Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Oh, GOD! (1)

It was too sacred to be called a sword.

A holy divinity could be felt from it, and it was bright enough to bathe the world in radiance.

If there was a god, surely it would be like this?

But—

'This is my sword.'

I could feel a power without end.

They called it [Infinite Divinity], and it was, quite literally, infinite.

A distant light spread along my sword and my body, and like a miracle, it made all things in the world shine with brilliance.

In that state, I gazed at Jesus.

"Oh, GOD!"

Jesus's always-on translation authority wavered.

That was how shocked he was upon seeing my sword.

I was no less shocked myself.

'The world's strongest Hunter. The only EX-rank.'

I was currently equipped with my completed sword, an Ego Sword.

That meant I had obtained omnipotent and absolute power, and that all my faculties — including cognition and reasoning — had been dramatically elevated.

And yet—

"So you, too, are a truly Transcendent existence."

Having quickly regained his composure, Jesus's authority over language took effect.

The language of god hammered into my ears.

A power that forcibly conveyed "meaning."

"And you are an existence similar to me."

The sword's duration was 4 seconds.

Slicing and slicing that 4 seconds into the tiniest instants.

We held a conversation.

"Did you think you were the only one?"

Jesus's purpose was to annihilate me.

And so, I didn't bother with formal speech.

Kuung—.

Jesus hoisted the enormous cross onto his shoulder.

It was Jesus's 'Treasured Weapon — the Cross of Judgment,' said to be used for beating demons to death.

He was still holding it?

That meant Jesus was still treating me as an enemy.

And I had no intention of easily backing down either.

'Can I kill him?'

In my Transcendent state, I observed Jesus.

The sword in my hand was [2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia], but the enlightenments of all my swords dwelt in my body.

I could kill anything in the world.

But…

'I can't see an opening.'

Even the strange thing gambling against the Saintess I could kill.

Yet I reached the conclusion that I could not kill Jesus.

If that was the case, 'Plan A — Kill Jesus' had failed.

Then I'd have to go with 'Plan B.'

"Jesus, return to your country."

I set the massive Holy Sword vertical.

Holding the hilt with both hands, I pressed the sword against my chest and attempted to manifest a single power.

And thus—

Kuung———.

I replicated, at my fingertips, the most sacred miracle that Yuria had performed in the world of [Raise a Sword].

One of the skills I had obtained from the SSS-rank Random Box.

[Supreme Heavenly Cradle]

Centered on the sword and my body, a vast golden veil unfurled.

Using the divine power welling up infinitely from my body as its medium, the veil spread to cover the entire territory of South Korea.

'Plan B is to display my divine ability.'

This was, originally, the scene depicted on the [Tarot Card].

And the Saintess of Fate, Im Ji-a, was a truly uncanny existence.

"Oooh... to manifest a true miracle with such a vast and radiant Holy Sword!!!"

Jesus lowered the cross slung over his shoulder.

He shrank it down and wore it around his neck.

'Did it work?'

He seemed to have no intention of fighting.

Instead…

"Oh, God!"

The two-meter-fifty-tall Jesus approached me.

And then the 4 seconds passed.

Kuung——.

The massive greatsword vanished.

At some point, my hand now held the small, precious Baby Sword.

My Baby Sword, with a [Chaos] alignment and evolved into a [Holy-Demon Sword].

'I can use the 1st and 2nd Swords, too.'

Calmly reviewing Plan C in my head, I looked up at Jesus steadily.

When my omnipotence faded, he too withdrew his own omnipotence and moved like an ordinary man.

"That sanctity. That distant holiness. Ahh…"

Jesus gazed down at me intently with eyes drunk on ecstasy.

At 183, I wasn't short myself, yet standing before a 250-centimeter Jesus made me feel like a dwarf.

He asked,

"You were trying to kill me, weren't you?"

I'd been caught.

Jesus was EX-rank.

A being revered as a god, beyond even a Transcendent.

And I was similar to him.

"Weren't you trying to kill me too, Jesus?"

"The evil of that crimson greatsword was real, and yet this present sanctity is real too."

"If we won't be enemies, we could be friends, couldn't we?"

Jesus and I had clashed our omnipotences against each other.

So I could tell.

Jesus was a monster beyond my imagination.

Even wielding my Transcendent sword, I couldn't gauge the outcome of a fight against this superhuman.

And unlike me, he had no time limit, so he could wield his authority infinitely — that sort of monster.

"Haha! Truly, you are a being like me. I think you were cuter when you used casual speech?"

"No need to treat you roughly if you're not an enemy, is there?"

I was conversing calmly on the outside, but inside I felt oddly unsettled.

Separate from that, I couldn't help but listen intently to Jesus's words.

"I, Jesus Christ, do not die. As long as there are devout believers on Earth, I am an eternal, immortal existence."

The moment I heard those words—

Tingle—.

A sensation hit me.

I instinctively came to know the method of killing Jesus.

'Something I must never do, but…'

As I was thinking that, Jesus added one more remark.

"Just as you are—. I too do not die."

Jesus's skin was particularly dark even among Black people.

Between that jet-black skin flashed the whites of his eyes, his irises set low.

Judging from that peculiar gaze—

'Jesus doesn't know how to kill me.'

I, on the other hand, did.

Noting this small advantage, I casually took two steps back.

Because Jesus kept drawing closer to me as he spoke.

But then…

Swick—.

Jesus spread his long arms wide open.

This…

Was that.

'The Embrace of Jesus.'

A rite created to embody Jesus's will to love all things in the world.

In other words, Jesus was signaling that he would treat me favorably.

I was a little put off.

Hesitation crept in.

But—

"Brother! My brother!!!"

The world's strongest Hunter was calling me brother — any further hesitation would be absurd.

I decided to play along.

Squeeze!

"Ohhh! Brother!!!"

About one second.

I swiftly extricated myself from Jesus's embrace.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Was US President Bill Johnson going through this every single day?

As I thought that—

Vvvng—.

A strange resonance came from the Baby Sword.

A golden glow flickered in the Jewel set at the end of the hilt before fading away.

I wanted to check on it, but…

"I've left my homeland alone for too long."

Jesus was preparing to leave.

Considering all the commotion he'd caused on his way to Korea, it'd be better for him to return to America as soon as possible.

I was about to say my goodbyes.

I had assumed he'd part the Pacific again and fly back to America…

"Before my brother, there's no need to hide anything."

Jesus drew a cross in the air.

Jeojeojeok——!!!

The air tore open, and an enormous rift appeared.

Within it I could see a middle-aged, bald white man.

A very familiar face.

US President Bill Johnson.

"…J-Jesus. Why are you showing that power before a foreign citizen—"

"Bill, I've shrouded it with my authority. No one else can see this."

"Th-that man. Shin Si-woo is watching, isn't he?"

The torn air was connected to the US President's Oval Office.

And inside, the US President's face twisted in horror at the sight of me.

"Bill, are you insulting my brother?"

"Brother? But he's clearly the demon worship—"

"Enough! Bill!!! Are you possessed by a demon?"

With a somewhat detached expression, I watched the exchange between Jesus and the US President.

Citing my sanctity as proof, Jesus said he would cover up the issue of the demons I had summoned.

I also learned what the US President thought of me.

'A peculiar coincidence, but…'

It seemed he believed I was the dark hidden hand behind Park Chang-seok's Fall, the Red Sea incident, and the presidential assassination plot.

'The timing does line up, I suppose.'

I considered offering some explanation.

But there was no need.

"That sanctity is the very power that controls the demons."

Jesus, my Brother, explained it quite well on my behalf.

"Confirmation—"

Being the US President, he was apparently full of suspicion.

He went on at length about various verification procedures that ought to be required, but every one of the President's remarks was put to rest by a single word from Jesus.

"Enough! Bill, Shin Si-woo is my Brother. The brother of a god. Which means he, too, is a god!"

How dare a human try to test a god?

At Jesus's rebuke, Bill lowered his head and muttered, 'A—men.'

Seizing the brief silence, I spoke up.

"My elder brother is right."

"E-elder brother?"

"He's my Hunter senior, so it's fitting."

I relayed the truth about the demon worshippers to the US President as well.

The world would gradually be covered by [Abyss-Black Gates], and conditions would grow more severe.

And the ones accelerating that were the demon worshippers.

And this was only the beginning.

"Black Gates. They've appeared in America too. Demon worshippers, daring to act in the America protected by Jesus's patronage…"

Only then did President Bill dispel the suspicions he'd held of me.

"Oh, Bill! We must open the Night of Judgment at once."

Jesus, too, flared up in anger.

'I must absolutely stay on good terms with America.'

Things had gone better than expected.

The world's strongest nation, America, had grown even, even, even stronger after the Gate incident.

'The publicly known Transcendents alone number over ten.'

There was even a wild rumor that they were capturing and researching beings from other worlds, using [Mysteries] to mass-produce Transcendents.

In any case, we wrapped up our talk with a promise of just this sort of close cooperation.

"Brother! Let's meet again!"

Jesus flashed his white teeth in a smile.

"Elder brother! Travel safely!"

______________________________

—Ep. 08. Oh, GOD! (1)

The Presidential Office of the Republic of Korea.

"Shin Si-woo, what on earth have you…"

Seol-a noona's father stared at me with stunned eyes.

The President beside him, and Seol-a noona seated next to me — all of them had widened their eyes in shock.

<Oh, GOD! Shin Si-woo is the second god to appear in the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, I attest to this.>

Jesus had held an official press conference for the first time in a very long while.

<Those who would tarnish or insult the divinity of my brother Shin Si-woo are sinners no different from demons—.>

Jesus had gone so far as to append new scripture to champion my name.

Honestly, it wasn't a bad thing.

I glanced sideways, and everyone's lips were just moving silently.

The shock of Jesus's announcement seemed immense for all of them.

"Good lord… adding a verse to the Bible? What kind of insanity is that—"

After a long while, Senior Prosecutor Kang let out a sigh.

Right on cue, the speaker in the video changed.

The President of the United States, Bill Johnson.

<Since the Gate crisis, our United States has annulled all alliances in pursuit of our own-nation-first doctrine. However—>

After the Gate crisis, sea and air routes had been severed.

It hadn't even been three years since portals built with Mysteries had reopened the tourism industry.

Today's Earth was a world where people peeked at each other's nations through [WorldNet], yet no one stood together.

But…

<The brother of the world's first god and our America's rightful guardian deity Jesus — Shin Si-woo. Is the Republic of Korea, where he lives, not also a brother to our America?>

And so, he declared.

<The United States declares the Republic of Korea to be its brother-nation and ally.>

The world's mightiest nation, America.

Its President had used me as the reason to declare an alliance with South Korea.

Yes, a declaration.

"When did this come through?"

I asked, looking at President Lee Seok-hyeon.

"It wasn't a request — it was a notification. That's why we called you here to set up this meeting."

The President still seemed unable to believe America's alliance declaration.

Senior Prosecutor Kang and President Lee Seok-hyeon began exchanging thoughts, deliberating on future global affairs.

"Noona, how did you end up here?"

"I'm your dedicated handler. Got a double promotion and I'm transferring into the Transcendent Affairs Division."

It was a form of marking.

Bill Johnson to Jesus.

President Lee Seok-hyeon and Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin to the Patriot.

Beings who soothed and managed the world's supreme powerhouses — Transcendents who had genuinely gone off the deep end.

Having been a civil servant at the Awakened Management Bureau, I roughly understood.

"I'm perfectly sane, though?"

"It's what I wanted, so don't worry about it!"

Seol-a noona said so.

No reason to stop her if she wanted it, so I nodded calmly.

Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"Noona, are you upset?"

"No."

Then why that look in her eyes?

<Let us share in this glorious moment! The scene of Jesus and Lord Shin Si-woo embracing! With this, the Republic of Korea has become America's brother-nation, and regarding this…>

I looked at the news screen floating in the air.

Noona seemed to be watching it too.

On it, a close-up of Jesus embracing me was being displayed.

Watching it, noona murmured,

"It feels strange — like you're changing way too fast."

I had changed a lot in too short a time.

On top of that, the fact that the person I was dealing with was Jesus must have left Seol-a noona feeling bewildered.

"I never imagined I'd come face-to-face with the living Jesus."

The name of humanity's mightiest — Jesus — carried that much weight and depth.

Despite his outlandish appearance.

"Jesus is a person too."

We were Transcendents, but the essence within was certainly human.

Just as I was.

Of course, Jesus was a living god.

But in the moment I'd stood before him, I'd glimpsed his human side.

"But Jesus is an immortal being, isn't he? He saved humanity while being tied to a cross for days, dying infinitely over and over?"

The Necropolis.

The sky of death, and the burning desert.

The world-class catastrophes Jesus had resolved were numerous.

I simply nodded.

"That's true."

I wouldn't tell noona, but.

Jesus — revered as an immortal, the one true god.

By my estimation, with a probability above 99%.

'He dies if his followers disappear.'

He was a mortal being.

Why was I thinking about how to kill him?

'I'm not sure, but—'

For some reason, I kept having the ominous premonition that I would end up clashing with Jesus.

* * *

—The world's second god has descended upon the Republic of Korea!!!

The WorldNet community was in a nonstop festive mood.

—Damn, those achievements are insane.

—Became a Transcendent and immediately went bro-status with Jesus.

—So America begged Korea for an alliance!

There was some exaggeration.

But not a single thing the public was saying was wrong.

In a situation where even the Patriot couldn't budge the international landscape, Shin Si-woo had reshaped the entire dynamic just by appearing.

Naturally, it was cause for amazement.

—Why isn't Lord Patriot showing up?

—He'd be so happy seeing this, he'd cry.

The Patriot lived for South Korea — it was fair to say he genuinely loved this country from the bottom of his heart.

A Transcendent, Shin Si-woo, who was sworn brothers with Jesus.

If the Patriot saw that, he might weep with sheer emotion.

—He summoned a sacred dome that covered all of Seoul...

—If Lord Si-woo defends the homeland and Lord Patriot goes on offense, can we beat Japan?

—Can we annex Japan?

It was the brightest mood in recent memory.

Seizing this opportunity, Japan — which had been biding its time — issued a surprise statement.

And they'd put forward SSS-rank Transcendent Yuki to deliver it.

Yuki had Transcended humanity by merging with a spirit.

She was a half-elf, half-East-Asian.

One of the world's most beautiful women.

<Japan welcomes the world's second GOD, Lord Shin Si-woo! Come enjoy the scenery of the Mt. Fuji lava zone and chat with us!>

She sent a message toward Shin Si-woo with a bashful smile.

—What the hell. The video and her tone make it sound like "let's grab coffee together!" but the location is insane.

—She's trying to dump the Mt. Fuji lava Gate on us.

Korean citizens immediately pushed back.

Don't even think about pawning your mess off on us!!!

That was the sentiment.

But…

<I'll stop by soon.>

Defying everyone's expectations, Shin Si-woo gave an official reply that he'd visit Japan.

—Why??

The world didn't know.

But in truth, Shin Si-woo was the one desperate to get to Japan.

Because going to Japan meant he could obtain the scabbard for his 'Baby Sword.'