Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 211
Chapter 211: God Only Knows
On a Sunday holiday, I left home alone and headed to a nearby café. Choosing my usual spot, a two-person table in the farthest corner by the window. I took a seat and ordered the recommended blend coffee from a waitress who approached.
As I browsed the internet on my smartphone to gather information about the Oni nation, ?Susanoo?, the coffee was placed before me.
“Thank you for waiting. Here is our original blend coffee,” the waitress said.
“Thanks,” I replied.
After she wished me a pleasant time and left, I took a sip from the steaming cup. The bitter yet rich flavor brought a comforting warmth.
It was my first solo outing in a while since my appearance had changed. Though I wore a hoodie to conceal my distinctive silver hair, I still felt somewhat on edge due to the stares from those around me.
At a nearby table, three girls who looked like high school students were whispering among themselves.
“Isn’t that *the Silver Enchanter* from Astral Online?”
“You’re right! You can see a bit of silver hair sticking out from their hood.”
“Oh my gosh, she’s so cute!”
Hearing their conversation, I felt a twinge of unease. *If they come over, it’ll be a hassle,* I thought, deliberately turning my face toward the window to avoid eye contact.
But the girls grew increasingly animated, their excitement building as they talked about me. I could sense they were on the verge of approaching when suddenly?
*Clink*.
The sound of the door opening diverted everyone’s attention.
Someone muttered, “Oh, it’s the goddess,” and the atmosphere inside the café shifted dramatically.
The girl who had been about to stand froze mid-motion, and everyone in the café turned to look at the person who had entered—a white-haired girl.
She walked calmly through the room, the crowd parting in silent awe, and stopped at the seat opposite mine. Then, with a snap of her fingers, all sound around us vanished.
A barrier had been erected, likely to ensure our conversation remained private. Strangely enough, the others’ interest in us seemed to dissipate entirely, as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. The patrons returned to their seats, resuming their previous conversations.
Demonstrating a literal *divine* ability, the white-haired girl, El Aurum, wore a faintly amused expression.
“Greetings,” she said, her tone casual yet commanding.
“It’s rare for you to use your Adventurer’s privileges to contact me, Sora-sama.”
“…Yeah, sorry about that. There’s just one thing I need to confirm with you,” I replied.
“Oh? And what might that be?”
The girl slowly settled into the chair I had pulled out for her, resting her elbows on the table as she gazed at me with a look of keen interest.
Her golden eyes, seemingly bottomless, exuded a sacred aura that could draw in one’s very soul. For an ordinary person, meeting her gaze alone would break their spirit, causing them to kneel and bow their head before her divine presence.
However, my body, having transcended human limits during the battle with the ?Calamity of Lust?, had taken a step closer to that of an angel. Without faltering under her divine gaze, I met her eyes directly and asked my question.
“El, who… or what are you, really?”
“You ask such an obvious question now. Of course, I am the omnipotent God.”
“If you’re omnipotent, then explain *this*.”
I pulled a photograph from my pocket and placed it on the table.
For the first time, the confident smile faded from El’s face as she looked at it.
“This is…?”
“It’s a family photo I had displayed in my room, with this slipped behind it.”
The photograph I had placed on the table was from my first year in elementary school, taken in front of my house. It showed me, Shiori, and, between us, a white-haired girl who looked exactly like El.
If she were truly omnipotent, she should have an answer. But El remained frozen, staring at the photo as if it was something that should not exist.
“The girl in this picture… no matter how you look at it, she’s you. And recently, I’ve been recalling fragments of memories related to this girl…”
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to say it. Then, gathering my resolve, I spoke directly to the girl sitting across from me.
“I feel like you and I have known each other for a very long time.”
El listened to everything I said. Gently, she picked up the photo with both hands, clutching it to her chest as if it were precious.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
“Ahahahahahahahahahaha!”
She suddenly burst into loud laughter, releasing the divine authority she had been suppressing.
It was as if a radiant sun had appeared before me, its overwhelming presence leaving me momentarily speechless.
The other patrons in the café, shielded by the barrier she had erected, continued their mundane conversations, unaffected by the pressure she emitted. If they felt it, they would have undoubtedly fainted on the spot.
Caught between the mundane and the extraordinary, I clenched my teeth, enduring the godly authority tinged with her unsettling mirth.
Though the confrontation only lasted a few dozen seconds, El’s overwhelming presence made it feel like hours. Even the sweat dripping down my forehead seemed to move slowly.
Then, suddenly, the immense pressure disappeared.
When I looked up, she had stopped laughing and was now staring at me with a thoroughly amused expression.
“Ah, I see now. Sora-sama has finally begun to shed their humanity…”
El stood up, tossing the photo into the air.
The picture floated in a perfect arc, seemingly guided by her power, and landed neatly back into my hand.
After I glanced at the photo, I raised my eyes, and there she was, standing right next to me without a sound, as if she had always been there.
I flinched, nearly toppling backward, but she caught me and pressed my face against her chest.
Frozen by the sudden embrace, I felt her nuzzle me affectionately.
“Fufu, Adonai is so mean. To play such a trick on me in this form… truly a cruel child.”
“Adonai…?”
“You’ve met her a few times, Sora-sama. To put it simply, she’s the god of ?Astral Online?, who looks just like me.”
“No way… the one who appeared in my dreams a few times!?”
As I raised my face, El stepped back, releasing her hold on me.
“That’s all I can tell you. If you want to truly understand who I am, you’ll have to clear the first stage Adonai has prepared, ?The Four Star of the Lord of the Rings?. That is where the real story begins.”
“Wait, what do you mean by that!?”
As she turned to leave, I stand up from my chair, trying to stop her. But just as I reached out to grab her, another hand intercepted mine, gripping it tightly.
Startled, I turned to see a knight clad in gleaming white armor and draped in a white cape.
Such a conspicuous figure in a café would normally draw attention, but the fact that no one noticed him meant he had been concealed by some power or had teleported here.
El, now nearing the exit, glanced back at me with amusement.
“His name is Zadkiel. He’s one of my subordinates and the captain of the second division of the ?Guardians?.”
“Zad…kiel…”
I tried pulling and pushing against his grip, but his strength was overwhelming, rendering me immobile.
Even though my rank in ?Astral Online? reflected my heightened stats, Zadkiel’s strength far exceeded my own.
Determined, I activated an enchanter skill, releasing crimson particles with *Attack Boost*, and attempted to break free of the knight’s grasp.
“!?”
Before I could react, he redirected my force with some mysterious technique, and I found myself flat on the ground.
I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. My mind reeled in confusion as Zadkiel released my hand and calmly walked away, joining El’s side.
When I tried to stand, an overwhelming pressure suddenly bore down on me, forcing me to drop to one knee, unable to move.
Before I realized it, five knights had appeared around El.
Though their armor designs were identical, one knight with a single horn radiated an aura that was on an entirely different level.
The intensity of his presence was akin to Shino Tsukinomiya, the undefeated champion of five consecutive world tournaments.
The others, too, exuded strength on par with or surpassing my own.
Standing at the center of these formidable warriors, El Aurum wore a dazzling smile that could captivate anyone.
“Sora-sama, until we meet again.”
With a snap of her fingers, light enveloped her and the knights, and they vanished from the café.
…The world might be heading toward something monumental.
That premonition weighed heavily on me as I clutched the photo tightly to my chest.
?End of Volume Three?