them all.

But the Goddess wasn’t finished.

She leaned even closer, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper, as if sharing the most forbidden of secrets.

"I’m really, really not supposed to say this."

She glanced around theatrically, as if checking for eavesdroppers in the empty void.

"But I did promise you extra information. So..."

She paused, her eyes distant.

"Once, in the past, something happened to Cassius. Something that could have harmed him. I can’t tell you what—that’s not my secret to share."

"But my sister..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"She noticed. From the heavens, she saw what was happening. And her reaction..."

The Goddess’s eyes grew terrified at the memory.

"She was so emotionally disturbed. So angry. So full of murderous rage that the entire universe crumbled for a few moments."

Joy’s eyes shook.

"Not just shook—crumbled. My sister and I felt it. An earthquake, yes, but not any ordinary earthquake."

"An earthquake that could have shattered everything. Everything."

She swallowed.

"And we felt fear in that moment, Joy. Genuine fear. Fear for our own lives."

Joy couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.

"She calmed down later, of course. But that one instant..."

The Goddess shook her head.

"It made us realize. Cassius is so close to her heart that if anything truly happened to him—if someone actually hurt him—my sister might just break down the entire universe in her rage."

Her voice dropped to the barest whisper.

"She might be consumed by darkness herself. Turn into an Evil God, just out of pure hatred for whoever harmed him."

The words hung in the void like a death sentence.

Joy felt as if the ground had been ripped from beneath her feet.

Moments ago, she had thought Cassius was second in power, protected by the universe’s ruler.

Now she understood it was worse.

Gaia valued Cassius above herself.

Above her duty.

Above the entire cosmos.

If anything happened to him, she would destroy everything. Everything. And she had the power to do it.

That meant Cassius wasn’t second.

He was first.

Indirectly, through the rage that protected him, he was the most powerful being in the universe.

Realising this, Joy felt fear.

Genuine, primal fear.

Not of Cassius himself, but of what would happen if someone ever made a mistake.

Ever let something happen to him. Ever failed to protect him.

Her half-faded form trembled.

"T-Then—"

She stammered, desperation creeping into her voice.

"Then what would happen if someone harmed him in my world? If he fell into some scheme, some manipulation? Wouldn’t that be catastrophic?"

Her voice rose with panic.

"Do you think I should become his bodyguard? Protect him constantly, for the sake of the entire world—no, the entire universe?"

Her words tumbled out in a rush.

"I’ll dedicate my life to it if I have to! If it means protecting everything from destruction!"

Her mind raced with horrifying images—Cassius hurt, the sky tearing open, an enraged Goddess descending to annihilate everything and everyone connected to the deed.

She had come to this world to put Cassius in prison, to judge him for his crimes.

Now she saw him as something else entirely.

A figure made of glass.

One wrong move, and everything would shatter.

But the Goddess of Light simply laughed.

A warm, reassuring chuckle that cut through Joy’s panic.

"Oh, no, no, no." She said, waving her hand. "It’s alright, Joy. There’s no need for you to do something like that."

Joy blinked in confusion.

"Like I said before, Cassius is someone who cannot be easily touched. There’s only one person in your entire world who could even match him in power."

She smiled reassuringly.

"And even that person—you don’t need to worry about. She’s currently in a deep slumber and will not awaken unless absolutely necessary."

She spread her hands.

"As for everyone else? No matter how many schemes they weave, no matter how overwhelmingly powerful they might seem, they cannot do anything against him."

"So truly, don’t worry about it."

She winked.

"Just focus on seducing him and bringing him over to our side."

Joy’s face flickered with a dozen conflicting emotions—relief, confusion, lingering fear, and deep embarrassment at the reminder of her task.

She wanted to ask more.

Wanted to understand who this other person was, why Cassius was so untouchable, what Gaia’s true relationship with him entailed.

But her body was almost gone now.

Only her head remained visible in the void.

The Goddess of Light raised her hand in farewell.

"Goodbye, Joy, my dear daughter. I hope to see you soon—with good news of you bringing that boy to my side."

Joy met her eyes, gratitude flooding through her despite everything.

For this Goddess had saved her life.

Had given her purpose.

Had entrusted her with this impossible, ridiculous, terrifying task.

And Joy would see it through.

She nodded once, a final gesture of devotion, and then faded completely from existence.

—

The void was silent.

Empty.

The Goddess of Light floated alone in the abyss, a gentle smile on her face.

"That was lovely." She murmured to herself. "I truly enjoyed that conversation."

She stretched languidly, her divine form shimmering.

But slowly, her smile faded into something more thoughtful.

Her eyes grew distant, contemplative.

"I never really thought about it before." She whispered. "I never wanted to barge into my big sister’s business. She’s always been so private, so guarded."

She tilted her head.

"But now..."

A gleam entered her eyes.

"Now I’m curious. Why does she value him so much?"

Her expression shifted, becoming almost petulant—an expression that seemed entirely out of place on a divine face.

"She clearly values him more than us. More than me. More than our sister." She pouted, actually pouted. "And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually jealous. Jealous of a mortal."

She huffed.

"Jealous that she cares for him so deeply when we—her own sisters have never received such devotion."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"I think it’s time I did some digging. Some investigating."

A mysterious smile curved her lips.

"Time to find out who Cassius truly is. What his real relationship with my sister entails."

"And why exactly she sent him to another world—when something like that is completely taboo and goes against the Heavenly Laws."

But then she paused.

Her expression flickered with uncertainty.

"But...what if she finds out? She’s usually so calm, so gentle. She never punishes us, no matter how much trouble we cause." She bit her lip. "But if she discovered I was snooping into something this private? This important to her?"

She shivered slightly.

"I’m pretty sure she’d actually be angry. Truly angry."

She wavered, torn between curiosity and fear.

And then—

A slow, sneaky smile spread across her face.

"I’ll just bring my dearest sister along for the ride."

She laughed softly.

"With her mischievous nature, there’s no way she’ll let this opportunity pass. And if we get caught..."

Her smile widened.

"We’ll both be punished. Together. She can share the burden."

She nodded, satisfied with her logic.

"Yes. That’s perfect."

She looked up, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Cassius, Cassius, Cassius..." She murmured. "Let’s see who you really are."

And with that, she too vanished from the void.

Two beings, each with their own agenda.

One Goddess, setting out to uncover the truth about a mortal that had captured her sister’s heart.

And one saint, sent back to her world with a ridiculous task—a task she was now utterly determined to complete.