This was the Endpoint, a place outside of the universe Yggdra had named. It was the final point of everything, as well as the beginning. All worlds and all timelines connected to this place.
Universes here were something like programs installed on a computer. There was a lot of saved data, each datum being a separate parallel world. Once someone left a universe, they would find countless more universes, or programs, all collated within folders. However, if they then looked past those folders, they would find that the folders were themselves contained in more folders. Past that, many more like them would be found if someone were to leave the computer itself.
The place Yggdra ruled over was something like this. Everything connected to this space, a world only for Yggdra that no one else should have been able to enter.
Naru and the other two's vision was smothered in white that seemed to go on forever. There was no point in wondering how far the place stretched, for it stretched on endlessly. This place was quite literally infinite. In opposition to the never-ending white, there were black points in several places, each of which was a universe.
Midgar itself was only a small part of one of these universes. It was nothing more than a small planet, existing quietly amongst many other planets inside a single galaxy amidst clusters of other galaxies.
This was the definition of completely altered scales. It didn't matter how monstrous Naru and her group was; that only applied to their small celestial body. Those accolades held no power this far away. At least, that was what Yggdra had thought. That was why she was currently the most shocked she'd ever been, so much so that her body physically shivered. Not only had her sanctuary been invaded, there were three of them. They were all arrayed before her, looking very determined. There was no concept of size in this space, as once Naru and the other two had crossed through the universe itself, they had become equal to Yggdra. They, who should have been nothing but specks in a vast universe, had undoubtedly come as true enemies.
"So you're Yggdra… It's our first time meeting like this, isn't it?"
On the other hand, not even Naru could hide her nerves at finally meeting the Goddess and basking in her sheer presence.
The Goddess's true form was an unbelievably beautiful woman with milky white hair and magenta eyes. She wore a pure white dress with a celestial night cape draped over it and was haloed by light.
As for her stats, Naru tried looking at them but quickly realized it was pointless. Her stats screen did come up. It did. However, there was just a continuous string of nines, stretching all the way through this infinite space. Just a single glance was enough for Naru to realize how useless it was trying to calculate Yggdra's abilities. For now, it should be enough to just think that she has stats so astronomically high you'd only ever see them in star charts.
"I'm surprised. I never thought you'd be able to come here."
"I'm sure you didn't."
Though Naru acted calm, internally she was thinking that she was the one who was astounded. I figured she'd be different… I thought I understood that she would be in a whole other dimension, but… Her thoughts stalled momentarily. Now that we're here, I can only be in awe of how huge she is.
So each one of those tiny black things in here—every single last one of them—is a universe?
Now this is what you call inflation. Finally, Naru had reached the highest point.
"Am I right in assuming the reason you're here is to request a change to the script?"
"If you know that much already, then this will be quick. Even if you say no, we'll just force you to rewrite it."
In response, Yggdra asked if her script was really wrong. "Is it really that bad to have a common enemy for all humanity to rally against?"
Of course the world might have seemed harsh to those living in it. Yggdra knew that much, at least. However, that harshness is perfect. The pain is a good thing. Why? Because that's what humanity actually needs.
"Not even I would make the world like this on a sudden whim. At first, I thought that saving people and giving them everything they needed was the path to happiness."
Yggdra closed her eyes sadly as she spoke of the past.
"Yes… I used to believe that continuing to save people, to give them what they desired, would bring about happiness. But I was wrong. If all you do is fulfill people, their sense of happiness and fulfillment will go numb. In a world with nothing but peace, people will be unable to recognize that peace for what it is.
"For example, pretend there was a cake that needed to be given to two children who were having a birthday. One was poor, so poor that they had never once celebrated their birthday and struggled to have enough to eat day-to-day. The other was wealthy, able to eat as much cake as they wanted, and for every birthday, that child received an extra large birthday cake. Imagine that both of these children received the same cake. Only one of them would feel great happiness. What a delicious cake, the first child would say. This is the first time I've ever gotten a birthday cake! However, the other one would express nothing but anger. Are you kidding me? It's my birthday! What's up with this tiny cake?
"Isn't it strange? Though they had been given a cake of the same size and flavor, the poor child would feel lucky while the rich child would feel unlucky.
"Why does something like this happen? Because of the average level of happiness. The poor child's average level is low, so a small cake seems like the gift of a lifetime. Meanwhile, the rich child's average level is high, and they no longer feel happiness over something like a small cake. For that child, happiness has become such a given thing that they are unable to recognize their good fortune. Yes, the happiness people feel is not on an empirical scale. It varies greatly depending on the surroundings and circumstances.
"It's no good to simply give people happiness. If all they experience is peace, they'll just rot."
Back when Yggdra had done nothing but save people, the world was nothing short of a paradise. There was no starvation and no pain. Everything was dealt with by the Goddess, and not even the concept of a life span existed. Humanity was divorced from sickness and death, and they were able to receive anything they wanted. They were swaddled in the Goddess's love in a world with no war and no wealth disparity. It truly was a divine Eden, one that idealists dreamt of but was impossible in reality, the picture of a golden age.
Yggdra truly had once managed to realize what most people imagined heaven to be like. However, there was no limit to human greed. They took as much as they could, and the more she gave, the more their average level of happiness went up.
It's only natural to be given things. It's only natural to be saved. Once those thoughts took hold of people, their happiness became too commonplace, and they were unable to recognize their fortune. They simply accepted the Goddess's gifts while being unable to feel joy, and if even the littlest thing did not go their way, they became unhappy. It was a world where no one had to do anything, because even if they didn't, the Goddess would take care of it. They didn't walk by themselves, because if they wished for it, the Goddess whisked them anywhere. They didn't stand, because there was no need to. Neither would they lift things nor even eat on their own.
They simply existed in this paradise with no hardship, and because everything was granted to them, they did nothing. Humans could just lie down on some soft patch of grass or even a bed gifted to them by the Goddess.
Seeing humanity like that, Yggdra lamented everything.
No, this isn't how things should be. This isn't the world I wanted to make. I didn't want to make people like this. Those people… They were trying their best to live in such a painful world. They tried their best, but even then, they weren't saved. They were so pitiful that I wanted to save them myself. I just wanted to make those people happy, but this… This is just… Aren't they just puppets?
Yggdra didn't understand.
I'm not wrong. I've been doing the right thing this entire time! But then, why…? Why has humanity degraded this much? Why are their hearts so frozen?
At that point, she looked over at her original world in order to grab a breather. There, she saw something unbelievable—a single child struggling through poverty, feeling massively happy over eating a chunk of hard bread that couldn't be described as delicious even out of pure flattery. Yggdra's people would not even look at such food. They consumed much better bread as if it was their birthright, sometimes even throwing pieces away after just a single bite. However, none of those people felt happiness doing so. After all, it had all become natural to them.
Citizens of countries at war felt happiness over only some small moments of peace. This was something completely foreign to the Goddess's people. That sight was the most overwhelming to Yggdra.
"It seems you've all gotten the wrong idea," the Goddess said. "I don't actually want to make people unhappy. In fact, it's the opposite… I am trying to lead them to happiness. I want them to be happy."
I was wrong. Yggdra had realized her mistake, and she understood that what humanity needed was not peace and pure happiness. Ah, right. It's so obvious. Sugar is sweet, but anybody would come to hate sugar if they had candy covered in it every day. It's so delectable because of its scarcity. Sweet things taste best after eating something spicy, but if someone has only ever eaten sweet things, then they probably don't even think that they're sweet anymore. Happiness is just like that. There needs to be a difference for people to feel it. If someone is experiencing rock bottom, then even the smallest things will fill them with happiness.
I can make people happy! At the very least, I can make things much better than this rotten paradise. They think nothing, do nothing; they only sit still and wait for things to be given to them. How is that happiness? How is that human? People are human because they stand up to adversity and advance on their own feet. That is what makes humanity beautiful. Yes. It is people I want to make happy, not puppets.
"That can't be… So you are saying that everything you have forced onto the world was done for the sake of humanity, Yggdra?!" Satsuki, who'd had the longest relationship with the Goddess out of those there, raised her voice in anger. "That this was all done with goodwill instead of malice…? That you only released such misfortune into the world in order to make humanity happy?! Such a reason was why I was forced onto the path of a jester for so long?!"
This isn't funny… What the hell?! I don't intend to play the victim here. I lent a hand to the Goddess's Script, after all, and I made many suffer. I won't cover that up. But that reason… To think it was for such a ridiculous reason! All this suffering and all the lives of the heroes I'd killed were all for this…?
Satsuki was silent for some time. "This… All those people I killed… ! I… I… All those noble lives, just for this? Their futures, I…"
"You should not grieve, Lucifenia the Ouroboros of the Moon. They were happy. It was a lie, but the fact that they were able to exchange their lives for peace undoubtedly gave them serenity and fulfillment."
"STOP FUCKING WITH MEEEEEE!"
Satsuki flew into a rage, swinging at Yggdra.
This happened precisely because she'd continued killing so many for so long. All their futures, their happy moments, had been stolen by her for such a worthless reason. More than anyone else, the one Satsuki couldn't forgive the most was herself; she'd never even asked the Goddess why she was doing such things.
Satsuki swung her fist at the Goddess with newfound strength that was enough to destroy clusters of galaxies at once. Her fist surpassed the speed of light, and its destructive power was impossible to calculate. At this point, it would be downplaying the level of her attack to simply call it a "blow"; it was the very concept of pure destruction made manifest.
Such an attack headed for the Goddess, but it seemed far too easy for her to stop, as she simply deployed an invisible wall.
"You are currently wracked by grief, Lucifenia the Ouroboros of the Moon. You are tortured by the weight of your sins…" the Goddess said, pausing. "But worry not. If you are suffering, that means you cannot go lower. From here on out, you can become happy. Now, rejoice!"
"YOOOOOOUUUU…!"
"I will never abandon my subjects. I wish for people's happiness from the bottom of my heart, so…"
Yggdra smiled and held her hand towards Satsuki.
Naru and Sakura reacted simultaneously, launching spells from their palms. However, the three of them were all transported to some sort of space right next to a group of stars several thousands of times bigger than the Sun.
"For tomorrow's happiness that will surely come. Fall to despair, world!" It was a hypernova. Explosions large enough to engulf the entire universe in flame occurred one after the other, with the three of them at the epicenter.