SWNOVELXO chapter 422 - Aftermath and...
After the disappearance of the Outer Gods…
A silence fell over Earth.
But it was not peace.
It was the kind of silence left after a storm, where debris still litters the ground, and the air smells faintly of blood and ozone.
With the Outer Ones erased, true Death, the kind that even gods fear, swept clean the cracks they left behind. Their presence, their contracts, their influence… gone.
But not without cost.
Those who had once accepted their power, who had made pacts with gods that defied form and name, were now free, unshackled from the whispers that once curled around their minds like leeches.
Yet the marks remained.
Physical changes. Psychological scars. Echoes.
Twisted eyes. Veined skin. Voices that still sometimes spoke in sleep.
Even though the Outer Ones were gone, their remnants remained etched into the bodies of those who once bore their sigils.
And these marks would never fade.
Not until death.
But Earth had changed, too.
It was no longer simply a world for humans.
The barriers had thinned.
The veils had parted.
Races, once myth, now lived among one another. Elves walked in steel cities. Beastfolk studied quantum engineering. Demi-gods taught children to weave mana like thread.
Discrimination remained, yes.
Fear lingered.
But it no longer ruled.
Because on the day of the Third Calamity… everyone had stood against the dark.
Everyone had fought the Cracks.
And everyone had survived.
Not all made it out unscathed.
Causality demanded its due.
In every calamity, there are victims.
But there are also survivors.
And survivors... always have a reason to grow.
Some limped away from the battle.
Some carried others on broken backs.
Some laughed, having glimpsed the abyss and walked away smiling.
But they all endured.
As for the global mission Taufik had issued, broadcast to every System Holder…
The world answered.
And in the rankings of top contributors, almost all the highest names were those he knew.
His (self-proclaimed) students.
His friends.
His former enemies.
His blood.
And when the Cracks were sealed, when the beasts were slain, and when the battle was done... The reward was granted.
A single word:
[WISH GRANTED]
But it wasn't a blank check.
Taufik didn't give them everything.
He gave them what they had earned.
A wish equal to the weight of their effort.
A dream, born not from luck, but from struggle.
Because Taufik was not a hero.
He was not a savior.
He was something far more dangerous.
He was the giver of opportunity.
And opportunity… was not free.
It had to be proven.
When the dust of the Third Calamity settled, and the world caught its breath again, Taufik did what few gods would dare:
He reset the Sponsorship Protocol.
But this time… with a new law.
No one may become a God's Companion by mere selection.
They must earn it.
A Trial would now determine the worth of every mortal who sought to bind themselves to the divine.
A gauntlet not of power… but of intent, will, and truth.
Only those who passed could form divine contracts.
Only those who understood the cost of belief… could be called a Companion.
And the Known Gods?
They accepted it.
Not because they were afraid.
Not because Taufik had caged them.
Not because he demanded it.
But because they recognized who he was.
Not a tyrant.
Not a ruler.
But a being who had touched something they all craved... Transcendence.
He had stood at the edge of Eternity.
Not begged for it.
Not reached for it.
He had become it.
And so when Taufik D'Archy said:
"From now on… no Companion without Trial"
The gods did not argue.
They nodded.
Silently.
Respectfully.
Because they knew:
The one who grants opportunity… Can also take it away.
--------
So, just like that…
For a few quiet days, Taufik D'Archy, the man who had faced gods and erased the Outer Ones from reality, was doing something no one expected of him.
He was taking care of his children.
His wives, cousin, Grandma, and even his parents had gone on a holiday.
Not on Earth, of course.
They were somewhere beyond a few 'good' Realm Gates, peaceful worlds in friendly cooperation with the Saranjana Kingdom.
And so, for now, the great Taufik was… on parenting duty.
His toddlers, mischievous, adorable, and mildly overpowered, were playing in the courtyard, guided with gentle authority by their big sister, Alice.
Meanwhile, in his arms, he cradled his youngest daughter:
Lavanya.
"...Dada~," she chirped with glee, flailing her tiny arms excitedly as she watched her siblings run around under golden light.
Taufik chuckled, adjusting her on his lap.
"You want to play with them too, Anya?" he asked softly. "You'll have to walk first, you know…"
That earned him an immediate, dramatic pout.
Then, her little blue eyes shimmered, shifting.
Red bled into them, subtle at first... then brighter.
A pulse of raw instinct.
Vampiric power.
Taufik felt it, instantly.
The blood in her tiny body stirred unnaturally, threatening to awaken something that should still be years away.
"Hey, hey…" he murmured.
He pulled her gently against his chest, arms wrapped around her in a cradle of calm.
Then he leaned down and kissed her forehead, softly, lovingly.
A silent ripple of mana passed between them.
His power, ancient and comforting, danced into her veins like lullabies made of warmth.
And just like that…
Her blood calmed.
Her eyes slowly shifted back to blue.
But now?
Lavanya looked up at him with a deeper pout, cheeks puffed in stubborn defiance.
Her expression practically shouted:
"I'm still mad at you, Dada!"
Taufik looked down at her, and for a moment, the whole universe could wait.
Because nothing, not the System, not the stars, not the gods beyond the Veil, could match the sheer adorableness of his daughter's sulk.
"…What?" he asked with a soft laugh. "You're angry at me now?"
She didn't answer.
She just pouted harder.
And to Taufik…
It was perfect.
--------
A few days had passed quietly.
It had been one week since the Third Calamity ended.
The world was healing, scarred, yes, but alive.
Taufik's wives had returned from their journey beyond the 'Good Realm Gates', bringing stories, gifts, and the warmth of family that always seemed to soften the edges of reality.
The cracks left behind by the incursion of the Outer Gods were closing. Slowly. Carefully.
But the threats?
They hadn't stopped.
Not completely.
In the days that followed the Calamity's end, a few Outer Gods had tried, once again to slip through.
Taufik didn't erase them this time.
But he did not let them in easily.
No more indulgent silence.
No more silent tolerance.
This time, he established the Law.
If they wanted to enter Earth… If they wanted access to the Sponsorship Protocol… If they wanted even a foothold in this new era...
They would follow his rules.
Strict ones.
Non-negotiable.
Immutable.
And if they broke them?
They would not be warned.
They would be removed, permanently.
Taufik wasn't a savior. He had said this before.
He was a gatekeeper now.
But beyond that?
He had no agenda.
No war to fight.
No gods to purge.
No plans to enforce.
So he did something he rarely allowed himself to do.
He reflected.
On existence. On himself. On why.
Because, at this point…
Even the whispers of The Last Daniel, the so-called "prophet of paradox," were starting to feel real.
"You'll become an Absolute Being if you kill me, The Last Daniel"
And yet, Fate… The elusive concept he had defied over and over again…
Still existed.
Still watched.
It didn't act.
Not directly.
It didn't interfere.
But it warned.
Whispered.
Rebuked.
That was all.
Why?
That was the question Taufik kept turning over in his mind.
Not "how far can I go?" But rather… "Why am I still being allowed to go this far?"
---
Today was no different.
He lay under the Great Tree, the sacred heart of Saranjana, its leaves casting dappled shadows over his body as the light shifted through the branches.
To the people, it was a sacred relic.
To his family?
Just another playground.
And today, as usual, it was filled with laughter.
The laughter of his children, chaotic, bright, and pure.
That sound… it was better than any divine hymn.
He closed his eyes, smiling faintly.
Peace.
But then... Something shifted.
He didn't see it.
Didn't hear it.
He felt it.
Like a ripple across the soul, not the skin.
His eyes opened slowly.
The sky overhead looked normal.
Clear. Blue. Innocent.
But his instincts told a different story.
Something was approaching.
Something that didn't belong in silence.
And then...
[DING]
A sharp chime echoed in his mind, clear, almost too clear.
Not just a System notification.
A warning.
A whisper.
[Master…The Gate is about to open. They're coming. Not like before… This time, it's to finish what was once barely stopped. Earth… It's not ready. Not yet. If no action is taken, destruction is inevitable. What will you do, Master? Further action is required]
Taufik sat up fully now.
The grass was still soft beneath him.
His daughter giggled somewhere behind the tree, her tiny feet kicking the air as she played with her siblings.
But his world, his world had shifted.
His smile was gone.
His hand twitched.
Eyes narrowed, voice low, he asked, "...What Gate?"
No answer came immediately.
The sky remained still.
The wind carried only the smell of wildflowers.
But then... A pause in reality itself.
And the System spoke again.
Softer this time. As if even it feared the words it must say.
[...The Hell Gate, Master]
And this time, even the Great Tree... whispered.
....
...
..
.