Chapter 48

“Do you believe in the existence of gods?”

The old man, dressed in the priest’s robe of the Iju Shin Church, asked while stroking his well-groomed, bushy beard.

He was not only a senior priest of the Iju Shin Church but also a professor teaching theology at the academy.

This Kanadiel Academy, where he taught, was located in the Western Continent.

Over 80% of humanity in the Western Continent believed in the Iju Shin Church, whether deeply or superficially, and since the students taking this theology class were faithful and not obliged to attend, the majority of them nodded in agreement with the old professor’s words.

“It is truly a pleasure to see so many faithful students.”

The old professor nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Our lord exists. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say, ‘he existed.'”

At those words, the students momentarily flinched.

This topic could be highly sensitive for the zealous followers of the Iju Shin Church.

In fact, the faces of some students turned quite uncomfortable.

“Like it or not, on ‘that day’ when humanity’s history dramatically changed, our gods left us. It was exactly 3,000 years ago, after the Great War that engulfed this entire planet. After the fall of the Demon King of the Eastern Continent in the East-West War, the Argonaut, a thousand years had passed precisely.”

“It is known as the Day of Judgment. Some claim that the birth of a new Demon King was the cause, while others say the gods left because they were disgusted by humanity’s transgressions and excesses. There are also those who say we have burdened the gods with our sins.”

“Ho-ho, young students. Don’t be too angry. No matter how hard the truth may be, we must first accept it. If the cause and the sins lie with us humans, wouldn’t the gods not return unless we rectify them?”

The old professor, noticing the student who seemed displeased with the content of the lecture, calmed him before continuing his explanation.

“After the Day of Judgment, we humanity had to venture into the future with our own strength, away from the embrace of the gods. As you all know, the current P.D. (PostDeus) timeline is divided around this period.”

“But this is not merely an academic classification.”

“Does anyone know what major changes occurred in this land before and after this timeline?”

At the old professor’s question, none of the students raised their hands, glancing nervously at one another.

Just as the silence prolonged and the professor was about to show a troubled expression, someone raised their hand.

“Oh, the student who has raised their hand now. Would you care to speak?”

Encouraged by the professor’s demeanor, the nervous student began to speak.

“The political systems and the dynamics of classes among humans changed significantly at that time.”

“That is not incorrect, but it is quite vague. If you examine history, you’ll find that periods of inflection always bring about substantial changes. If there had been no significant changes, we wouldn’t even call it an inflection point. Can you specify what phenomena occurred?”

“…Um.”

The student, groaning to organize the knowledge swirling in their mind, finally began to explain clearly as their nerves eased.

“The loss of the largest power in the world. And the loss of humanity’s divine power.”

“Unlike now, the position of the Pope of the Iju Shin Church was prioritized above all secular positions at that time. However, on the Day of Judgment. The divine power abruptly vanished, and the priests and paladins, who had received revelations at that time, lost their sanity, resulting in horrific massacres happening within the temples of the Iju Shin Church. The religion that had held faith amongst all of humanity for a long time faced monumental massacres, and simultaneously, the pus that had built up over a thousand years within also became known to the world, leading to a loss of its original sanctity and position. This is why it is called the Day of Judgment, and the dark age of the Iju Shin Church began, lasting for 500 years until the religious reform 1,500 years ago.”

“The fall of the Iju Shin Church, which wielded absolute power as the representatives of the gods, began to deny the legitimacy of the dynasties that were revered under absolute theocracy, and the death of the Great King marked the beginning of an era of numerous dynasties as the millennium-long kingdom of Pohelrnian that had persisted for nearly 16 centuries started to fracture.”

Clap, clap, clap!

“Excellent. Your explanation was succinct and clear.”

The old professor, satisfied with the student’s articulate response, nodded and asked the student to take their seat again.

The faithful students, upon hearing the dark history of their believed faith, had already closed their books and were leaving the lecture hall, but the old professor did not try to stop them.

Because this story was about a time when the faith they trusted was at its most corrupt, there were quite a few believers who were reluctant to acknowledge that their religion had once fallen into decay.

The old professor merely chuckled, shaking off the thoughts of those students who had left the classroom.

“Then, what about the loss of divine power, which became the starting point of it all? What is divine power?”

“…Perhaps it was just mana operated in a peculiar way? The timing of humanity’s first use of spiritual arts coincides with the period when divine power began to manifest in humanity.”

“Heh, seeing that you even know the timing, you must be a student who has studied history a lot. That is indeed not incorrect. The Mad God, whom the gods consider their child, was the first messenger of the gods. The Pope, because the Mad God created another system of martial arts. There is certainly such a theory.”

As the professor waved his hand, several images appeared on the board.

“However, the existence of divine power accompanying the history of the Pohelrn dynasty has been proven through various records over the past 16 centuries. Unlike the general process of gathering and refining mana through spiritual arts or circling, divine power is recorded to have literally ‘descended.’ Moreover, unlike the energies usually processed and inherent, divine power…”

◈ ◈ ◈

“To think this was truly possible, what an astounding concept.”

Sitting on the throne, I controlled and used the white light stemming from an alien power and was amazed.

Even though it was energy derived externally, there was no difficulty using it without undergoing a refining process.

“However, the methods are still rough, and if mishandled, it could cause significant damage.”

I said while looking at Alia, who was beside me.

“Creating a mental connection through a single belief, forcibly aligning the waves, and then utilizing the overflowing energy of the battle zone…”

I shook my head.

“In my opinion, this method is entirely like a heretic path, but the idea itself is impressive. The Succubus race; was it called the Dream Demon? I recognized it in soul summoning, but when it comes to mental matters, I can only raise both hands in admiration.”

“That said, without your assistance, it wouldn’t have been possible to attempt this method at all. Without the sensitivity and control of energy or the mental power, it would have been impossible to try.”

“It’s more like a developed structure centered on upper dantian, but it’s likely it could have been done without me.”

I said with a grim smile.

“It would require countless human experiments as sacrifices, though. If I weren’t present, what decision would you make?”

“…If Lady Araya were not here, it wouldn’t have been possible to compose the Iju Shin Church or the battle zone. I doubt we could even conceive of such a method.”

“Hmm.”

I scoffed at Alia’s response, which did not deny it.

“Nonetheless, although there are still many parts to fine-tune, it truly is a unique concept. If it becomes possible, it might allow for the mass production of powerful divine soldiers, and at the same time, who knows if higher-order communication might be achievable among those connected?”

Even though the mental shard technique only allows for a rudimentary level of thought transfer, it appeared that once perfected, it could enable communication within the realm of minds.

“Moreover, creating a mental connection necessitates a unified belief, so it could also serve as a means to demonstrate loyalty in faith and filter out spies, etc. As it’s possible to recover power upon resonance, politically, it’s quite a well-designed mechanism.”

I stroked my chin while speaking.

“However, one concern remains: this advantage could easily become a disadvantage. If this battle zone goes berserk or if the person in control harbors ulterior motives, it could become a catalyst for catastrophe.”

“That’s why matters involving this should be kept as secret as possible, with as few people knowing as possible.”

“I agree.”

I chuckled softly as I gazed at the statue of Ul Kanadiel at the center of the ceiling of the Room of Worlds.

“So, we have turned a false god into a true god.”

I said while observing the energies circulating within the Room of Worlds.

“Nonetheless, thanks to these experiences, I have found a clue to connect mind and space. While it was difficult to grasp knowledge-wise, experiencing it firsthand has made me feel as if I understand.”

“…?”

“This is just a personal story.”

I brought up the expedition regarding Priegoss.

“I heard that Priegoss is preparing for war with someone named Mutuk to the south.”

“The king intends to set out in spring next year after this winter.”

“It seems I won’t be able to use this in the upcoming war.”

“I don’t think it will have a significant impact even without it.”

“Well, it seems so. What about the matter of the Wandering Giants?”

“The envoys have already been sent to the giant brothers, and they expect to return within two weeks.”

Still seated on the throne, Jin murmured while touching the blob that was beginning to take the shape of a sword.

“It’ll be nice to see their faces again after a long time.”

With a little anticipation, I smiled gently.

“By the way, has a name been decided for ‘this’?”

I looked up at the statue of Ul Kanadiel that embodies the center of this battle zone.

Alia shook her head in denial.

“I never anticipated creating something like this, so I haven’t decided on a name… However, as Lady Araya mentioned, in some sense, we have created a god.”

With a contemplative expression, Alia slowly began to speak.

“However, since it cannot be called a true god, what about calling it a device that represents a god? Deus Ex Machina?”