Even as the sun crashed into the horizon and night fell upon the land, Jisoo resisted the urge to let herself drift off into a blissful sleep. 

The fear that she might close her eyes and wake up the following morning to discover that it had all been a hopeful dream was too much to bear. She wrapped her enormous fingers around Eren’s body, and felt him snuggle closer to her hand which covered him like a blanket pressed against her tummy. 

Likewise he was not asleep either. In the next room of the quaint hostel they had taken refuge in, both lovers could hear Suji’s snores as she finally relaxed for the evening. They had taken every precaution to throw off their relentless pursuers. Now for the first time they could unwind, if even for a moment. 

Jisoo exhaled softly and nudged Eren with her finger carefully. “You can’t sleep either.” She remarked knowingly. “We will not stay here long… Take this moment to rest.”

“Is it safe here?” Eren inquired and gestured to the cozy room they had snagged for a few nights in rural Beijing.

That was a difficult question to answer, Jisoo considered. “Nowhere is safe anymore for us.” She admitted. “If what Suji discovered is correct, every intelligence network on the planet is looking for us. The Chinese, Russians, Americans, Germans, English… All the governments of the world that support Operation Deliverance from the shadows.”

“Can we tell everybody what the Amrita Corporation has done? What they are planning?” 

“Nobody would believe us, especially with the coordinated effort of the international hierarchy on alert to prevent that from happening. What’s more is that I am positive my family will work to shrink the world again faster than scheduled, since my betrayal pushes them into a corner.” Jisoo replied despairingly.

Eren nodded and grasped the extent of their dilemma. “And they’ll never stop chasing us. We’ll be on the run for the rest of our lives I suppose.” He murmured and clutched her tightly. “But it’s okay. We will have each other and I will never leave your side.”

“Eren… I…!”

“I love you. It doesn’t matter what your family tries to do to us, nothing will prevent us from being together.” He declared and nestled against her abdomen affectionately and refused to let go of her tree trunk sized fingers. 

It did not seem fair. Although they had reunited after so long apart, the future that Jisoo had wanted for them seemed so far away given the circumstances. Even now they could not truly enjoy their time together, since they had to be on constant lookout for spies and agents sent to kill them. 

Her dream was to live a normal life with Eren. If none of this had happened they could have gone somewhere beautiful and spent the rest of their days together peacefully. 

However, what would happen to the rest of the world? Would she just walk away from the mess she had created and doom humanity to suffer for the sins of her past life? What about her younger sister, would Suji continue to fight a lopsided battle against the Amrita Corporation until eventually she was killed? Or worse, turned into a deformed monster by their torturers?

I… I can stop that from happening. I’m so much stronger now. I can feel it. Jisoo thought, but hesitated to open her mouth and make the offer. 

It felt dreadfully wrong to even consider the suggestion that had popped into her mind earlier that day. She was not a goddess, it was not her place to reshape the world or enforce her will upon other people. That was what she had spent months deprogramming from her psyche. 

But if the alternative meant a world where humanity could never live safely because of her own misdeeds and she had done nothing to stop it as she promised Grace, she could never live with herself. “I-It… It doesn’t have to be that way.” Jisoo eventually forced herself to say. “I can stop Operation Deliverance and the Amrita Corporation.”

“You’ll join your sister and work with her to disrupt the company? I think that’s a great idea and I’m happy to help~”

“No. There’s no need to make my sister put herself in any more danger or continue to hurt people. Suji has enough blood on her hands, and I don’t want her to one day end up like me.” Jisoo proclaimed. “I am stronger now. I can do it by myself.”

“If you wanted you could march through Beijing as a giant and just demand they cease their activities. Nobody on the planet could stop you, I reckon.” Eren reasoned. 

Jisoo nodded. “I… I could do that but…”

“You’re afraid that you’ll fall back into your old ways.” Eren said knowingly, as Jisoo sighed and nodded in relief that she did not have to come out and state her fears. He knew her far too well. 

It was out of necessity that I shrank and dominated Grace. I needed to protect Eren and Maeve, and Grace needed to pay for what she did. I took no pleasure in the act, but what if that changes later on? What if I start to like it again and slip back into the monster I was? Jisoo contemplated and tried to come to terms with her options. “I don’t want to be that monster again.” She murmured fearfully. “What if I fall back into how I was before? If that happens nothing on the planet will be able to stop me…”

“It was never the real you that did all of those awful things. Deep down you knew it was wrong but the Amrita Corporation nullified your ability to care or show empathy. Now you’ve changed.” Eren insisted.

Jisoo remained unconvinced. “It’s a risk that I don’t want to take for the sake of everybody.”

“You could have killed Grace when you had the chance, but you didn’t do it. Instead you demonstrated restraint and used your power to save lives and undo the mistake you made before.” Eren mentioned. “Believe in your own willpower to remember who you are, and trust that you will not be seduced by temptation.” He urged.

It’s funny… When I was weak I thought of myself as an invulnerable goddess destined to control the world. Now I’m more powerful than any creature on the planet and all I want is to be normal. Jisoo thought and couldn’t help but smile fondly as she listened to his encouragement. “Thank you for believing in me, Eren.” She said and pinched him around the waist to bring him to her lips for a kiss. “I promise you that I’ll never abuse my abilities ever again… but I will not sit idly by and watch my family undo the world.”

One display of what I can do. As much as I don’t want to, I’ll play the role of ‘goddess’ again.

Yulan pulled back the hem of her sleeve above her wrist, noticed the time displayed on her watch, and sighed audibly as the hand ticked around the circle once again. She considered patience a virtue, but every woman had her limits and by now she was thoroughly frustrated and rather uncomfortable.

Her appointment was scheduled for almost two hours ago, and she still had received no updates about the status of her meeting. She had not even been allowed to wait in the lobby of the expansive building due to a ‘serious security threat’ which necessitated she wait outside the gargantuan skyscraper. 

As if there was no room or space in the worlds second largest building for her to wait, with at least a cup of tea or coffee to nurse. 

Is this really what the Amrita Corporation considers hospitality? If I had the option to do so I would be on the first train back to Shanghai. Yulan thought indignantly, and collected her purse. 

There was a small cafe across the street which looked fairly serene. It was early in the day and the lunch rush was yet to overwhelm the restaurants. She carefully crossed the street, then felt the cool air of the air conditioned building wash over her cheeks. 

A plump woman greeted her cheerily and hurried to take her order. Yulan noticed the shopkeeper’s gaze flick over the silky eyepatch that covered Yulan’s left eye and wrapped around her head neatly. At least she had the common courtesy not to gawk at it or make an offhanded comment. 

Civilians could be quite intrusive about the old scar when Yulan was not in uniform. Missing eyes, limbs, and other wounds were expected on soldiers. It was a casualty of their service after all. Surprisingly few she encountered had ever drawn the conclusion that perhaps the young woman was wearing an eyepatch because she had earned it in combat, rather than as a trendy fashion statement.

“A double shot of espresso please.” Yulan murmured and pulled out her wallet. She passed a glossy card towards the cashier and browsed over the rest of the cafe’s menu items. 

Chocolates, pastries, coffee, tea, and some other assorted sweets. Yulan’s stomach rumbled. She had missed breakfast that morning but nothing here looked particularly filling.

Suddenly the shopkeeper waved to get her attention. “I’m terribly sorry ma’am, but it seems your card declined.” She remarked. “Do you have another card? Or perhaps cash?” The cashier inquired.

Declined? Yulan frowned and took the card back. That was very strange, she had used the card just a few hours ago at the train station terminal. 

Fortunately there was only one other patron in the cafe that she could see, so Yulan was spared the public humiliation. It would be risible if a government official had to leave a cafe in shame because she did not have the money to pay for a cup of coffee.

Yulan rooted through her purse but could not find any spare bills. Again, that was terribly confusing. She had brought cash with her that morning. Now as if by magic it had vanished. 

Well that’s just lovely. Yulan thought in frustration. Her day couldn’t possibly get any worse it seemed. “I’m sorry I don’t have any other card or money on me. Is it possible the card reader is~?”

“Please let me cover it.” Another voice suddenly cut in, and Yulan became aware of the presence of a different woman. 

She blinked in surprise. It was the other patron who she had noticed earlier. Oddly enough Yulan had not heard the lady approach or even registered that she was nearby until she announced her presence. Yulan was no longer in the military, but her training normally allowed her to notice such things. 

I must really be having an off-day. Yulan thought, and was too bewildered by the exchange to prevent the transaction. Before she could protest the offer, the sharply dressed young woman had already handed the cashier several yuan. “And could I have another cup of chai as well?”

“Of course.” The shopkeeper replied with a smile and went away to prepare the drinks for the two women. “With extra cinnamon?”

“Yes, thank you!” Yulan’s mystery savior said in affirmation and cast a smile at her. She was a remarkably attractive woman, Yulan noted. 

Long raven black hair crested over her shoulders, in perfect contrast to her flawless porcelain skin. The woman’s almond shaped eyes were glossy pools of opal; Yulan thought she was the kind of beauty typically seen only at elite modeling agencies.

The woman motioned for Yulan to join her at a table across the cafe. “Would you care to join me for a few minutes?” She offered. “You seem rather flustered.”

“I…” Yulan pondered the offer and stole and glance out the window. She had a pretty clear view of the Amrita Corporation Headquarters from the cafe. Whenever the ditzy secretary returned she would easily notice. 

A stranger just bought you a cup of coffee. Are you really going to just brush her off? Yulan allowed herself to relax. It would be uncouth to vent her frustrations on some random lady who had just done something very sweet for her. “…would love to.” She replied, and followed the taller woman to her seat in the cafe.

It was only after she walked a bit closer did Yulan realize how tall her new acquaintance was. At first she had thought it was because the stranger was also in heels, but upon closer inspection she realized the woman was wearing a stylish pair of flats around her delicate feet, and still over six feet tall. 

She has to be some kind of model. Tall, drop dead gorgeous, charming, great fashion sense… Yulan thought before she shook her head and realized she was outright gawking at another woman somewhat enviously. “Thank you by the way.” She said graciously as she took a seat at the table. “My name is Yulan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Tae.” Her savior replied and cleared some empty plates and clutter off the table to make room for Yulan. “I couldn’t help but notice you waiting outside on that bench for quite some time… Do you have a job interview with the Amrita Corporation?” Tae asked curiously right as the shopkeeper arrived with their beverages.

Yulan shook her head and felt her tummy rumble again as the smell of freshly ground cinnamon from Tae’s chai latte wafted towards her. “I’m actually here to speak with upper management on behalf of the central government.” She replied honestly. “My appointment to speak with the company representative was around two hours ago and nobody has come to check on me yet.”

“That’s awful… And in this muggy summer weather too.” 

“Are you from around here? I notice you have a very beautiful accent.” Yulan noted, and shifted the conversation. She tried to word the question as politely as she could; a government official asking about citizenship could be seen as interrogative. 

Tae shook her head from side to side in response. “I’m actually just visiting extended family.” She explained. “But I am from Busan originally.”

“Oh, so you are Korean?” Yulan noted to which Tae nodded affirmatively. “My husband is actually Korean as well. He grew up on Jeju Island.” 

“Jeju Island is gorgeous! I have always wanted to go there some day.” Tae replied mirthfully. “Have you ever been there yourself? I want to take my husband there for our honeymoon.” She asked.

Yulan and Tae spoke for perhaps another hour. She was a very charming and sweet young woman who had apparently travelled all over the world and could speak many languages. Eventually Yulan grew comfortable enough with her new friend to share pictures of her husband and newborn son back in Shanghai. 

As a young mother her life was fraught with difficulties, but Yulan had a good job and loved her coworkers, her neighbors, and her country. The wonderful parts of her life eclipsed the negative, and she was honestly just happy to be alive and healthy. 

Likewise, Tae was about the same age in her late twenties. She explained that she was a bit of a ‘wild child’ and it took a long time for her to grow up, but now she was ready to settle down with her newlywed husband and pursue her dreams. When it was finally time for Yulan to attend her meeting, she reached into her wallet and produced a business card. 

She passed it to Tae. “If you ever want to chat or maybe get some tea, feel free to call me. I wish you and your husband the best of luck.” Yulan said graciously and they exchanged bows. “Thank you Tae, this really cheered me up.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you Yulan. I hope your appointment goes well.” Tae replied as Yulan exited the cafe to follow the secretary who had emerged from the building to look for her outside. 

As she strolled across the street, she began to put her wallet back into her purse. Yulan paused for a moment when she caught a glimpse of the interior right as she was about to zip it shut.

Did… Did I have this money earlier? She thought in befuddlement. Somehow she had missed the very obvious, neatly folded stack of yuan inside her wallet where she had looked earlier. It was the same stack she had drawn from a machine earlier that day, but had apparently missed when she went to pay for her coffee with cash. 

The secretary turned inquisitively to her. “Ma’am? Is something amiss?” He asked.

“No… Everything is fine.” Yulan replied and decided to brush it off for now. “I’ve been kept waiting long enough. I would like to speak with Chairwoman Min immediately.” She bristled, and continued into the building. 

That was… odd. Yulan thought and touched the outline of her wallet. It felt nice and secure inside the purse, which she kept zipped at all times. How on earth the money could have just been right in front of her the entire time but she never noticed it was bizarre indeed.

Then again, she had been awake for nearly fifteen hours straight. She needed sleep soon and the stress of her entire business trip had her exhausted. Yulan missed her son and husband dearly, and wanted to go home to be with them again. Hopefully this meeting would go smoothly and she could be back home soon. 

Yulan had visited the Amrita Corporation Headquarters several times and spoken with Chairwoman Min on occasion as well, though such meetings were rare. Never before when she had come to visit the skyscraper had Yulan seen the building so… hectic. Tense might have been the better word to use. 

Indeed there was a rather impressive amount of security present. The Amrita Corporation hired its own private security companies which typically served long, complex contracts. Additionally they sourced some firepower from the immense Chinese Military as well. 

The secretary led her up the elevator and Yulan yawned just as her ears popped. It was a long ride to the top of the building, which was surpassed in size only by the Amrita Corporation Headquarters in Singapore. Once the glossy golden doors slid open, Yulan strolled forward and found the correct office.

Before she could raise her hand to knock, it swung open. Instantly her eyes narrowed in disappointment when she did not immediately see Chairwoman Min. Instead there was an elegantly dressed woman with long dark brown hair and piercing eyes. 

Oh fantastic. It’s her. Yulan thought but kept the disdain off her face lest she lose her job. “Director Lihua.” She said and bowed courteously. “A pleasure to see you… Although I do not see Chairwoman Min here.” Yulan mentioned. “Will she be joining us shortly? I do not wish to waste any of her time.”

“The Chairwoman is currently abroad handling important affairs, and has granted me authority to represent the Amrita Corporation to the Central Government.” Lihua replied politely and moved aside to allow the shorter woman into the office. “Please come take a seat. I apologize for the delay, as you can understand we are currently preoccupied with several unforeseen complications.”

“Yes… Complications that have led to an international manhunt involving practically every intelligence network on the planet.” Yulan replied pointedly and took a seat in the luxurious, golden-accented room. 

She crossed one leg over the other and graciously accepted a cup of tea from a nearby secretary. “Despite our best efforts, Chen Jisoo eludes our entire intelligence network both domestic and international. The Americans have not found anything either, nor the European Union.”

“Hmph. I suppose I should have expected nothing less from one of our own.” Lihua remarked bitterly. She placed her own cup of tea on the office desk between herself and Yulan.

Suddenly Yulan felt the floor beneath her feet tremble ever so slightly. It was faint, but noticeable enough to disrupt the smooth surface of the tea within the porcelain. She frowned in confusion.

What was that? It was as if the entire building shook. Yulan thought. Shit, I can’t focus on that right now. She reminded herself and turned her attention back to Lihua. “However a surveillance team did witness a woman who matched the description of Zhang Ruiwen at an airport one week ago. Unfortunately the trail went cold.” 

“I see. Well that is most unfortunate… Although it does make me wonder why the central government sent an official, especially if there have been no new developments.” Lihua asked.

Another tremble. This one was a bit stronger than the one before, it was powerful enough to cause some of the cups and assorted office supplies to rattle atop the desk. 

What the hell is that? Yulan thought. She could tell that Lihua noticed it as well, but the woman chose to ignore it as well for now. “To be completely transparent, it is the opinion of the central government that this endeavor is an unprecedented request… One that quite frankly seems like it would be better handled as a strictly internal issue with the company to avoid arousing any further suspicion from the media, especially for individuals as dangerous as the ones you have requested our assistance with.”

“As aforementioned, these fugitives who have betrayed our trust represent a serious security concern for both the corporation and the international regimes that have agreed to our terms.” Lihua responded as another tremor rattled the room. This one was strong enough to nearly knock the secretary of balance. “My goodness… figure out what is causing that bothersome rattling and deal with it immediately!” The businesswoman snapped at the secretary, who nodded meekly and went away. 

It could be something on a lower floor? I have no idea what kind of weird experiments these people are up to anyways. Yulan considered. “Of course we understand the offer presented by the Amrita Corporation. As do all governments around the world that have aligned with your intentions.” She said reassuringly. “This is not a matter of unwillingness per se. However I fear we may not be equipped to track down an operations specialist of Chen Jisoo’s caliber. Especially since she has the assistance of several other individuals we have very little information on and according to your sources has become even stronger.”

“Xu Yulan… If it was your child that had been reduced to such a pitiful, miserable state as my own was so very recently, would you not expend every resource possible to bring her assailant to justice, no matter how dangerous the task?” Lihua asked sharply. 

At that inquiry Yulan tensed up. “…I see. So the rumors about Miss Grace’s health were not unfounded.” She murmured as Lihua clearly resisted the urge to burst into tears. “I am so sorry. As a mother, I can understand your pain.”

“No. You can’t understand my pain. Is your child still strong? Healthy? Do they have their entire life ahead of them? Until your son loses everything, just as my daughter lost everything, you cannot begin to fathom how I feel.” Lihua said through gritted teeth as Yulan shifted uncomfortably. Somehow the tremors were no longer as distracting, even as they worsened in the background of the conversation. “For over a century the Amrita Corporation has worked feverishly to accomplish our goal, while you incompetent bureaucrats and politicians lick your lips in anticipation to live like kings when the world shrinks yet again. You couldn’t possibly understand, so perhaps you should return to your masters and tell them to try harder.”

“Director please! I am sure we can come to… some… arrangement…” Yulan trailed off as her gaze was torn away to the window on the other side of the spacious office. Her face went bone white and she suddenly felt very faint, unable to do anything but sit in stunned disbelief as her jaw hung agape.

Lihua frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but noticed that the room had darkened suddenly. In her emotional turmoil she had not noticed that the turbulent tremors had become far more intense, to the point paintings and other wall decorations had fallen off the hooks and smashed on to the black marble floor below.

The office was normally lit by natural light in the day, but had somehow darkened over the course of her impassioned speech as well. She observed that Yulan had gone completely silent as though she had seen a ghost behind her, her expression one of abject horror and shock. 

Slowly, Lihua turned around as well to see what the commotion was, and no sooner had she glanced behind her when she dropped her porcelain cup of tea to the floor where it shattered into innumerable shards of ivory hued ceramic.

There’s… There’s no way… Yulan thought in mortification as she came to terms with what she was seeing just beyond the transparent window on the top floor of the skyscraper. The colossal eye, colored like an opulent pool of luminous gold blinked as it gazed into the office. 

Yulan could feel the glass vibrate in protest as luxuriously soft eyelashes the same length as a commuter bus slammed together from the simple motion of the titan blinking. Both herself and Lihua thought the windows might shatter. 

This building is over three thousand feet tall…! Yulan thought, still struggling to comprehend what she was seeing. She had read the classified report written by Grace Chen, but like many of her colleagues assumed it was rubbish meant to push the central government to take the threat seriously.

What she was seeing now defied that warning entirely. 

It smashed all of their expectations, worst possible case scenarios, deepest fears, and capabilities into dust. Nothing like this was possible. The Amrita Corporation had long since decreed that while shrinking was a relatively easy phenomenon for them to weaponize, growth beyond a few feet taller was essentially impossible. 

Now a ‘human’ was eye level with the top floor of the second largest building on the face of the planet, staring at them both like dolls in a little girls playset. The eye blinked again, almost playfully before it moved back slightly. 

Then the unthinkable happened, as the earth shook beneath their petrified feet yet again. “N-No… That… I-I?” Yulan stammered as the face she now recognized as the woman from the cafe appeared through the window. It was impossible not to recognize her enormous visage, they had spoken just minutes ago. “W-What is she doing?!”

“S-She’s…  growing?” Lihua remarked dumbly, as the set of beautiful golden eyes began to ascend. Higher than the top floor of the skyscraper, past the lower cloud cover and into the heavens until Yulan found herself staring at the woman’s bare collarbone.

Now the woman stood even taller than before by around several hundred feet, as if she had simply willed herself to become even larger to suit her own needs. It was then that the entire skyscraper shook violently, and Yulan heard steel support beams and concrete tearing asunder in an all-encompassing roar.

Instinct took over and Yulan screamed, and tried to stand up to run away to the exit. Despite her adrenaline which pumped through her veins, she could not move an inch even as dust and debris began to shatter and fall all around her. 

Why can’t I move?! Yulan thought as she tried desperately to wrest control of her body back from whatever force had taken over. Try as she might, she could only sit still as the ceiling cracked. 

Bright golden sunlight poured through the roof. 

Even as this happened, neither Lihua nor Yulan could move their bodies regardless of how hard they tried. They could only remain perfectly still as the roof of the enormous skyscraper was peeled off like the lid to a jar, to reveal the moonlike face of a woman whose size simply defied the senses.

Jisoo was so massive, Yulan was certain she would have been able to drown in a single bead of her sweat. The titaness gazed down upon the two women within the room, and held up the roof that she had effortlessly ripped off from the Headquarters. Her eyes glowed brightly, and in a puff of golden speckled sand, the fragmented concrete and metal in her hands vanished altogether. 

Whenever she exhaled, Yulan was pushed back in her seat and her body shook uncontrollably. And when the giantess took a breath in, Yulan felt as though her skin would be suctioned off her bones. Each blink from the titan was like a clap of thunder.

From the corner of her eye, Yulan noticed a pool of yellow liquid forming at Lihua’s shoes as urine dribbled down her legs. Somehow the thought of a proud, haughty woman such as Lihua actually pissing herself in terror was more unbelievable than the presence of a woman that eclipsed any man made structure on the continent. 

The goddess noticed the pitiful display and smiled, as if satisfied by the terrified reaction her mere presence elicited. When she spoke, it was like the heavens themselves had split open and the gods above had finally decided to state their divine will. 

“Aunt Lihua… It’s so good to see you again.” Jisoo boomed as her voice shook the entire city like the rumbling of an earthquake. 

Car alarms went off and windows shattered from the sheer intensity of her voice, but somehow not a single person was injured or deafened. Jisoo simply willed for her voice to be harmless, and so it was to the innocent people of the city she thought of as her second home.

Lihua shuddered in terror as Jisoo released her supernatural grasp over her elder relatives body. Instantly she fell to the floor and tried to stand up, only to slip and fall in the puddle of her own pee. 

She shot her niece a hateful, terrified glare. “W-What have you done?! How is t-this even possible?!” Lihua demanded to know as she was pushed back several meters by Jisoo’s next breath which effortlessly knocked her off balance. “Why are y-you here?!”

“Please don’t be so alarmed. I’m not going to hurt you.” Jisoo promised and smiled earnestly. “As I told Grace, I will never take another life. But I will not allow you to destroy the world.”

“Go to hell you traitorous witch~!” Lihua began to rant, just as she felt the divine pull of Jisoo’s power overtake her once again. Her eyes went wide as she suddenly became faint, and she looked up at Jisoo desperately.

Don’t tell me she’s doing this again…Yulan could only look on in horror as Lihua began to diminish before her eyes. “That’s i-impossible…”

“You c-can’t do this to me! Jisoo!” Lihua bellowed as her formerly tall, statuesque body began to shrink into nothingness. Tears were in her eyes as she tried to get on her knees and beg. “I was like a mother to you!” She reminded the titan.

At this Jisoo’s expression softened slightly. “You never loved me. Or Grace for that matter. We were just weapons for you to use and carry on your legacy.” She proclaimed gently as Lihua continued to shrink. “I have felt the love of a parent before, but never have I felt it from you.”

“J-Jisoo… Please don’t…!” Lihua pleaded as she was reduced to the size of a toddler inside her own clothes thoroughly soaked by her own urine from when she had wet herself. 

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. “Do not mistake this as an act born out of hatred of you. I don’t hate you. I do not hate anybody anymore.” Jisoo insisted. “It’s taken me a very long time to realize the fine line between actions spawned out of hatred, and actions done out of love. A century ago in a past life, I chose to destroy the world out of a hatred of humanity and love of the earth. The Diminution, the Amrita Corporation, the sins of our family…”

“Operation Deliverance was intended to bend humanity to your will and free humanity from its own weakness, because I was so arrogant I believed my own will and the will of my family to be superior to that of humanity’s independence. Now I see that true deliverance is liberation. Freedom not from the folly of mankind’s cruelty, but from the tyranny I imposed upon the world with my sister.” Jisoo proclaimed as she concluded her spell and shrank Lihua into a speck. 

She turned her attention over to Yulan, who felt her heart jump into her mouth as the titan addressed her now. “Xu Yulan… You love your son. You love your husband and your family. I empathize with you, and I know what it is like to love your family so much that you harden your heart to others.” Jisoo said knowingly. “You wanted to give your child a world where he could rule as a king, you wanted your family to live prosperously. Deep down you thought that it was inevitable, and determined that it was better to hold the whip than live under it.”

“P-Please… My son needs me.” Yulan managed to whimper as the words of divine judgement were uttered. Somehow she knew the colossal woman could hear her despite the size difference. 

Jisoo cocked her head to the side. “It was wrong of you and those in power around the world to agree to the insane plan my family concocted decades ago. The people you claim to protect deserve better rulers.” She remarked. “I will never take another life, but I will never allow your plan to come to fruition. Look upon me now and ask yourself if I am an entity you can crush on your path to world domination.”

“N-No! Y-You’re the strongest and~!”

“I won’t abuse my power over you. I will not dominate the world or enforce my will upon it either, even if with a thought I could simply end all of you.” Jisoo declared forbiddingly. “So take this as a warning of what I am capable of. Run back to your masters and remember this day whenever you desire to step out of line. This is your chance to become a person your son can be proud of, I advise that you take it.” 

Jisoo could feel the eyes of the world upon her. 

All around the planet, from the highest tower of gold to the lowest impoverished shack the billions of people on the planet were watching. Brave news helicopters orbited her like a halo, desperate to record her every move before the military could swoop in and attempt some kind of futile intervention. 

Thousands of feet below she could sense the terror of the tiny denizens of the city. Many ran away, while others were in awe of her presence and could not tear their eyes away. Of course somewhere among them on the planet, her adoptive sister was there. Watching. As was her father.

Tae-yeon… Byung-ho… I’ll come home soon. Neither of you will remember this day and we can start fresh. After I make amends for my sins I will return so we can be a family together again. Jisoo promised.

The world would forget soon enough, after she had made a point of the gap between her own power and the upper echelon of those who would enslave humanity. Across the world in seats of government, the politicians and ‘elected’ officials who had accrued immeasurable wealth and monopoly over the world thanks to the Amrita Corporation. 

For a century those same ‘leaders’ had bided their time, submitted to the Amrita Corporation and the Fang Dynasty. Lured in by lofty promises of living as god-kings over the rest of a shrunken, forever at war humanity. They alone would be allowed to retain their memories of today. Should they ever step out of line and Jisoo be required to wield her abilities, she wished for them to pause and consider what she was.

A person committed to the protection of people across the earth. Not as a goddess or divine figure, but an ordinary person who had been granted extraordinary abilities. It was not her duty or place to use that power to dictate humanity’s future. Only safeguard their freedom from those who would see it crushed.

She inspected her reflection in the mirror-like surface of the enormous skyscraper. It had taken a simple thought to design some basic, loose-fitting clothes that provided her some level of modesty. Even still the soft silk hugged certain parts of her curves as she felt the urge to grow even larger than before. 

I’m sure everybody is quite frightened right now. Jisoo thought as she observed the panicking specks of dust scurrying about her massive feet, which were planted carefully in some public nature parks she had emptied earlier to ensure she would not crush a single life.

With a gesture she extended her desire to every creature on the planet that could see her, save for those she wished to feel terrified of her existence. Her own family, their subordinates and collaborators. It took only a thought for them to feel at ease as the global population was subdued as her magic freely altered reality once again. 

Once she was satisfied with her work, Jisoo began to search for the rest of those she wished to touch with her magic, and allowed her body to expand yet again even higher than before. It was not enough to demonstrate to her family how insignificant their crown jewel of a city was compared to her, she would illustrate in unequivocal terms just how small the world could really be.

Seconds after it happened, every news channel on the planet had focused their entire attention on the unfathomable occurrence in Beijing. Millions, and then billions of people watched in disbelief as the colossal woman appeared and effortlessly removed the roof of the second largest building on the planet as easily as one might remove a piece of lint from a shirt.

At first there was panic, confusion, terror, and of course the thought it might just be some kind of elaborate prank or marketing gimmick. Then the livestreams covering the event in China from the city itself became more widespread, and the world realized the truth. 

Then as soon as it arrived, the people of the world felt calm. Serene even. None could feel terror as the giantess began to march away from the now topless Amrita Corporation Headquarters. 

She grew again to eclipse any other building, then larger still until her feet cast shadows across cities. Not long after that, Jisoo had entire countries in her shadow as she walked west across the continent. She tenderly placed her region encompassing feet on predetermined tracts of land with few people, particularly the verdant rural countrysides of her ancestral homeland. 

Trees, grasslands, plants, and entire forests could be replaced. Lives could not. Whenever her soles shadowed an entire province and set down with earthshaking might, a translucent barrier of pure golden energy erupted around the innocent people and even animals in her trajectory westward. 

With the exception of her enemies, most people wound up in a trancelike state and actually continued about their daily lives, unperturbed by the godlike woman who was now hundreds of miles tall.

Satsuki Nishidate watched from the comfort of her gilded residence in Tokyo. Even thousands of miles away she could feel the earth quake with each step the goddess took on her purposeful stroll across the surface of the planet which she had completely ensnared in magic.

One of her servants had burst in earlier to inform her of what happened. Now she watched on a flat screen television and flipped through the news broadcasts until she found one that had suitable camerawork for her very particular tastes. 

The sea churned about Jisoo’s legs and sent tidal waves crashing across distant coastlines. Countless news helicopters captured the moment the titan began to walk into the ocean. Even in the wake of her city-sized footprints, no life was lost. Such impressive accuracy and dedication to the protection of humans with her magic.

It was truly magnificent to behold, the limitless power of a kitsune such as Jisoo. The peak of their nearly extinct kind. She was young and just beginning to tap into her abilities, but Satsuki could tell her strength at a glance. In just a few short years she would be even more polished with her psychic incantations. Her body was a ripe candidate to serve as a vessel.

Just as the omikami desired. The pretenders across the sea and their foolish plans are all put to rest after centuries of this charade. Satsuki thought and allowed her shoulders to relax as she realized her mission had been a success in every regard. 

She could not have possibly asked for a better outcome even if she could travel through time. Soon, Project Amaterasu would be realized and her kind would flourish in the world once again. Magic had already returned to reality as well, Satsuki could feel Jisoo’s imprecise spells wash over her deliciously. 

The thin veil that separated the realm of spirits from the realm of humans had been pierced by the sudden use of extraordinarily powerful magic. After generations of bloodshed as humans slowly banded together to remove her species from the world and with it, vanquished magic in the process. Now for the first time in centuries that same barrier between what remained of her kind and humans had been destroyed by this ultimate display of power.

A small bead of moisture suddenly landed on Satsuki’s thigh. She frowned and wiped her chin, and when she pulled her hand away noticed the glossy shine of tears. 

I’m crying? Hmph. I never thought I would be able to cry tears of joy. I see now what the omikami meant when she decreed it would be a beautiful sight indeed, to see our enemies reduced into nothingness once again. Satsuki thought mirthfully. 

Her servant must have thought she was insane once Satsuki began to laugh joyously as she watched the live broadcast from across the continent. Tears erupted freely from her eyes and Satsuki could feel the weight of the world slide off her shoulders. After so many years her hard work had paid off.

It was faint but she could feel Jisoo’s amateurish attempt to shrink her. But the spell was uncoordinated and targeted the wrong place. The kitsune had aimed for the members of her own bloodline. Unbeknownst to her of course, the Nishidate Clan did not share any blood relationship to the Fang Dynasty. 

Even if she could have known, Jisoo’s magic would have little effect on a well-trained and powerful yokai such as Satsuki. Not unless she truly focused on her for a long period of time, and even then, Satsuki had her own tricks up her sleeve should a confrontation have arisen. 

Nonetheless, it was a wonderful sight indeed. Satsuki, unbridled by the limitations on her psyche by Jisoo, watched in satisfaction as she continued her relentless trek across the world to undo the work of the Amrita Corporation, eager to see the consequences of this day in the very near future.