Flutter.
Birds hiding in the reeds flew up into the sky in a panic.
And the next moment…
The sky split open.
It was a scene similar to when I previously witnessed the Grand Purification.
But back then, only a small portion of divine power had descended.
This time, it was clearly different.
“What… what is that?”
“That shape…?”
“Ah! I don’t want to see it, I can’t!”“Wait, is that being sitting above the sky…?”
From the split heavens, a glowing staircase descended toward us.
The stairs came to a stop precisely at my feet.
I looked up, following the steps from the bottom all the way to the sky.
At the far end of the staircase stood a massive golden throne!
It was incomparably more magnificent, radiant, and sacred than any throne made by humans.
‘That throne is practically the size of a mountain.’
[It’s not a metaphor. It really is as big as a mountain.]
‘And the being sitting on it is no different.’
A being sat on that mountain-sized throne.
Its face wasn’t clearly visible.
It resembled the spiritual form I’d seen before through Adwin’s spell.
It had the overall shape of a human with arms and legs, but its entire body was pure white, giving it the appearance of a spirit.
‘The Celestial God.’
I instinctively tilted my head back as far as I could.
I wanted to see if the Celestial God had Blood Script.
But unfortunately, there was no Blood Script above its head.
‘Does that mean my blood script doesn’t work on that being?’
Maybe it was for the best.
I already had too much to think about, I didn’t need a list of divine sins added on top of that.
Just then…
Swoosh.
The enormous being raised its hand.
And it signalled with its index finger.
[Seems like it. The interface is no longer under my control.]
‘How dare he use someone else’s stuff without asking. Want me to say something to him?’
[Please don’t.]
Trail continued in a tense tone.
[Besides, the Eye of Omniscience and the power to control time were all originally bestowed to me by the Celestial God.]
‘…’
[Like Lisel said earlier, I was just borrowing those powers from the Celestial God.]
‘Then let me say what I said earlier again: those powers are yours now. You have spent countless ages fighting Idria alone. You deserve them.’
Trail fell silent for a moment.
Then finally said:
[I have never thought of it that way.]
Just as I was about to respond…
Swoosh.
A line of text appeared on the screen.
<Come forth.>
It was a command from the Celestial God.
My heart pounded, but I responded as calmly and respectfully as I could.
“I would like to ascend with my companions. It seems you have created an invisible barrier, please permit them to enter the staircase.”
<I refuse. And I have never changed my mind once I have refused.>
“…”
<Come forth.>
Stingy bastard.
I muttered to myself and turned around.
Beyond the invisible wall, my companions were watching me with worried expressions.
I clearly mouthed the words:
“I will be right back. Grab a bite while you wait.”
“…”
“Uh, hmm. Let’s pretend I didn’t read that.”
After reading their lips, I made up my mind to keep their words secret from the Celestial God.
Though honestly, he probably already heard it all.
[What were they saying?]
‘To sum it up: this god is seriously pissing them off.’
[…Wait, aren’t Serein and Xenia there too?]
‘They were the loudest, actually.’
Step. Step.
I continued climbing the stairs.
Closer and closer to the sky.
The Celestial God leaned back slightly in the throne, gazing down at me.
I couldn’t see its expression through the white light, but somehow, I felt it was probably looking at me with boredom.
Step.
I reached the top of the stairs and stood before the Celestial God.
Then, trying to be as courteous as possible, I spoke.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Mide Mohan.”
The Celestial God, still leaning back, waved a hand lightly.
Then another message appeared.
<Speak your purpose.>
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh inside.
‘Can’t he just talk?’
[Hey. Watch your mouth. That’s our boss you’re talking to.]
‘Tch. Maybe he doesn’t want to speak with a lowly creature like me, is that it?’
Well, as long as we can communicate, it doesn’t matter.
I began:
“As you probably already know, the Demon King of Lies and Deception, Idria, is trying to install Kaeld as a hero using a fake oracle.”
<Yes, I have noticed.>
“Humanity cannot distinguish between real and fake oracles. If Idria’s oracle is mistaken for yours, everyone will believe Kaeld is the true hero.”
<Your introduction is long.>
I nearly snapped but forced myself to remain composed.
“Please grant me your oracle. Or at least, prevent Idria from issuing her fake one.”
<I refuse.>
“What? But why…”
<As I said before, I have never changed my mind after refusing.>
Crack.
I felt something inside me snap.
Trail’s voice quickly cut in.
[Hey, hey. That’s our boss, remember? Deep breaths. Calm down.]
‘Right. Thanks. Ssssshhh. Hooooo.’
[There you go. Nice and slow.]
Ssss…
I took a deep breath and then shouted…
“What kind of god acts like a damn jackass?!”
Slap.
I could almost hear the sound of Trail facepalming.
Swoosh.
The Celestial God shifted its posture
I kept shouting.
“Do you know how much I donated to your temple? And you won’t even grant me this one request? Do something worthy of the money you took!”
<Hmm.>
“If you had stepped in from the start, I wouldn’t have had to go through all this. Bion wouldn’t have had to fight alone for all those countless years either!”
<Keep going.>
“I’m saying I will accomplish the things you didn’t or wouldn’t do. I will kill the Demon King and bring peace and prosperity to mankind. So why won’t you help?”
It was then that the celestial god leaned forward.
As that colossal body tilted toward me, I felt as if I were being swallowed by a tidal wave.
[Uh oh. Looks like he’s pissed.]
‘No, look closely.’
[Huh?]
‘He’s not leaning forward out of anger.’
I studied the radiant figure of the god more closely.
Yes.
‘He’s holding his stomach.’
He was laughing.
He was clutching his stomach and laughing like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world!
Then, a new sentence appeared on the screen.
<Why do you think that?>
“What?”
<Why do you assume I want peace and prosperity for humanity?>
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
The sentences continued to appear.
<I don’t care about humanity’s peace or prosperity. I have no interest in their happy future.>
“Then what do you care about?”
<Being worshipped.>
“…..”
<All humanity has to do is revere me as a god. That’s their reason for existing.>
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
I stayed silent for a moment, then he continued.
<That said, letting a demon king run rampant would be a problem. It would weaken their faith in me.>
“······.”
<That’s why I gave them the hero Bion Kunze.>
Even though I couldn’t see him, I somehow felt Trail flinch.
The sentences went on.
<Over the endless years, Bion killed and killed Idria again and again. It must have been frustrating for her, but honestly, it was just as frustrating for me.>
“You were frustrated? Why?”
<Because of the weapons I gave Bion to kill Idria.>
Ah.
The Eye of Omniscience.
And the power to manipulate time.
Those were clearly granted to Trail by the celestial god.
<Those powers are core tools I use to govern the world. They are indivisible, not something I can split, only transfer entirely.>
“What are you talking about? You’re still typing sentences on this screen.”
<That’s because this place is the starting point, my domain. Since it’s where my true form resides, I can still interfere a bit even after transferring the powers.>
“…..”
<Still, all I can do is type on this screen. I can no longer use the Eye of Omniscience. It used to be mine, and it’s frustrating.>
More sentences followed.
<I can’t let Bion hold onto the Eye and time manipulation forever. I want them back.>
And then another line appeared.
<Just then, Idria, very conveniently, set a new goal.>
“A goal?”
<That clever girl realized something: this world was designed so that the Demon King could never defeat the hero. So instead of meaningless struggle, she found a more efficient goal.>
Idria’s goal.
I knew what it was.
“To create a perfect lie.”
<Correct.>
“Calling it a ‘perfect lie’ is still vague. What exactly is she planning?”
<If the entire world is filled with lies, those lies become truth. Lies only exists in contrast to truth. But if everything is a lie, then lie itself becomes truth.>
“Still pretty vague.”
There was a brief pause.
Then the next sentence appeared.
And at that moment, I felt a chilling horror I never wanted to experience again.
<She plans to create a fake world.>
“…..!”
<You know she can create ‘fakes,’ right? She intends to craft a replica world based on this one and live in it.>
I shivered slightly.
Now I understood what ‘perfect lie’ really meant.
A world made entirely of lies.
From the moment of its creation, fundamentally composed of nothing but lies.
In such a world, lies become truth.
There was no tone to the text on the screen, but I somehow felt a cold indifference behind it.
<I wanted to retrieve the powers I gave to Bion, and Idria didn’t want to be killed by a hero anymore. Our goals aligned.>
The celestial god slightly tilted his head.
Though it wasn’t exact, I sensed that he was looking at Trail’s soul.
And I was right.
<Bion Kunze.>
[…..]
<From the moment Idria decided to pursue a fake world, you became obsolete. As I said, I also wanted my powers back, so I considered disposing of you.>
[….?]
<But you were a hero I crafted with great care, so it wasn’t easy. Your soul couldn’t be disposed of so easily.>
This bastard…
Trail’s voice trembled.
[That’s ridiculous. I have spent countless years······]
<I’m not denying your efforts. But the Eye and time manipulation were mine to begin with.>
[…..]
<What’s borrowed must be returned. They are valuable tools for ruling the world. I can’t leave them with expired waste.>
I gritted my teeth, but the celestial god continued unbothered.
<So I sent an assassin to the body you were meant to inhabit.>
[W-what?]
<Yes. Kaeld Wake. The assassin who could destroy your very soul and prevent your rebirth. But….>
The god tilted his head slightly.
<Why are you inside Mide’s body right now?>
Trail was too shocked to answer.
Well, even he had said he didn’t know how he ended up in me.
I took a deep breath and asked calmly.
“So you’re just going to let this happen? Let Idria escape to a fake world?”
< Hmm. Rather than ‘let,’ I would say I’m passively cooperating. After all, Idria is now using Kaeld, the assassin I sent, to her own advantage. >
“…..”
<Creating a copy of the world requires tremendous power. So Idria plans to create the greatest lie through Kaeld.>
I could guess what that “greatest lie” was.
“Deceiving the entire continent……”
<Correct. Idria will forge the grand, perfect lie: ‘Hero Kaeld defeated the Demon King Idria.’ And from that, she will draw power to build her fake world.>
…….
So Kaeld is a collaboration between the Celestial God and the Demon King.
For someone made by such “great” beings, he turned out to be garbage.
I recalled the final moments before my regression.
At that time, Kaeld cut off Idria’s head.
That must have been the moment.
The moment her “perfect lie” was completed.
‘She said she stepped off the stage for a while.’
[Yeah, she did.]
‘That meant she completed her fake world using that lie and left for it.’
[But that lie was broken. Because of you.]
Exactly.
I used the communication orb to reveal Kaeld’s crimes to the world.
He was no longer a hero, and Idria’s painstakingly crafted lie must have been shattered.
‘So she came back to take revenge.’
[Now I see why she was so furious. Not that I agree, but I get it.]
‘More importantly, are you okay? That must have been a shock.’
[No, I’m not okay. Let’s have a drink later.]
‘As much as you want, if you can drink.’
Trail let out a dry chuckle.
Considering he had just been betrayed by the God he served, he was holding up surprisingly well.
Just then, a new sentence appeared.
<Do you understand now? Idria doesn’t intend to destroy the world. So I have no reason to interfere.>
“…..”
<The same goes for you, Mide Mohan. Don’t bother disrupting her plans… why not retire instead?>
I decide when I retire.
I paused for a moment, then replied.
“I don’t think you have told me everything yet.”
<What do you mean?>
“You’re clearly hiding something. Now that I have come all this way, why don’t you be honest and spill it?”
<Hmm.>
“You said Idria won’t destroy the world. So let me ask you this…”
I took a deep breath and finished.
“Is it possible… that your definition of ‘destruction’ is different from mine?”
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