'Who is this goddess?'
Eren pondered as he observed the goddess's graceful descent towards the world.
Though Eren was immersed in the ancient god's final memories, he recognized the limitations of his human senses. The mere fact that he hadn't been overwhelmed by what he witnessed was a boon. In his own reality, his consciousness would have likely shattered long ago within the dying god's form.
"Found you," the goddess uttered, her voice tinged with bitterness. Eren sensed her profound sadness and self-blame, a pitiful acknowledgment of her inability to alter her brother's tragic fate.
"Look at what they've done to you," the goddess exclaimed, her fists clenched in anger. In an instant, the slowly recovering world around the dying god trembled, threatened by the unleashed fury of the goddess.
The dying god, trapped in his fading state, couldn't speak or move to convey his emotions. All he could do was gaze upon the goddess with unchanging expressions.
Suddenly, the goddess vanished from the sky, reappearing beside him. She tenderly caressed the dying god's face after making him rest his head on her lap, and although Eren couldn't see her tears, a cold droplet grazed his cheek, a testament to the goddess's sorrow for his plight.
"You... you are responsible for your own predicament, brother," the goddess uttered, her voice laced with bitterness and complaint. "If only you had been... more." Her words trailed off as she struggled to express her feelings, her gaze locked onto the fading divine body Eren now inhabited.
Before Eren could discern the identity of the familiar voice of the goddess, another momentous event unfolded. The dying god's body began disintegrating, turning into spectral dust starting from his toes. It was as if some unexplainable forces were at work and they were resisting the goddess' powers that she had exerted to reverse and pause the dying god's final moments.
The dying god's divine body dissolved slowly, but without any sign of pain or sorrow. The goddess, however, grew even more agitated, her frustration palpable. She screamed and summoned her divine powers once more.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
In the blink of an eye, a runic circle encompassing an entire continent appeared, with the dying god and the goddess at its heart. The goddess channeled her powers and the dwindling vitality of the world, determined to defy the dying god's fate. She was willing to sacrifice entire worlds, even countless lives, to buy him just one more minute, one more second of life.
Once again, the world teetered on the brink of annihilation. The Winds of Void Assimilation returned, accompanied by numerous spectral rifts that tore through the fabric of reality like ravenous beasts.
Suddenly, an immense presence enveloped the dying world, surpassing even the goddess beside the dying god in profundity and power. A spectral, feminine figure materialized before the dying god, its form ever-shifting and ethereal.
One moment, it took the form of a spectral wisp, and the next, it manifested as a humble mortal woman of unknown features. Then, in the span of another second, it transformed into a colossal, cosmic being, dwarfing even the mightiest Titans by a factor of at least a thousand.
Despite lacking a definitive body, this being radiated omnipotence and unwavering control. Eren sensed that it was conveying a message—a message of futility regarding the goddess's efforts.
'It's no use.'
Although its tone came across as cold, there was an undeniable fondness for the dying god in its presence. It seemed incapable of expressing sorrow with the same intensity as the goddess, yet its underlying discontent with the god's impending death was even more profound. The mere fact that it had chosen to materialize before them spoke volumes about the value it placed on him.
"Mother, please. Save him," the goddess implored, her voice heavy with sorrow, as she watched the dying god's form disintegrate, her heart seemingly breaking in tandem.
'I cannot do that. He has been cursed, and it is irreversible,' conveyed the overwhelming presence in response. While the goddess may have been too emotional or simply unable to see it, the dying god detected a trace of regret in the thoughts transmitted by the overwhelming entity.
"I am willing to wager my divinity," the goddess declared with unwavering determination, yet her plea fell short of eliciting the desired response from the all-encompassing entity.
'Not enough. He is destined to die here; that is inevitable,' the overwhelming presence communicated in its subsequent thoughts. Though the goddess was prepared to sacrifice her divinity and perish alongside the god in an attempt to rebel against fate, the overwhelming presence offered a glimmer of hope in its next ripple of thought.
'It is true that your divinity alone is insufficient to save him, and we cannot bring about his incarnation. However, there is a way for him to persist, at least in part—through his bloodline,' the overwhelming presence imparted, kindling a flicker of hope within the goddess, who teetered on the brink of despair and self-sacrifice.
***
The dying god remained silent as he observed both the goddess and the overpowering presence bearing witness to his final moments.
It was difficult to discern his emotions, whether veiled beneath immeasurable depth or masked by profound serenity. Eren perceived that the dying god, instead of experiencing his own death, seemed to observe the end of another with impartial eyes.
The goddess extended her hands and extracted a potent shard from her own chest, a diamond-like spark condensed into partial tangibility. She promptly offered it to the overwhelming presence, and the Divine Spark hovered around her in response.
Another ripple of thought traversed the minds of the dying god and the goddess as they beheld this sacred object.
'This Spark holds the potential to ensure the appearance of an inheritor of his bloodline in the future,' conveyed the omnipotent presence, her tone neutral. With a gentle gesture, she drew a drop of blood from the dying god's divine form, which continued to disintegrate.
Expanding the spatial rifts encircling the trio, the omnipotent presence sought living beings from other worlds. Or rather, she was looking for Existential Concepts of beings that varied slightly across worlds. Existential Concepts were akin to templates that were followed by countless worlds.
Croak! Croak! Croak!
In her grasp, a spectral black raven materialized.
This was the chosen Existential Concept, intended to merge with the bloodline Concept of the dying god. As soon as the omnipotent presence made the Concept of the Black Raven ingest the god's blood and use the goddess' Spark as the fuel to initiate the fusion, the black transformed into something else.
Thus, a new Existential Concept of a living being was born at this point which was bound to be followed by countless worlds—the Concept of the White Raven.
AN: The Existential Concept of the White Raven was first explained in chapter 618.
